The week in classical: Igor Levit, Renaud Capuçon, Julia Hagen; Manchester Camerata: Disruptors review – ringing successes
Three soloists collaborate to singular effect playing Brahms, while vibrant works old and new are performed by the Camerata ensemble
February 2024
Home listening
Classical home listening: Sinfonia of London’s Ravel, Berkeley, Pounds: Lieder ohne Worte from Igor Levit
John Wilson and his peerless orchestra’s latest marries the familiar and the scarcely known. And Mendelssohn’s romantic miniatures speak volumes for the star pianist
October 2023
Fantasia: Works by Bach, Liszt, Berg and Busoni album review – Igor Levit reaches his final destination
Busoni’s hugely challenging Fantasia contrappuntistica is the climax of this two-cd set featuring works that balance musical freedom and formal rigour
September 2022
Home listening
Classical home listening: Igor Levit takes on Tristan; an ideal John Adams primer
Levit ranges from Wagner to Henze with the Leipzig Gewandhaus, while Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich celebrate their artist-in-residence
April 2022
The week in classical: Igor Levit; Sean Shibe – review
The star pianist goes to the far side with Shostakovich and Ronald Stevenson, while the Scots guitarist reins it in
September 2021
On DSCH: Works by Shostakovich and Stevenson review – Levit’s spectacular wild ride
Pairing Stevenson’s Passacaglia on DSCH with Shostakovich’s equally epic 24 Preludes is a unique combination of rarity and virtuosity
December 2020
Observer critics' review of 2020
Classical music: Fiona Maddocks's 10 best of 2020
Home listening
Classical home listening: lockdown discs from Igor Levit, Daumants Liepiņš and Bayreuth
September 2020
Igor Levit review – Beethoven programme affirms deep affinity
The pianist’s dynamic, live-streamed performance had all the immediacy of his twitter house concerts that became a lockdown phenomenon
August 2020
House music
House music: Andrew Clements' watching and listening highlights
This week, Opera Harmony’s new socially distanced mini-operas, streaming from a scaled-down Salzburg, and the Proms revisits BBCSSO’s five-star Vaughan Williams
July 2020
Lockdown culture
Lockdown listening: classical music and opera to stream at home
With concert halls and opera houses closed, organisations and musicians across the world are livestreaming concerts and opening up their digital archives
May 2020
Igor Levit to play 20-hour Eric Satie piece as 'silent scream'
Observer New Review Q&A
Igor Levit: 'These concerts were life-saving for me'
March 2020
The Guardian view on music and pandemics: the global prisoners’ chorus
Home listening
Classical music: let the Berlin Phil come to you
February 2020
Igor Levit/Markus Becker review – technically faultless but strangely lacking impact
The week in classical: Igor Levit; BBC SO/ Saraste; OAE/ Norrington – review
September 2019
Schubertiade festival review – Levit and Feng dazzle amid outstanding talent
The festival sticks closely to its relatively narrow musical margins, but with world-class musicians offering fresh insights into familiar works, there was plenty to intrigue and move audiences
June 2019
The week in classical: Tosca; Orchestra of Santa Cecilia/Pappano; Igor Levit – review
Bryn Terfel’s terrifying Scarpia is the main draw in the Royal Opera’s latest Tosca. Elsewhere, Igor Levit is in total command
May 2019
Igor Levit review – astonishing performance of a phenomenally taxing masterpiece
It’s hard to imagine Ronald Stevenson’s monumental piano work Passacaglia on DSCH has ever been played better