Abraham and Isaac

A moving performance of Britten’s “Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac” by Philippe Durrant, Lewis Cullen and Francesca Massey.

DOE: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

I was delighted to see Durham Opera Ensemble choosing Britten for this year’s Gala show. A Midsummer Night’s dream was a big challenge but the final result was a very enjoyable performance, with some excellent singing.

DUOS: A Fantastical Epiphany term concert

Fantastic dreams, restless dances, storms and disturbed sleep swirled together in Durham University Orchestral Society’s Epiphany term concert in a programme of vividly evocative music that used the entire rich palette available to the orchestral composer – plus a few extras.

Tell me the truth about love

Some of the many truths about love, told in a cleverly constructed programme that mixed art song, opera and folk songs with poetry and acting, performed by The Miranda Wright Singers and accompanied by Julia Kennard.

Some thoughts that are left

Some personal thoughts about Saturday’s Durham Singers programme that were left over after after writing official publicity material.

Opera North – Peter Grimes

Over the course of this Britten centenary year, two themes have sung out to me again and again, from everything I’ve watched, read or participated in. One is Britten’s mastery with English texts; his knack for choosing imaginative, well-crafted words to set, and then his exquisite skill in setting them to music. The second theme […]

Late Mix review: Britten

Last night, I was at Sage Gateshead Hall Two reviewing the first Late Mix concert of the season for Bachtrack. The programme was built around Britten’s first and last major works – the Sinfonietta and the 3rd string quartet. The final movement of the string quartet, was an absolute revelation to me. It’s quite simply one of […]

Renaissance in Hexham

Hexham’s annual Festival of Music and Arts ended in style last night, with a candlelit concert in the Abbey, with music by Britten, Purcell and others, performed by a very fine group of young singers, accompanied on baroque instruments, and conducted by Martin Neary. This is one of those reviews where I have to add […]

Sage Gateshead: classical season preview

I always enjoy the new-year feeling of September, when everything gets going again, and since I started concert reviewing, I’ve had the the extra excitement of thumbing through Sage Gateshead’s classical season brochure, filling up my diary and getting exciting about the coming year’s musical treats.