This is Volume Six of Somm's Bruckner series; we looked at Volume One here. This contains the monumental Eighth Symphony. If there is one orchestra the seems perfect for Bruckner, with its rich tradition, its creamy brass, its lush strings and its individualised woodwind, it is the Bavarian

A timely post, after the weekend's Southbank performance of Wozzeck. Sir Adrian Boult conducing Wozzeck might certainly cause a double-take. What we have here is the second ever performance of Berg's Wozzeck in the UK - Royal Albert Hall, London, on March 26, 1949 (Boult conducted

Cast: Wozzeck – Stéphane Degout Marie – Annette Dasch Captain – Peter Hoare Doctor – Brindley Sherratt Drum-Major – Christopher Ventris Andres – Eirik Grøtvedt Margret – Kitty Whately Fool – Adrian Thompson First Apprentice – Callum Thorpe Second Apprentice – Dominic Sedgwick London Voices; Tiffin Boys’ Choir, London Philharmonic Orchestra / Edward Gardner. Projections by Ilya Shagalov. Royal Festival Hall,

Rafael Payare, who Classical Explorer has covered in Montréal and in London, and on disc, has extended his tenure for a further five years with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (OSM). is contract was due to end in the spring of 2027 and now is extended through the 2031/2

The late music of Moton Feldman (1926-87) is like no other

Beat Furrer Studie IV (2025, UK premiere) Schumann Davidbündertänze, Op. 6 (1837) Stefano Gervasoni Sonata for Piano (2024, UK premiere) Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat, Op. 110 (1821/2) Good to see Filippo Gorini, whose recordings of Bach's Die Kunst der Fuge and late Beethoven

Joe Hisaishi Howl's Moving Castle: Merry-go-Round + Cave of Mind Wagner Tristan und Isolde: Prelude und Verklärung Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet: excerpts The National Youth Orchestra's Festival Hall concert  (following on from the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester two days earlier) brought fascinating programming and the orchestra'

Perhaps fittingly, there is an establishment by the name of “Satan’s Whiskers” a hop, skip and a jump from York Hall. Richard Strauss’ Salome is a visceral juxtaposition of the good (or is that Good?: John the Baptist) and the bad (the seductress, spoiled-brat Salome) and everything in between

This is a lovely album. Programming is carefully consdered. The disc opens with a beautiful performance of Durrliat's own transcription of the "In Paradisim" from Fauré's Requiem. The tempo is perfect, and a sense of supra-emporal wooder suffuses. Durliat's tone is peace:

On 27th March 2026, the record label Prima Facie released the premiere recording of Andrew Downes’ A St Luke Passion of 1993 (Op. 50) with the Philharmonia Voices and Orchestra under David Trippett.    This is the first album in a trilogy of recordings of the large-scale choral works of Midlands