Classical Explorer

Opera in Song @ Holland Park: Roderick Williams' Winter Journey

Opera in Song @ Holland Park: Roderick Williams' Winter Journey

Schubert Winterreise (sung in English (transl. Jeremy Sams) Roderick Williams (baritone); Ella O’Neill (piano). Opera Holland Park, London 1.7.2022 There is little doubt that Jeremy Sams’ translations of Schubert into English are little works of art in themselves: Sir John Tomlinson sang Sams’ translation of Schwanengesang at

Alessandro Scarlatti: the revelations of his keyboard works

Alessandro Scarlatti: the revelations of his keyboard works

A fine end to what is obviously a very significant series, not least for our appreciation of the music of Scarlatti père

Il Tenore: Freddie De Tommaso returns

Il Tenore: Freddie De Tommaso returns

this is a fine disc that reveals De Tommaso as spectacular in his core repertoire

Thoughts about the Piano: Claudia Chan's fascinating programme

Thoughts about the Piano: Claudia Chan's fascinating programme

Buy this disc for Chan's performance of Xenakis' Evryali alone, then go on to peel away the other discoveries ....

Gloriously sophisticated Beethoven from the Chiaroscuro Quartet

Gloriously sophisticated Beethoven from the Chiaroscuro Quartet

Here on Classical Explorer, we previously met the Chiaroscuro Quartet in Quartets by Haydn: his Op. 76, to be specific, Nos. 1-3 and Nos. 4-6. Now, they embark on the gretest cycle of them all: the Beethoven Quartets. This new disc completes their Op. 18 traversal, offering the final three

Une journée particulière: Mozart Maximum at La Seine Musicale, Paris

Une journée particulière: Mozart Maximum at La Seine Musicale, Paris

The “Festival Mozart Maximum” is underway in Paris. This was the first of three performances on consecutive nights of a remarkable interpretation of one particular day in Mozart's life: November 12, 1791. With a libretto adapted from the writings of H. C. Robbins Landon, David Lescot's staging allows us a

REPOST Music is like H20: Eliasson Symphonies & Trombone Concerto on BIS

REPOST Music is like H20: Eliasson Symphonies & Trombone Concerto on BIS

A superb introduction to the music of Anders Elisasson. This is profound, often beautiful, music

Concert Review: A South American Journey

Concert Review: A South American Journey

Teresa Carreño – Serenade for Strings Leo Brouwer – Canciones Remotas Villa-Lobos – Guitar Concerto, W501 Ginastera – Concerto for Strings, Op.33 Pre-concert event: Villa-Lobos (arr. Harry Baker) – Bachianas brasileiras No.2 (excerpt) Students from the Bobby Moore Academy (In the absence of Bath Festival Orchestra recordings, I have inserted some alternative performances

Phrases: Héloïse Werner's stunning debut on Delphian

Phrases: Héloïse Werner's stunning debut on Delphian

Released today, Phrases is the remarkable Héloïse Werner’s debut disc. A launch concert at the Wigmore Hall recently (which included some but not all of the disc repertoiree) was itself an event, including some pieces not on the album. The backbone of the disc is a selection of Récitations

Requiem pour Louis XVI: Martini

Requiem pour Louis XVI: Martini

It seems pretty much everything Niquet touches turns to gold ...

News item: Orlando Consort announces retirement

News item: Orlando Consort announces retirement

The Orlando Consort, the world-renowned vocal quartet specialising in Medieval and Renaissance music, has announced its forthcoming retirement in June 2023. The renowned Medieval and early Renaissance vocal quartet the Orlando Consort, is commencing the final 12 months of activities. When the group ceases performing in June 2023, it will

Johann David Heinichen: Two Passion Oratorios

Johann David Heinichen: Two Passion Oratorios

Back in March this year, we encountered Johann David Heinichen's Dresden Vespers on the Belgian Accent label. Now the German, Ossnabrück-based cpo label expands the vista with two Passion Oratorios, or to give them the full title, Due Cantate al Sepolcro di nostro Signore; both works were also written for

Titon et L'Aurore at the Opéra Comique

Titon et L'Aurore at the Opéra Comique

A fabulous performance of an opéra that is a real discovery. Try this: you won't regret it

St Martin's Voices announces its 2022-23 season

St Martin's Voices announces its 2022-23 season

Professional Vocal Ensemble St Martin’s Voices Announces 2022–23 Season · A new concert series – Beyond the Dawn – comprising six concerts, will run from October 2022 to June 2023 exploring themes of philosophy and discovery with notable guest speakers reflecting on each concert · St Martin’s Voices continues and expands

La traviata: Lisette Oropesa triumphs

La traviata: Lisette Oropesa triumphs

This is Oropesa's Traviata, a truly fine document of her excellence in this opera

John Ireland on Chandos

John Ireland on Chandos

A beautifully varied, stunningly played and recorded disc of music by a composer whose works are absolutely deserving of our attention

News item: Rotterdam's Conducting Competition

News item: Rotterdam's Conducting Competition

Bertie Baigent wins the first edition of the International Conducting Competition Rotterdam (photo © Allard Willemse) Bertie Baigent (born 1995, United Kingdom) was awarded the Grand Prix of the International Conducting Competition Rotterdam on Friday, June 3rd. From May 26th to June 3rd, 2022, six young conductors presented themselves in five

Eric Tanguy Chamber Music: “In a Dream”

Eric Tanguy Chamber Music: “In a Dream”

This is richly rewarding music, brilliantly played and recorded

Vienne et après ... Pianist Andrew Zhou and the music of today

Vienne et après ... Pianist Andrew Zhou and the music of today

Pianist Andrew Zhou is a laureate of the 2012 Orléans Competition for Contemporary Music, where he was a finalist. This disc, Vienne et après, presents music by Pintscher, Stockhausen, Lachenman, Schoenberg and Walter Zimmermann: core repertoire for that competition, of course! I is part of a project co-cuated by Zhou

Mother Sister Daughter

Mother Sister Daughter

Musica Secreta launches new album Mother, Sister, Daughter of music from the convent of Galileo Galilei’s daughter at King’s Place including world premiere of Joanna Marsh’s The Veiled Sisters Concert: Friday 10 June 2022, 19:30 Kings Place, London Concert: Friday 24 June 2022, 19:30 Music

Rameau: Nouvelle Symphonie

Rameau: Nouvelle Symphonie

This is a vibrant release from the Château de Versailles Spectacles label, with Minkowski and his Musiciens du Louvre on top form, with the added bonus of the singer Florien Sempey. Here's a sample: The disc comprises 20 tracks of excerpts from Castor et Pollux, Zoroastre (a delicisious "Air tendre

Dohnányi: Concertos & Variations

Dohnányi: Concertos & Variations

The music of Ernst von Dohnányi remains woefully underappreciated - which makes it ripe for consideration here on Classical Explorer, of course! I thoroughly enjoyed Sofia Gulbadamova's disc of Dohnányi solo piano works on this same label, Capriccio. It is a pleasure to hear her again here in the Variations

Concert review: Andrea Chénier from Chelsea Opera Group

Concert review: Andrea Chénier from Chelsea Opera Group

One fervently hopes that COG’s sterling work will bring the operatic power of Chénier back into our consciousness

Vivaldi: 12 Concerti di Parigi from Versailles

Vivaldi: 12 Concerti di Parigi from Versailles

Some explanation is required firstly on what exactly these “Concerti di Parigi” are. They are "Ripieni Concerti," which means there is no single soloist. You might also encounter them as "Concertos for Strings". Most of them (ten out of the twelve) exist in other versions; the manscript is held at

L‘Oiseau rebelle: Contemporary Piano Music from Orléans

L‘Oiseau rebelle: Contemporary Piano Music from Orléans

L’Oiseau Rebelle Music by Langgaard, Bertrand, Lourié, Stockhausen, Kabalevsky, Xenakis, C. P. E. Bach, Cardew, Rossini, Terentyev, C. Schumann and Cage plus Snoop Dogg. Mikhaïl Bouzine (piano). B RECORDS LBM 037 78 mins This is one of a series of discs released by prize-winners to the Orléans Festival of