classical music & opera
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Cliveden's Jacobean surround sound system to open to the publicVisitors to enjoy new sound installation in chamber under mansion’s south terrace built to channel sounds of invisible orchestra -
Cavalli: Opera Duets and AriasGiulia Semenzato and Raffaele Pe are compelling soloists in this showcase for Francesco Cavalli’s yearning, sinuous and expressive operatic writing
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Madam Butterfl, Coliseum – Minghella's production still looks good but the words are lostWith its cherry blossoms and origami birds, this 11-year-old production is strikingly beautiful, and Rena Harms and David Butt Philip give strong performances -
Watch Aida Garifullina perform the Bell Song, from Florence Foster JenkinsFlorence Foster Jenkins features a tantalising glimpse of the Russian soprano performing the Bell Song from Delibes’s opera Lakmé. Watch the full aria here
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Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason wins 2016 BBC Young Musician awardThe comprehensive school student from Nottingham performed Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No.1 to scoop prize
facing the music
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Paul Lewis: 'Karaoke? I'd rather stick pins in my eyes'The pianist fancies learning the bagpipes, decries his own composing skills and and applauds Ligeti’s, and is very clear that he will never, ever, be found in a karaoke bar
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Ilan Volkov: 'I love Mahler's work but it’s over-programmed'From Bach to Berg, Christa Ludwig to Brian Wilson, and from yoiking to drumming - conductor Ilan Volkov on the music and musicians that inspire him
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'You do not need to be educated to be touched, to be moved and excited by opera'Graham Vick was the keynote speaker at the 2016 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards. This is a transcript of his speech.
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Stuck on repeat: why we love repetition in musicMusic of every genre, every culture and every period employs repeated phrases for effect. Why do we love to listen to the same things again and again?
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you may have missed
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Mastering Meistersinger: 'the first thing to consider is the mental demands'Michael Güttler has taken over as conductor of Glyndebourne’s Meistersinger with only a few weeks’ notice. How has he approached a mammoth project that most musicians would expect months, if not years, to prepare for?
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We may laugh, but to be this bad took talentDavid Bowie was a fan of the ‘world’s worst singer’, but is the epithet a fair one?
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Welcome to the Pleasuredome … Mark Simpson's on his opera debutEight years ago a teenage Mark Simpson told drag queens in Liverpool he was going to write an opera about them. How does it feel to see his project – Pleasure – finally become a reality on the stage at Opera North?
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The best classical concerts and opera of summer 2016Oedipus finally reaches Britain, there’s a Messiaen marathon in Suffolk, Opera North’s Ring hits the road – and John Luther Adams summons up a deluge
guides
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Tom Service's survey of the 50 symphonies that changed musical historyTom Service's survey of the 50 symphonies that changed classical music
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A guide to contemporary classical musicTom Service introduces 50 composers from the contemporary classical music scene
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First person Making it up as we get along: why classical musicians should improvise