UK Critics' Circle Music
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The Music Section of the UK Critics' Circle criticscircle.org.uk
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Joy to the world! A gorgeous selection of festive fare from Christiane Karg and Gerold Huber at @wigmore-hall.org.uk last night. Review 👇
www.thetimes.com/culture/clas...
www.thetimes.com/culture/clas...
Christiane Karg/Gerold Huber review — spellbinding Christmas songs
The soprano and her fellow Bavarian offered a programme featuring 14 composers at Wigmore Hall, including Engelbert Humperdinck and Peter Cornelius
www.thetimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Joy to the world! A gorgeous selection of festive fare from Christiane Karg and Gerold Huber at @wigmore-hall.org.uk last night. Review 👇
www.thetimes.com/culture/clas...
www.thetimes.com/culture/clas...
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My top picks for UK classical & opera in December (festive and non) for the I Paper: inews.co.uk/culture/arts...
The best classical music to book in December, from Handel's Messiah to Hitchcock
The festive season offers plenty of musical delights, seasonal or not - here's our pick of the finest
inews.co.uk
December 2, 2025 at 10:46 AM
My top picks for UK classical & opera in December (festive and non) for the I Paper: inews.co.uk/culture/arts...
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Gaetano Donizetti, born OTD in 1797, composed around 70 operas. Which ten made my playlist?
bachtrack.com/playlist-top...
bachtrack.com/playlist-top...
November 29, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Gaetano Donizetti, born OTD in 1797, composed around 70 operas. Which ten made my playlist?
bachtrack.com/playlist-top...
bachtrack.com/playlist-top...
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My review of Dorian Gray, by Elżbieta Sikora and David Pountney, at Teatr Wielki, Poznań
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
www.gramophone.co.uk/opera-now/re...
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
www.gramophone.co.uk/opera-now/re...
Sikora: Dorian Gray at Teatr Wielki | Live Review
A major success for all involved, and a clear demonstration of how modern opera can speak to our times
www.gramophone.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 12:33 PM
My review of Dorian Gray, by Elżbieta Sikora and David Pountney, at Teatr Wielki, Poznań
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
www.gramophone.co.uk/opera-now/re...
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
www.gramophone.co.uk/opera-now/re...
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The I Paper asked me to get opinion-y to mark the anniversary of Les Mis: inews.co.uk/culture/arts...
I'm a classical music critic - Les Mis is as good as most great operas
I may be cancelled for saying so, but the West End's longest running musical, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, would make Puccini proud
inews.co.uk
November 17, 2025 at 8:14 AM
The I Paper asked me to get opinion-y to mark the anniversary of Les Mis: inews.co.uk/culture/arts...
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Korngold was just 15 when he completed his Sinfonietta, an impressive four movement work that was premiered by Weingartner and the Vienna Philharmonic in 1913. Had a lot of pleasure reviewing this new recording by Sascha Goetzel for the November issue of Gramophone.
November 16, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Korngold was just 15 when he completed his Sinfonietta, an impressive four movement work that was premiered by Weingartner and the Vienna Philharmonic in 1913. Had a lot of pleasure reviewing this new recording by Sascha Goetzel for the November issue of Gramophone.
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Operatic farces flop but young singers impress in Donizetti double bill
bachtrack.com/review-campa...
bachtrack.com/review-campa...
November 16, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Operatic farces flop but young singers impress in Donizetti double bill
bachtrack.com/review-campa...
bachtrack.com/review-campa...
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November 15, 2025 at 10:48 AM
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In case you'd like to hear WAGNER'S WOMEN but couldn't make it to the London Singers' Collective evening at National Opera Studio yesterday, I have a short-notice repeat run tomorrow, >online< at 6.30pm, for the Wagner Society of Scotland.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/jessica-du...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/jessica-du...
Jessica Duchen – Wagner’s Women
The topic is a look at Wagner’s path towards creating the most extraordinary female characters in the operatic world of his time.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 8:56 AM
In case you'd like to hear WAGNER'S WOMEN but couldn't make it to the London Singers' Collective evening at National Opera Studio yesterday, I have a short-notice repeat run tomorrow, >online< at 6.30pm, for the Wagner Society of Scotland.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/jessica-du...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/jessica-du...
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Another CD I reviewed for the November issue of Gramophone features trumpet works performed by Tine Thing Helseth, including the fine concerto Penderecki wrote in 2015, one of his last works.
November 13, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Another CD I reviewed for the November issue of Gramophone features trumpet works performed by Tine Thing Helseth, including the fine concerto Penderecki wrote in 2015, one of his last works.
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Some thoughts on Katie Mitchell's operatic farewell - the Royal Opera's Makropulos Case: www.oper-magazin.de/kritiken/auf...
Die Sache Makropulos, Royal Opera House | OPER!
Um Endlosigkeit geht es in Janáčeks Die Sache Makropulos, und darum, ein Ende machen zu können. Das tut auch Regisseurin Katie Mitchell, die sich mit dieser Inszenierung in Covent Garden von der Opern...
www.oper-magazin.de
November 13, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Some thoughts on Katie Mitchell's operatic farewell - the Royal Opera's Makropulos Case: www.oper-magazin.de/kritiken/auf...
Mark-Anthony Turnage’s new opera The Railway Children was recently given a semi-staged performance at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall. Here's Claudia Pritchard's review for the Critics' Circle:
criticscircle.org.uk/the-railway-...
criticscircle.org.uk/the-railway-...
The Railway Children is a first-class ride | The Critics' Circle
The Railway Children: Henna Mun (Phyllis), Jessica Cale (Bobbie), Matthew McKinney (Peter). Photo: Richard Hubert Smith After his visceral but wonderful Festen, Mark-Anthony Turnage’s operatic take on...
criticscircle.org.uk
November 13, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Mark-Anthony Turnage’s new opera The Railway Children was recently given a semi-staged performance at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall. Here's Claudia Pritchard's review for the Critics' Circle:
criticscircle.org.uk/the-railway-...
criticscircle.org.uk/the-railway-...
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Looking forward to talking WAGNER on Friday! With music from soprano Valerija Iljin and pianist Daniel Silcock, at the National Opera Studio.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wagners-wo...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wagners-wo...
Wagner's Women
An exploration of the development of Richard Wagner's early operatic heroines.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
November 11, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Looking forward to talking WAGNER on Friday! With music from soprano Valerija Iljin and pianist Daniel Silcock, at the National Opera Studio.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wagners-wo...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wagners-wo...
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Who doesn’t enjoy a French postcard from Spain? Reviewing the @liverpoolphil.bsky.social’s latest on Onyx: www.gramophone.co.uk/review/chabr...
November 10, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Who doesn’t enjoy a French postcard from Spain? Reviewing the @liverpoolphil.bsky.social’s latest on Onyx: www.gramophone.co.uk/review/chabr...
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Reviewed Gerd Schaller's recording of Bruckner 8 for the November issue of Gramophone. Releases of the composer have reduced significantly since the bicentenary last year. This is one of the swiftest versions of the symphony on record, but a very impressive interpretation magnificently played.
November 9, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Reviewed Gerd Schaller's recording of Bruckner 8 for the November issue of Gramophone. Releases of the composer have reduced significantly since the bicentenary last year. This is one of the swiftest versions of the symphony on record, but a very impressive interpretation magnificently played.
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The November issue of Gramophone, in which I try to convince Hugo Shirley that Bernstein's recording of Der Rosenkavalier is a classic (spoiler: I fail).
November 8, 2025 at 6:08 PM
The November issue of Gramophone, in which I try to convince Hugo Shirley that Bernstein's recording of Der Rosenkavalier is a classic (spoiler: I fail).
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Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky died on this day in 1893. I've done a few Gramophone Collections on Tchaikovsky works, but this one on Pique Dame (The Queen of Spades) is the most recent: www.gramophone.co.uk/features/art...
Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades: a guide to the best recordings
Tchaikovsky’s card-game opera, based on Pushkin’s haunting novella, has received a range of treatments on stage, on film and in the studio. Mark Pullinger seeks out the ace in the pack
www.gramophone.co.uk
November 6, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky died on this day in 1893. I've done a few Gramophone Collections on Tchaikovsky works, but this one on Pique Dame (The Queen of Spades) is the most recent: www.gramophone.co.uk/features/art...
ENO gives Jake Heggie's opera Dead Man Walking its first full staging in the UK. Review by Guy Rickards for the Critics' Circle.
criticscircle.org.uk/rage-rage-ag...
criticscircle.org.uk/rage-rage-ag...
Rage, rage, against the Dying… | The Critics' Circle
Sarah Connolly, Malachy Frame, Michael Mayes, Alaric Green, ENO’s Dead Man Walking 2025 © Manuel Harlan ENO / Kerem Hasan The Coliseum, London, November 1, 2025 I was not prepared for the sheer weight...
criticscircle.org.uk
November 6, 2025 at 8:25 PM
ENO gives Jake Heggie's opera Dead Man Walking its first full staging in the UK. Review by Guy Rickards for the Critics' Circle.
criticscircle.org.uk/rage-rage-ag...
criticscircle.org.uk/rage-rage-ag...
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The glory and the grind: The Royal Opera stages its first Makropulos Case
✍️ Mark Valencia
bachtrack.com/review-janac...
✍️ Mark Valencia
bachtrack.com/review-janac...
November 5, 2025 at 4:32 PM
The glory and the grind: The Royal Opera stages its first Makropulos Case
✍️ Mark Valencia
bachtrack.com/review-janac...
✍️ Mark Valencia
bachtrack.com/review-janac...
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My review of The Makropulos Case at the Royal Opera House: www.gramophone.co.uk/opera-now/re...
Janáček: The Makropulos Case at the Royal Opera | Live Review
Mitchell’s production raises the dramatic intensity, and the narrative complexity, the results continuously provocative and confrontational
www.gramophone.co.uk
November 5, 2025 at 3:23 PM
My review of The Makropulos Case at the Royal Opera House: www.gramophone.co.uk/opera-now/re...
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When I think about what contemporary opera can and should be - and whether "contemporary popular opera" could ever be a thing, I always think of Dead Man Walking: inews.co.uk/culture/arts...
Dead Man Walking is modern opera at its finest - and it's cheaper than the West End
The story of a nun's friendship with a death row murderer was long overdue a UK run, and ENO are just right for the job
inews.co.uk
November 3, 2025 at 10:12 AM
When I think about what contemporary opera can and should be - and whether "contemporary popular opera" could ever be a thing, I always think of Dead Man Walking: inews.co.uk/culture/arts...
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Looking forward enormously to doing a little Wagner evening...I'll be talking about Wagner's musical cauldron and the soprano Valerija Iljin sings extracts from Senta, Elisabeth, Sieglinde and the Wesendonck Lieder. 14 Nov, National Opera Studio
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wagners-wo...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wagners-wo...
Wagner's Women
An exploration of the development of Richard Wagner's early operatic heroines.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
November 3, 2025 at 10:11 AM
Looking forward enormously to doing a little Wagner evening...I'll be talking about Wagner's musical cauldron and the soprano Valerija Iljin sings extracts from Senta, Elisabeth, Sieglinde and the Wesendonck Lieder. 14 Nov, National Opera Studio
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wagners-wo...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wagners-wo...
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Two Nilssons for the price of one: my report @Bachtrack from the award of the Birgit Nilsson Prize to the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence. 📸Maja Brandt
bachtrack.com/review-malkk...
bachtrack.com/review-malkk...
October 24, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Two Nilssons for the price of one: my report @Bachtrack from the award of the Birgit Nilsson Prize to the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence. 📸Maja Brandt
bachtrack.com/review-malkk...
bachtrack.com/review-malkk...
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Alexei Ratmansky’s Callirhoe is massive fun at the Wiener Staatsballett
Review 👇
bachtrack.com/review-calli...
Review 👇
bachtrack.com/review-calli...
October 23, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Alexei Ratmansky’s Callirhoe is massive fun at the Wiener Staatsballett
Review 👇
bachtrack.com/review-calli...
Review 👇
bachtrack.com/review-calli...
ENO's first ever production of Britten's Albert Herring reviewed by Guy Rickards for the Critics' Circle. A very limited run in London and Salford - catch it while you can.
criticscircle.org.uk/modesty-mora...
criticscircle.org.uk/modesty-mora...
Modesty, morality, and Manchester—Albert Herring finally arrives at ENO, albeit briefly | The Critics' Circle
Eddie Wade and Caspar Singh celebrate Albert’s “coronation”, ENO’s Albert Herring 2025 © Genevieve Girling ENO / Daniel Cohen The Coliseum, London, October 13, 2025 Of Britten’s sixteen operas (if one...
criticscircle.org.uk
October 15, 2025 at 2:24 PM
ENO's first ever production of Britten's Albert Herring reviewed by Guy Rickards for the Critics' Circle. A very limited run in London and Salford - catch it while you can.
criticscircle.org.uk/modesty-mora...
criticscircle.org.uk/modesty-mora...