rianevans

BBCNOW/Paterson/Wills review – from Joyce’s muse to Point Reyes’s whirling birds

Simon Wills’s new concertante ballet, premiered here, proved engaging but too discursive in a concert that also featured Gabriella Smith’s Tumblebird Contrails and Ives’ first symphony

Rian Evans

06, Dec, 2024 @4:32 PM

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra /Wigglesworth/McCarthy review – an impressive, auspicious start

Mark Wigglesworth began his tenure as the BSO’s Chief conductor with a bold programme of Wagner, Walton and Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand – to which Nicholas McCarthy brought delicacy and drama

Rian Evans

22, Nov, 2024 @12:43 PM

The Brandenburg Concertos on tour review – OAE and Bach lift the spirits

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment combine virtuosity with a practised nonchalance to soothe our age’s anxieties

Rian Evans

08, Nov, 2024 @11:14 AM

Katya Apekisheva review – balletic grace and formidable technical prowess

The Russian-born pianist’s solo recital took in Russian and French music; she is a persuasive advocate of Mel Bonis’s keyboard works

Rian Evans

04, Nov, 2024 @12:27 PM

Pagliacci review – Mid Wales Opera send in the clowns for a stylish and emotive evening

Cavallo’s short opera has been downscaled for a chamber orchestra and given a simple but effective staging, rounded off with some surprise razzle dazzle

Rian Evans

30, Oct, 2024 @4:22 PM

BBCNOW/New – adventurous programme lifts hearts and minds

A vibrant programme of contemporary works by Jessie Montgomery, Elena Kats-Chernin and Huw Watkins (his Second Symphony) brought interest and vivid colours

Rian Evans

25, Oct, 2024 @2:45 PM

Arcangelo/Cohen/Frang/Doyle review – Tetbury festival closes with sublime baroque programme

Violinist Vilde Frang and soprano Julia Doyle Jonathan Cohen’s Arcangelo ensemble for music that was both glorious and heartbreaking

Rian Evans

07, Oct, 2024 @1:04 PM

Rigoletto review – dark and daring take on Verdi’s depraved tale

With the Welsh National Opera on the ropes from funding cuts this is a defiantly non-safe staging with a fine cast and the orchestra and chorus on exceptionally strong form

Rian Evans

22, Sep, 2024 @4:55 PM

Die Fledermaus review – Strauss’s perennial classic is slickly realigned

Dramatic narration replaces the spoken dialogue but with strong vocal performances and music that fizzes along, the operetta retains an authentic Viennese feel

Rian Evans

29, Aug, 2024 @11:26 AM

Bristol Proms/BBC Singers/Jeannin and BSO/Karabits/Glennie review – celebratory and thoughtful

The BBC Singers celebrated their centenary in style, while the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra marked a milestone with the departure of Karabits as chief conductor

Rian Evans

26, Aug, 2024 @5:00 PM

Proms Newport review – fresh, direct accounts of Bloch and Dvořák

The programmme, which also included Iranian classical and jazz music, was played from memory, bringing a refreshing sense of spontaneity

Rian Evans

05, Aug, 2024 @1:13 PM

Three Choirs Festival review – 300-year-old festival celebrates the past and looks to the future

The GBSR duo’s two concerts were particular highlights, while mezzo Beth Taylor was a standout in Holst’s choral ode The Cloud Messenger, programmed to celebrate his 150th anniversary

Rian Evans

31, Jul, 2024 @2:20 PM