Featured Today 
Sameness in Performance? - Geoff Pearce asks if we've lost something precious in our search for perfection, and argues for a return to national styles of playing
Anniversaries: Milan Horvat; Antonio Vivaldi; Jacopo Foroni; Johann Sebastian Bach; Riccardo Muti; Christopher Bunting
Festivals, competitions and masterclasses: BPSE Regent Hall Summer Festival (25 July - 8 August); London, UK; Glimmerglass Festival (11 July - 24 August); New York, US; Toscana Music Festival of Choirs and Orchestras (24-28 July); Montecatini Terme, IT; Salzburg Festival (18 July - 31 August); Salzburg, AT; Verbier Festival (18 July - 3 August); Verbier, CH; Bregenzer Festspiele (23 July - 25 August); Bregenz, AT; Worcester Three Choirs Festival (26 July - 2 August); Worcester, UK; Aspen Festival and School (26 June - 17 August); Colorado, US
Recent Articles
Classical music news - Carlo Bergonzi (1924-2014); more ...
Out of this World - Cuban pianist Marcos Madrigal plays Schumann, Beethoven, Poulenc, de Séverac and Lecuona, heard by Bill Newman
Ensemble. Completely Bonkers - H K Gruber's 'Gloria - A Pigtale', reviewed by Mike Wheeler
Ask Alice - Original quotes from Paul Silverthorne, with classical music agony aunt Alice McVeigh
Deftly Handled - Robert Quinney at the organ of Derby Cathedral, heard by Mike Wheeler
Full Marks - Bill Newman listens to Nikolai Demidenko
Ensemble. Fatally Compromised - Rossini's 'Otello', reviewed by Mike Wheeler
CD Spotlight. Without Despair - Sacred choral music by Poulenc, heard by Howard Smith. 'Harmonia mundi has struck oil ...'
CD Spotlight. Varied Mythology - Deutsche Grammophon's Strauss opera compilation, sampled by Robert Anderson. '... a hugely enjoyable set ...'
Ensemble. Whipped Cream - Buxton Festival's 2014 Opera Gala, attended by Mike Wheeler
Sparkling Performances - Organist Roy Massey visits Derby Cathedral, heard by Mike Wheeler
Ensemble. Celebratory and Ambiguous - Mozart, Judith Weir and Ravel from the Lawson Trio at Buxton, heard by Mike Wheeler
Ensemble. A Gasparini Renaissance - Giuseppe Pennisi experiences 'Il Bajazet'
Ensemble. Steely Force - A devastatingly fresh take on 'Orfeo ed Eurydice', admired by Mike Wheeler
Ensemble. Delicate Sensitivity - The Innovation Chamber Ensemble at Buxton, heard by Mike Wheeler
Ensemble. Dramatic Weaknesses - Dvorák's 'The Jacobin', reviewed by Mike Wheeler
CD Spotlight. Acknowledged Skill - Gwendolyn Mok plays Brahms, heard by Howard Smith. '... Mok falls short of Julius Katchen's flair ...'
Classical music news - Lorin Maazel (1930-2014); more ...
CD Spotlight. Very Searching - Peter Dickinson's 'The Judas Tree', heard by Robert Anderson. '... a notable performance ...'
CD Spotlight. Divertingly Arranged - Music from China and the USA, heard by Howard Smith. '... less conclusive ...'
CD Spotlight. Altogether Impressive - Khachaturian for violin and piano, heard by Robert Anderson. '... fine listening when interpreted as idiomatically as here.'
Classical music news - The King's Consort; more ...
Classical music news - The Opera Machine; The Schubert Project; more ...
Ensemble. Consummate Professionalism - Nigel Ogden begins Derby Cathedral's series of summer organ recitals, heard by Mike Wheeler
Classical music news - Sakari Oramo; Oscar Yatco; more ...
CD Spotlight. Extraordinarily Beautiful - Joseph Summer's Shakespeare Concerts Series, heard by Howard Smith. '... immediately expressive.'
Ensemble. Open-air Performance - A triptych of ballet on tour, with dancing in the monumental Roman ruins, experienced by Giuseppe Pennisi
CD Spotlight. Irrepressible Delights - Piano trios from the 1890s, heard by Howard Smith. '... compelling feeling and technical assurance ...'
CD Spotlight. Relatively Conservative - American music for flute and piano, heard by Ron Bierman. 'Amy Porter plays with feeling and clean, seemingly effortless articulation ...'
CD Spotlight. Expressive Style - Music for cello and guitar, heard by Howard Smith. '... the entire concert is alive with a myriad textual and sonic possibilities.'
Classical music news - July Newsletter (PDF, 950kb); Judith Weir; Julius Rudel; Mary Rodgers; more ...
CD Spotlight. Unequalled Refinement - Music by Marin Marais, heard by Gerald Fenech. 'Another triumph for Savall's seemingly inexhaustible musical genius.'
CD Spotlight. Commanding Authority - Shostakovich and Schnittke string quartets, heard by Howard Smith. '... vivid sonic immediacy.'
CD Spotlight. Refined Balance - Purcell sonatas, recommended by Gerald Fenech. '... irrepressibly elegant and restrained.'
