The week in classical: BBC Proms week one review – hallelujahs all round
Prom 4: Hallé/Elder review – a farewell eclipsed by the quality of the music-making
June 2024
Brief letters
We’re already paying tax on our state pensions
Brief letters
A fitting finale for Sir Mark Elder with the Hallé Orchestra
May 2024
Elgar: Symphonies Nos 1 & 2 album review – warmth, refinement and conviction
These performances are as fine as any currently available on disc, and a testament to the deep musical relationship that Mark Elder’s has built over 24 years as director of the Hallé
April 2024
Simon Boccanegra review – vast forces bring Verdi’s ‘fiasco’ to vivid life
Opera Rara joined with the Hallé under Sir Mark Elder for this semi-staged performance of the original version of Verdi’s opera
September 2023
La Forza del Destino review – superb voices and slick dance routines for Loy’s reimagined Verdi
Christoph Loy’s 2019 staging staging feels more cogent in this, its first revival, and baritone Etienne Dupuis is stunning as Carlo
July 2023
The week in classical: Itch; Semele; Prom 16: Hallé/Elder – review
Prom 16: Hallé/Elder review – orchestra and conductor seem to think, breathe and feel as one
May 2023
The week in classical: Abomination: A DUP Opera; Aida – review
Its Belfast premiere positively crackled, and four years on, Conor Mitchell’s lush, searing satire on DUP homophobia continues to provoke
December 2022
A Shropshire Lad: English Songs Orchestrated by Roderick Williams review – every word perfectly coloured, every phrase exactly weighted
Baritone Williams has orchestrated this wide selection of songs by British and Irish composers and illuminates each one with moving personal touches
October 2022
Pavel Kolesnikov/Hallé/Mark Elder review – superb Sibelius and no-frills Rachmaninov
Kolesnikov met the challenges of Rachmaninov’s demanding Third Piano Concerto with ease, and the orchestra soared during Sibelius’s glorious Third Symphony
May 2022
The week in classical: Don Pasquale; Holst’s Sāvitri
Britten Sinfonia/Elder review – Holst’s Indian gem takes centre stage
