Classical Reviews

METAMORPHOSIS_12 Ensemble

Brighton Festival – Metamorphosis – 12 Ensemble

- 17 May 2024

I had really wanted to enjoy this event which was to include two new works...

Hilary-Summers

Brighton Festival –  What’s So Great About Opera? Hilary Summers & Andrew West

- 9 May 2024

I read the advertisement twice, carefully, and still had no idea what to expect, but...

Hugh-Cutting-Rebecca-Leggett-George-Ireland.

Brighton Festival – ‘The South Country’ – Hugh Cutting, Rebecca Leggett & George Ireland

- 9 May 2024

We expected good – very good – and got more than excellent! Two years ago...

Brighton Festival –  Mahan Esfahani at Glyndebourne with Britten Sinfonia soloists

- 6 May 2024

Mahan Esfahani clearly loves hosting a party and that is how this afternoon turned out,...

London-Symphony-Orchestra_-Antonio-Pappano

Brighton Festival –  London Symphony Orchestra, Bertrand Chamayou (piano), Sir Antonio Pappano (conductor)

- 6 May 2024

Samuel Barber’s ‘Adagio for Strings’ seemed a strange choice to launch a Festival, but I’m...

BREMF – The ‘Contenance Angloise’ – BREMF Consort of Voices, Deborah Roberts (director)

- 6 May 2024

Deborah Roberts scored another brilliant success with this afternoon concert of the mind-bendingly complex compositions...

BPO – Sea Songs – Ragnhild Hemsing (Hardanger fiddle), Joanna MacGregor (piano), Adam Hickox (conductor)

- 8 April 2024

Sea Songs but no singing? – never mind, this delightful concert had a distinctly marine...

Brighton16

Lamenti & Weh: an Easter Celebration – Brighton16, Matt Jelf (Artistic Director)

- 27 March 2024

The programme title implies a contrast of suffering and resurrection. Sadly, this concert included no...

Alistair McGowan

BPO – The Soldier’s Tale – Alistair McGowan (the Devil), Sian Edwards (conductor)

- 27 February 2024

This fabulous concert was more Brighton Philharmonic Jazz-bands than Orchestra as the ensemble on stage...

BPO-Wagner's Dream

BPO – Wagner’s Dream – Lotte Betts-Dean (mezzo soprano), Geoffrey Paterson (conductor)

- 29 January 2024

This concert was a bit of a risk, with two avant-garde 20th century composers and...

Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol

BPO – A Christmas Carol – Paul Ryan (narrator), Joanna MacGregor (conductor/piano)

- 16 December 2023

I really loved this enchanting presentation of the Dickens classic last year, so would it...

BREMF-Fieri Consort-2023

BREMF – The Excellence of Women – Fieri Consort

- 16 October 2023

This concert was excellent in so many ways, not just in its title which evokes...