| Date and venue | Title |
|---|---|
| 28-May-2013 Birmingham Symphony Hall | Britten's War Requiem with the CBSO and Andris Nelsons |
 The consequence of any war is destruction, and though ancient buildings continue to crumble under the terrific blast of modern warfare, the spirit of a people undefeated invariably gives way to creation with renewed fervour. Thus it was in 1962 in Coventry that, as the city’s ancient and devastated cathedral sat silently disintegrating from the Second World War’s devastating blow, the people thronged to the new adjacent cathedral of magnificent light and glass.Read full review... | |
| 17-May-2013 Usher Hall | Sir Andrew Davis and RSNO in Mendelssohn's oratorio Elijah |
 RSNO concerts begin, for me and around 100 others, with the pre-concert talk. I'm especially glad of these when new to a work, such as Mendelssohn’s 1846 Elijah. A talk by those who have prepared the music for us adds something to even the most extensive “presearch”. Sir Andrew Davis, in conversation with RSNO principal trombonist Dávur Juul Magnussen, came across as extremely witty and erudite. One topic of interest was the decision to sing in German a work whose Birmingham première was sung in English.Read full review... | |
| 28-Mar-2013 Carnegie Hall: Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage | The many faces of Christ: Hanno Müller-Brachmann stars in OSL's St Matthew Passion |
 In his biography of Richard Wagner, Michael Tanner writes that Tristan und Isolde is one of two great masterpieces that have the musical brilliance, the intellectual strength and the emotional power to convert you to its philosophical cause. The other, naturally, is the St Matthew Passion.
Read full review... | |
| 30-May-2012 Coventry Cathedral | A golden War Requiem at Coventry Cathedral from the CBSO |
 Tonight’s was an historic performance, so first, a few dates. On 14th November 1940, Luftwaffe bombing raids destroyed much of the medieval centre of Coventry, including most of its cathedral. On 30th May 1962, Benjamin Britten’s specially-commissioned War Requiem was premièred by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in Sir Basil Spence’s newly consecrated cathedral. This building was ultra-modern for its time and built adjacent and in stark contrast to the ruins in a spirit of reconciliation.Read full review... | |
