A selection of 'Lent and Easter' articles

Ensemble. A Remarkable Concentrated Stillness - Mike Wheeler reviews a restrained but purposeful account of J S Bach's St John Passion

Spotlight. Fling Wide the Gates - Keith Bramich listens to Delphian Records' new recording of John Stainer's 'The Crucifixion'. '... excellent and committed performance ...'

Ensemble. Resonances Far Beyond - Mike Wheeler listens to J S Bach's 'St Matthew Passion'

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CD Spotlight. Passion, Intensity and Verve - Gerald Fenech listens to Giordano's 'Siberia'. '... full of emotional warmth and heartfelt fidelity.'

Ensemble. An Interesting Contamination of Genres - Giuseppe Pennisi reports from the first Italian performance of 'The Passion according to St Mark' by contemporary Polish composer Paweł Mykietyn

CD Spotlight. The Greatness of Easter - Georg Philipp Telemann's Easter Cantatas, reviewed by Giuseppe Pennisi. '... a good complement to the "Markus-Passion" CD ...'

Ensemble. In the Easter Egg - Giuseppe Pennisi takes a critical look at two April 2021 performances of Verdi's 'La Traviata'

Ensemble. Easter Concerts - Giuseppe Pennisi experiences two recent performances broadcast on Italian TV

CD Spotlight. Natural Talents - Gerald Fenech listens to Easter cantatas by Baroque German composer Christoph Graupner. 'Christian Bonath and his team give these baroque choral gems the ideal exposure, and reveal them to be the masterpieces they truly are in performances of inspirational nobility and incomparable beauty.'

CD Spotlight. An Important Discovery - Georg Philipp Telemann's Markus-Passion 1759, reviewed by Giuseppe Pennisi. 'Hermann Max, a specialist not only of baroque but especially of Georg Philipp Telemann, conducts Das Kleine Konzert with rigor and flair as well as emphasis on the dramatic impact of the recitatives and on the moral content of the arias.'

Classical music news - Bocelli: Music for Hope - Andrea Bocelli and Emanuele Vianelli performed live from the Duomo in Milan on Easter Sunday

Ensemble. Easter Mozart - Ton Koopman conducts the Mass in C and the Jupiter Symphony, heard by Giuseppe Pennisi

CD Spotlight. A Beacon of God's Love - Gabriel Jackson's Passion impresses Gerald Fenech. 'Emotionally charged performances, superb sound quality and highly informative annotations complete a revelatory disc that is wholly in tune with the present Lenten season.'

CD Spotlight. Beautifully Managed - Music for Lent and Easter impresses Howard Smith. '... excellent musical standards and high technical achievements ...'

CD Spotlight. A Valuable Sampling - Armenian music, heard by Howard Smith. '... South Caucasian music performed by a team of its best authenticated exponents.'

Ask Alice - Ten years to the day since the very first 'Ask Alice', our classical music agony aunt celebrates in the way she knows best

CD Spotlight. Profoundly Eloquent - Couperin's Lamentations, heard by Gerald Fenech. 'Robert King and his superb forces give absorbingly committed performances ...'

DVD Spotlight. Blocks of Snow - 'Cavalleria rusticana' and 'Pagliacci', reviewed by Robert Anderson. '... not always marooned in frozen wastes.'

CD Spotlight. Great Fluency - Music by Pierre Moulu, heard by George Balcombe. '... magically moving individual lines and harmonies.'

CD Spotlight. Praise and Attention - Romabarocca Ensemble plays Carlo Rainaldi, reviewed by Giuseppe Pennisi. '... they will go far in the rediscovery of Baroque music.'

Ensemble. Clearly Important - The seventh Klavessiinfestival held in Tallinn, Estonia, attended by Peter Howell

A Genuine Beethoven Pianist - Simon Watterton gives a lunchtime recital in London, heard by Julian Jacobson

Thoroughly Impressed - Maria Nockin talks to baritone Alan Opie, who is about to sing Germont for San Diego Opera

Ensemble. Distinctive Fervour - Music for Holy Week sung by the Chapelle du Roi, heard by Robert Hugill

CD Spotlight. Nearly Unknown - Bologna's Renaissance music, heard by Giuseppe Pennisi. '... an efficient and effective local ensemble ...'

CD Spotlight. A Forthright Approach - J S Bach's St Matthew Passion, recommended by Howard Smith. '... the Ex Cathedra performance is a triumph.'

CD Spotlight. Fine-honed Skill - Alessandro Scarlatti's 'Davidis pugna et victoria', heard by Robert Anderson

Ensemble. Sing ye to the Lord - Roderic Dunnett was at the 2009 Hereford Three Choirs Festival

Record box. Energy and power - The Bach Collegium Japan performance of the St John Passion, experienced by Keith Bramich

CD Spotlight. A traditional approach - The choral music of Bryan Kelly, reviewed by Patric Standford. '... an excellently produced CD, with a fine balance of sound ...'