Classical Notes: 2025

'Ridout’s taut, passionate playing drew out every note, yet his crying solo, as if from a distance, at the opening of the finale was achingly impressive'.

Mendelssohn:

'The enhanced acoustic and their enthusiasm raised the volume to extremes in places, but the sheer exuberance and obvious pleasure evident in their performance had the entire hall rapt'.

'Mari Eriksmoen communicated her Grieg with operatic drama and a bright yet powerful tone throughout'.

'Eirik Grøtvedt was the real vocal revelation, however. He showed incredible bravery when producing a tremulous, fragile pianissimo at the top of his range...yet he also had huge power when needed'.

Timothy Ridout & Leif Ove Andsnes
© Liv Øvland

Leif Ove Andnes:

'In his quiet, gentle way, he demonstrated a sense of the visionary leadership that has clearly built something very special in this beautiful part of Norway'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

James Baillieu & Mari Eriksmoen
© Liv Øvland

Grieg, Edvard (1843-1907): 19 Norske Folkeviser, Op. 66 No. 1, 'Kulok'

Mendelssohn, Felix (1809-1847): Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49

Tveitt, Geirr (1908-1981): Hestemennan (Horsemen)

Marskveld (March evening)

Bera ei sorg (Carrying grief), Op. 246 No. 9

Vaage, Knut (b.1961): Bumerang

Grieg, Edvard: Tolv Melodier (Vinjesangene), Op. 33 Nos. 6-12

Eit Syn (A Vision)

Gamle Mor (The Old Mother)

Det Første (The first thing)

Ved Rundarne (At Rondane)

Et Vennestykke (A Piece on Friendship)

Trudom (Faith)

Fyremål (The Goal)

Mendelssohn, Felix: Six Duets Op. 63, No. 1, Ich wollt' meine Leib' ergösse sich

Die Hochzeit des Capacho, Op. 10, So kehrest du wieder

Grieg, Edvard: Seks Digte, Op. 4

Die Waise (The Orphan)

Morgen Thau (Morning Dew)

Abschied (Farewell)

Jägerlied (Hunting Song)

Das alte Lied (The Old Story)

Wo sind sie hin? (Where have they gone?)

Members of Opus13
© Liv Øvland

Gade, Niels (1817-1890): 4 Fantasiestücke, Op. 43 No. 3

Schumann, Robert (1810-1856): Violin Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105

Mendelssohn, Felix: String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13

Vaage, Knut: From 20 Views at Opus 54

Grieg, Edvard: Haugtussa, Op. 67

Det syng (The Enticement)

Veslemøy (Veslemøy)

Blaabærli (Blueberry Slope)

Møte (The Tryst)

Elsk (Love)

Killingdans (Kidlings' Dance)

Vond Dag (Hurtful Day)

Ved Gjætle-Bekken (At the Brook)

Lyric Pieces, Op. 54 No. 6, Bell Ringing

Vaage, Knut: Skråblikk på Haugtussa (Oblique Glance at Haugtussa)

Grieg, Edvard: Intermezzo for cello and piano in A minor, EG115

Vaughan Williams, Ralph (1872-1958): Six Studies in English Folk Song

Grieg, Edvard: from Barnlige Sange, Op. 61

3. Lok (Farmyard)

6. De norske fjelde (The Norwegian Mountains)

2. Sang til juletraet (The Christmas Tree)

5. Kveldssang for Blakken (Goodnight song for Dobbin)

Schumann, Robert: Märchenbilder, Op. 113

Opus13
© Liv Øvland

Grieg, Edvard: Andantino serioso, Op. 28 No.4

Andante con moto, EG116

Tolv Melodier (Vinjesangene), Op. 33 No. 5, Langs ei Aa (Beside the Stream)

Norwegian Dances, Op. 35 Nos. 2-3

Holberg Suite, Op. 40, Sarabande & Rigaudon

Debussy, Claude (1862-1918): Syrinx

Ravel, Maurice (1875-1937): Introduction & Allegro

Clarke, Rebecca (1886-1979): Sonata for Viola and Piano

Ravel, Maurice: 3 Poèmes de Stéphane Mallar mé

Piano Trio

Grieg, Edvard: Fem Digte af John Paulsen, Op. 26

1. Et Håb (Hope)

2. Jeg reiste en deilig Sommerkvæld (I walked one balmy summer eve)

3. De Ærgjerrige (You whispered that you loved me)

4. Med en Primula veris (The first primrose)

5. På Skogstien (Autumn thoughts)

Sex Digte af Ibsens, Op. 25

1. Spillemænd (Fiddlers)

2. En Svane (A Swan)

3. Stambogsrim (Album Lines)

4. Med en Vandlilje (With a Waterlily)

5. Borte! (Departed!)

6. En Fuglevise (A Birdsong)

String Quartet in G minor, Op. 27

Rosendal Chamber Music Festival 2025
© Nick Boston

Vierne, Louis (1870-1937): Piano Quintet, Op. 42
Nordheim, Arne (1931-2010): from Three Unexpected Songs, No.2 Ore, fermate il solo

Marini, Biagio (1594-1663): Balletto secondo, Op. 22 No. 2

Vaage, Knut: Tilstandar, 'Opp av jorda' (Spring)

Silvestrov, Valentin (b.1937): Bagatelle Op. 1 No. 2

Marais, Marin (1656-1728): Suite VII en sol majeur du Troisième Livre de pièces de viole, Prelude No. 93

Suite VI en sol majeur du Cinquième Livre de pièces de viole, Chaconne No. 83

Suite VII en sol majeur du Troisième Livre de pièces de viole, Sarabande No. 99

Suite VII en sol majeur du Troisième Livre de pièces de viole, La Guitare No. 107

Leclair, Jean-Marie (1697-1964): from Deuxième récréation de musique, Op. 8, No. 6 Chaconne

Vaage, Knut: Tilstandar, 'Hauste inn' (Autumn)

Shostakovich, Dmitri (1906-1975): Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 147

Scarlatti, Alessandro (1660-1725): Sinfonia di concerto grosso, No. 8 in G major

Grieg, Edvard: Romancer (ældre og nyere), Op. 39

1. Fra Monte Pincio (From Monte Pincio)

3. I Liden højt deroppe (Upon a grassy hillside)

4. Millon Roser (Among roses)

6 Digte af Holger Drachmann, Op. 49, No. 6 Forårsregn (Spring Showers)

Rosendal Chamber Music Festival 2025
© Nick Boston

Tveitt, Geirr: Femti Folkatonar frao Hardanger for klaver, Op. 150
25. The call of the dairy maid

39. Visiting Saturday in the mountains

10. What beer!

11. God's goodness and God's greatness

Duparc, Henri (1848-1933): Phidylé

Cinq mélodies, Op. 2 No. 1. Soupir

La vague et la cloche

Vaage, Knut: Tilstandar, 'kom lindereid kom' (Summer)

Mendelssohn, Felix: String Octet in E flat major, Op. 20

Vivaldi, Antonio (1678-1741):

Trio Sonata No. 12 in D minor, RV 63 'La Folia'

Andriessen, Louis (1939-2021): Workers Union

Rosendal Chamber Music Festival 2025
© Nick Boston

Tuesday, 19 August 2025

Le Concert Spirituel's Striggio marred by flawed staging choices at the BBC Proms

Hervé Niquet and Le Concert Spirituel
© BBC/Mark Allan

Le Concert Spirituel

Hervé Niquet

BBC Proms
7.30pm, Sunday 17 August, 2025
Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★

Anonymous: Plainchant 'Beata viscera Marie virginis'

Benevolo, Orazio (1605-1672): Laetatus sum

Miserere

Corteccia, Francesco (1502-1571): Bonum est confederi

Gloria Patri

Striggio, Alessandro (c.1536/37-1592): Mass 'Ecco sì beato giorno' - Kyrie

Massenzio, Domenico (1586-1657): Ave Regina caelorum

Striggio, Alessandro: Mass 'Ecco sì beato giorno' - Gloria

Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da (1525/26-1594): Peccavimus

Corteccia, Francesco: Alleluia

Striggio, Alessandro: Mass 'Ecco sì beato giorno' - Credo

Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da: Beata est Virgo Maria

Benevolo, Orazio: Magnificat

Striggio, Alessandro: Mass 'Ecco sì beato giorno' - Sanctus, Benedictus

Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da: Pater noster

Massenzio, Domenico: Filiae Jerusalem

Striggio, Alessandro: Mass 'Ecco sì beato giorno' - Agnus Dei

Corteccia, Francesco: Tu puer propheta altissimi

Striggio, Alessandro: Motet 'Ecce beatam lucem'

'A bell striking signalled the performers’ entrance, with an anonymous plainchant Beata viscera Marie virginis over droning sackbuts. They processed to form a circle around conductor Niquet, terraced to two or three levels'.

'For the vast majority, the view was of the circle’s rear, with many of the musicians at the circle’s inside lower level invisible ... some lower voices at the top of the outside tier were much more audible than the lighter higher voices, hidden in the inner circle.

'The full tutti sound, with the brightness of the instruments, was richly textured in the Gloria and the loud plea for “pacem” at the end of the 60-part Agnus Dei was impressive'.

'Of the other works, Orazio Benevolo’s Magnificat stood out as the most effective. Contrast was achieved here by alternating passages for voices with instrumental sections'.

'Striggio’s other 40 part work, the motet Ecce beatam lucem had a decent pace to it, and the swells at “O quam” and “O mel” were effective'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Nicholas Collon and Aurora Orchestra pull off another dramatic performance from memory

Max Revell (actor/dancer)

Polly Frame (actor)

Craig Stein (actor)

Sarah Twomey (actor)

Samuel West (voice of Stalin)

Petroc Trelawny (voice of Telephone Operator)

Aurora Orchestra

Nicholas Collon (conductor)

Alexandra Wood (leader)

Jane Mitchell (co-director, scriptwriter)

James Bonas (co-director)

Scott Graham (for Frantic Assembly) (co-director)

Sean Hollands (for Frantic Assembly) (associate to Scott Graham)

Zakk Hein (video designer)

David Bishop (lighting designer)

BBC Proms
7.30pm, Sunday 16 & 17 August, 2025 (reviewed at 17 August performance)
Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★★

Shostakovich's Fifth by Heart

A musical and dramatic exploration of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5

Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975): Symphony No. 5 in D minor, op. 47

'Dancer Max Revell, a silent Shostakovich, contorted and twisted his body, literally pulled in all directions. Men in black lifted and manhandled him, and also some of the musicians, who played their examples while upside down or in the air'.

'The device to demonstrate parallel interpretations of the symphony worked and, as ever with Shostakovich, there’s no definitive answer'.

'The standing musicians were at their freest to move and engage with each other, with sections of violins moving as one body as they scurried forward'.

'The snare commenced the final build-up to the spectacular finish, and every musician knew exactly where this was going, but also their part in getting us there'.

'Sunday lunchtime never felt so elementally exhilarating!'

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Thursday, 31 July 2025

Exciting Bacewicz and Lutosławski from Taadaki Otaka and the BBC NOW

Vadym Kholodenko (piano)

BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Tadaaki Otaka (conductor)

BBC Proms
7.30pm, Wednesday 30 July, 2025
Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★

Bacewicz, Grażyna (1909-1969): Concerto for String Orchestra
Rachmaninov, Sergey (1873-1943): Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op.18
Encore: Rachmaninov: Polka de W. R. (transcription of Behr, Franz (1837-1898): Scherzpolka)
Lutosławski, Witold (1913-1994): Concerto for Orchestra

Bacewicz:
'They then danced through the finale with tight ensemble, Otaka upping the energy as they drove via glistening trilling to a decisive conclusion'.

Rachmaninov:
'There was no doubting Kholodenko’s technical command, with real delicacy in the quieter solo moments and impressive flourishes at the most virtuosic moments'.

'The triumphant conclusion was greatly received in the hall, as was Kholodenko’s spidery and playful delivery of Rachmaninov’s Polka de W.R. as encore'.

Lutosławski:
'The driving, almost warlike tutti throbbed right up to the unison high note, before surging in waves, bringing the evening’s first real moments of excitement'.

'Successive presentations of the hymn-like tune were deftly decorated, woodwinds and solo string quartet alike, and the brass delivered the final slow chorale over racing strings, bringing the evening to a breathless and exciting conclusion'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Classical Notes

Wednesday, 20 August 2025

A spectacular swansong for the Rosendal Chamber Music Festival

Tuesday, 19 August 2025

Le Concert Spirituel's Striggio marred by flawed staging choices at the BBC Proms

Nicholas Collon and Aurora Orchestra pull off another dramatic performance from memory

Thursday, 31 July 2025

Exciting Bacewicz and Lutosławski from Taadaki Otaka and the BBC NOW

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