Peter Gelb backs down on global showing of John Adams’ The Death of Klinghoffer. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Handel’s Tamerlano, written for the Royal Academy in 1724, is something of a secret pleasure for fans of 18th-century Italian opera. Lacking the magical stage machinery of the likes of Rinaldo, and with a low quotient of showcase arias to tickle the sensation seeker’s ear, it nevertheless has a claim to greatness. Why? It has one of the composer’s most grimly determined plots and a set of characters upon which Handel lavishes his utmost psychological insight.  In 1402, the Mongol herdsman Timur defeated his enemy, the Turkish sultan Bayezid, who history relates he had carted around in a cage for months afterwards. In the opera, the wicked (i.e. Eastern) tyrant Tamerlano has designs on Bajazet’s daughter, Asteria, and sends his ally, the Greek (hence noble) Andronico to convey his desires to the maiden and her vengeful father. Unbeknownst to Tamerlano, Andronico is himself in love with Asteria and from these complications a tense, potentially bloody political opera ensues.  Handel wrote the work at speed, as was his wont, but revised it at his leisure on more than one occasion in order to create as tight a musical drama as he was capable of. It culminates in a thrilling scene of…

Fascinating tale of first contact makes for a rich tapestry of Indigenous dance. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Distinguished Spanish maestro loses his battle with cancer at 80. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

The English label Somm has done sterling service exploring the lesser-known side of many British composers, not the least of which has been Edward Elgar – in particular early works and overlooked wartime compositions. This CD is about as early as it gets – music composed when he was bandmaster at Worcester’s County Pauper Lunatic Asylum in Powick – appointed at the tender age of 21. The majority of the disc is made up of Polkas, Lancers and Quadrilles, many of which are enigmatically named for ladies of Elgar’s acquaintance (obvious ones like Nelly (the composer’s fiancé and Maud, the local music-seller’s daughter, more mysterious ones like La Brunette and Die Junge Kokette). It’s charming stuff, not exactly a demanding listen, but atmospheric late-Victorian dance music in the Sullivan vein. The majority of the compositions were written for the inmates’ regular Friday night dances – a surprisingly enlightened form of music therapy for the time. In addition to the Powick music there are a few extra gems thrown in, chief of which is a delightful Andante and Allegro for Oboe and String Trio predating Elgar’s asylum years and written for the Worcester glee club and his brother Frank. Not essential listening, then, but…

Quite why the two works on this disc get fewer outings than some of the better-known passions and cantatas is a bit of a mystery. The Actus Tragicus is an early work, admittedly, but its craftsmanship and profound sense of musical communion (in this case an outpouring of grief, possibly connected to the death of a family member or friend) singles it out as one of Bach’s most touching essays in choral music. Scored for two recorders, a pair of violas da gamba and chamber organ, it has a gentle air of consolation captured perfectly in John Eliot Gardiner’s sympathetic reading and replicated in a near-ideal recording that brings out every detail of Bach’s youthful orchestration. Listen to the rapturous Es Ist Der Alte Bund where a solo soprano pleads over the chorus, Ja komm, Herr Jesu, komm, before breaking off heart-stoppingly, mid sentence – just one example of how Gardiner makes Bach strike home again and again. The so-called Easter Oratorio is the other work here and for interpretation and soloists goes to the top of my list – even beating Brüggen’s very fine recent version. Gardiner excels in the celebratory opening overture and chorus (stunning trumpets and drums) but…

Reclusive millionaire’s mansion still yielding surprises three years after her death. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Composers, philanthropists and an opera singer head arts awards in Queen’s Birthday Honours. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Australian pianist carries off top prize in one of the world’s major competitions. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Name and shame website aims to lift the lid on who pays their artists what.

For his latest vocal work, composer Mark Isaacs decided to skip the poetics Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Iconic mezzo-soprano gives Juilliard undergrads the benefit of her considerable wisdom. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in