Review: Beethoven: The Piano Concertos (Stephen Hough)
Brilliant, blazing Beethoven from Hough and Lintu’s finessed Finns.
August 21, 2020
Michael Quinn
Michael Quinn is a former theatre director and BBC Radio Drama producer who writes about classical music, opera and theatre. A former Deputy Editor of Gramophone, he is obituaries editor for The Stage, booklet editor for SOMM Recordings, and programming consultant to Northern Ireland’s newest arts centre, The Portico of Ards.
Articles by Michael Quinn
Review: Thomas Adès: In Seven Days
The Thomas Adès-Kirill Gerstein partnership goes from strength to strength.
August 16, 2020
Review: Thomas Adès: Works for Solo Piano (Han Chen)
Han Chen delights in surface detail but misses Thomas Adès’ darker depths.
August 16, 2020
Review: Leonard Bernstein: Mass
Leonard Bernstein’s eclectic Mass sounds more contemporary than ever but remains a challenge.
August 14, 2020
Orchestral
Review: Philip Sawyers: Symphony No 4 & Hommage to Kandinsky (BBC National Orchestra of Wales)
Philip Sawyers’ Fourth Symphony finds an eloquent champion in Kenneth Woods.
August 6, 2020
Review: Howard Skempton: Piano Works (William Howard)
Exquisite piano miniatures from a perfect partnership of composer and pianist.
July 19, 2020
Review: Debussy · Rameau (Víkingur Ólafsson)
Musical twins: Ólafsson spectacularly reunites Rameau and Debussy.
June 15, 2020
Review: Liszt: Dante Symphony, Künstlerfestzug (Staatskapelle Weimar, Karabits)
Karabits’ Weimar forces deliver more incendiary Liszt advocacy.
June 1, 2020
Review: Tchaikovsky: Solo Piano Works (Peter Donohoe)
Donohoe rehabilitates neglected music with revelatory playing.
May 18, 2020
Review: Strangers in Paradise (Diana Tishchenko)
Strangers no more: Tishchenko’s CD debut announces a remarkable talent.
April 30, 2020
Review: Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas Nos 4, 7 & 9 (Alexander Melnikov)
Melnikov’s probing Prokofiev goes from strength to strength.
March 20, 2020
Review: Offenbach: Orphée aux Enfers ballet music (Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin/Griffiths)
First recording of long-lost ballet will please aficionados.
March 2, 2020
Review: Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos 1 & 3 (Daniil Trifonov, The Philadelphia Orchestra/Nézet-Séguin)
Trifonov proves a passionate Rachmaninov advocate.
March 2, 2020