Featured Today

 Ensemble. A Joy to Hear - Richard Strauss' 'Der Rosenkavalier', the last of this season's Live in HD broadcasts from New York Metropolitan Opera, impresses Maria Nockin

Anniversaries: Denis ApIvor; Ronald Smith; Nicolò Paganini; Thea Musgrave; Luciano Berio; Egon Petri; Gwyneth George; Joachim Raff; Uña Ramos; Malcolm MacDonald

Today's concerts: Haley Myles, piano and Uriel Pascucci, piano; London, UK; Mikis Theodorakis: Zorba the Greek; Sofia, BG; Francesco Cavalli: Hipermestra; East Sussex, UK

Festivals, competitions and masterclasses: Heartbeat Opera Spring Festival - Carmen and Butterfly (21-28 May); New York, US; Swaledale Festival (27 May-10 June); North Yorkshire, UK; Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (24 April-31 May); Florence, IT; Bergen International Festival (24 May-7 June); Bergen, NO

Recent Articles

Ensemble. Tender and Engrossing - Benjamin Britten's 'Peter Grimes' in Bologna impresses Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. A Neat Bit of Programming - Khachaturian, Rachmaninov, Musorgsky and Shostakovich from Freddy Kempf, the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra and Yuri Simonov, heard by Mike Wheeler

CD Spotlight. Joyous Occasions - Music by members of the Strauss family delights Gerald Fenech. 'A thoroughly stimulating issue, dashingly performed by Estonian forces conducted by the veteran Neeme Järvi ...'

Classical music news - Natalia Shakhovskaya (1935-2017); Sébastien Daucé; more ...

Ensemble. Well-deserved Ovations - 'Lulu' lands in Rome after fifty years, by Giuseppe Pennisi

Classical music news - Robert Gutter (1938-2017); more ...

CD Spotlight. Fine Indeed - Rikke Sandberg plays Rachmaninov, heard by the late Howard Smith. '... most clearly true to the spirit of the music ...'

Ensemble. High Ambitions - Michael Landes was at the American Protégé Winners' recital on 14 May 2017 in Carnegie Hall

CD Spotlight. Stylistic Evolution - Béla Bartók's six string quartets, highly recommended by Gerald Fenech

CD Spotlight. Unmistakably Russian - Music by Alexander Feht impressed the late Howard Smith. 'There can be few, if any, Russian songs of equal calibre fashioned in the Colorado Rockies.'

Ensemble. Visions of Human Suffering - Lyric Verdi, and a great success, but in some ways a 'Don Carlo' of losers at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, impresses Giuseppe Pennisi

Classical music news - Norma Procter (1928-2017); Ben Nevis?; more ...

CD Spotlight. A Superb Account - Tchaikovsky for violin and orchestra, heard by Gerald Fenech. 'The young and celebrated Korean virtuoso Moonkyung Lee is fast making a name for herself on both sides of the Atlantic, and these performances confirm all the wonderful reviews that are being written about her.'

Ensemble. Zip and Enthusiasm - Members of the Kanneh-Mason family playing at the Belper Arts Festival, heard by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Brilliantly Invigorating - Mike Wheeler listens to the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Ensemble. Civil Engagement - Giuseppe Pennisi discusses operas representing intrigues which couldn't be discussed in public

Ensemble. Splendidly Lucid - Elgar, Weber, Tchaikovsky and more from Julian Bliss, Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra, reported by Mike Wheeler

Classical music news - Organs and Organists; The Other Israel; Charles Hoffer (1929-2017); more ...

Ensemble. Authentic Performance - Tchaikovsky's 'Eugene Onegin' in HD from New York Metropolitan Opera, enjoyed by Maria Nockin

CD Spotlight. Sheer Beauty - Dvorák serenades, heard by Gerald Fenech. 'Performances by the Czech Nonet ... and the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields conducted by Neville Marriner ... are exemplary, and all the colourful harmonies and exuberant rhythms are brought out with a virtuosity that is quite unmatchable.'

CD Spotlight. Respectable Performances - Brahms' Hungarian Dances, heard by the late Howard Smith. 'Kantorski and Pope ... are treading on thin ice ...'

Classical music news - Grigori Zhislin (1945-2017); more ...

CD Spotlight. Absolutely Enthralling - Music for brass and organ, strongly recommended by Gerald Fenech. 'Barbara Bruns and the Thompson Brass Ensemble give dazzling performances full of compelling virtuosity and brilliantly executed musical stunts that never fail to surprise ...'

CD Spotlight. Splice the Mainbrace - Red Priest's 'Pirates of the Baroque', heard by the late Howard Smith. 'The foursome are outrageous, hugely entertaining, and Red Priest take no prisoners.'

Ensemble. Full-blooded Performance - Mendelssohn's 'Elijah' from Derby Choral Union and Richard Dacey, heard by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Unjustly Neglected - In this specially extended feature, Armstrong Gibbs' re-discovered 'Passion according to St Luke' impresses Roderic Dunnett

Classical music news - Something Rich and Strange - May 2017 Newsletter (PDF, 1Mb); Music and Flow; Northern Lights; The Trojans; more ...

CD Spotlight. Wonderful Advocates - Hindemith's complete string quartets, highly recommended by Gerald Fenech. '... each rendition is an endless source of pleasure, where precision and attention to detail are the consistent hallmarks of some breathtaking music-making.'

Ensemble. Something Rich and Strange - Mozart, Shostakovich and Beethoven from the Coull Quartet impress Mike Wheeler

Classical music news - Dance of the Violin; Gordon Langford (1930-2017); Manfred Jung (1940-2017); more ...

Ensemble. A Lovely Evening - William Walton's 'Façade' in Rome, alongside a symphony by Alfredo Casella, appreciated by Giuseppe Pennisi