We’ve seen out the winter in our new Bachtrack offices with a busy month of events, reviews and site development. Here’s our latest news...
In the run-up to Holy Week (the first week of April), we have produced an introduction to several settings of the Biblical passions: one page on Bach’s St. John and St. Matthew Passions, and one (coming soon) on Arvo Pärt’s Passio. Take a look to gain an insight into these fascinating and important works. If you’re then inspired to go to a Passion yourself you can find some great opportunities on Bachtrack around the world!
bachtrack.com/bach-passions-introduction
We have details of a number of new festivals coming up around the world: do have a look, whether you’re at home in the coming months or travelling around. Some festivals recently uploaded include:
- Dubrovnik Summer Festival runs in Croatia from July to August and features, among others, Pinchas Zukerman, Nigel Kennedy, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Daniel Barenboim, and the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge.
- Mozartfest Würzburg features music by Mozart and many others, and runs throughout June this year. Their amazing selection of performers includes Europa Galante and the London Mozart Players.
- Oslo Church Music Festival, now in its twelfth year, is taking place in mid March. The innovative programme features both Bach Passions and two world premières of passions by Norwegian composers Trond Kverno and Ketil Bjørnstad, as well as a range of other music.
- Montreal Chamber Music Festival runs from May to June and features, alongside other events, Colin Carr playing the complete Bach Cello Suites and the Pacifica Quartet playing all of Shostakovich’s String Quartets.
- Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music is coming to London this May and has a stunning line-up including Jordi Savall and Le Concert des Nations, and the Dunedin Consort and Players.
- Galway Early Music Festival in Ireland is running in mid May, and is provocatively titled ‘Social Harmony: When Tradition and High Art Meet’.
- Grange Park Opera runs in London from May to July and has a beautiful programme of operas by Puccini, Mozart and Tchaikovsky.
Since the launch of One Stop Arts in late January, we’ve been delighted with the positive reaction it has received. Visitor numbers have shot up very quickly and we’ve had great feedback from all corners. We’re looking forward to expanding our review coverage further, across the arts, in the coming months.
onestoparts.com
We’ve been delighted to welcome several new ballet reviewers to our team recently, and it’s thrilling to be reviewing so much ballet in London and around the world. There has been an average of two ballet reviews a week this month. You can find them all here:
bachtrack.com/reviews/list/ballet
Tantalisingly, Bachtrack has published 99 reviews for February! We’ve been to everything from Klinghoffer in London to Camerata Bern in Gstaad, via Cardiff, Canada and Australia as well. In March, we will break the 100 barrier: we have 121 scheduled, including 21 operas and 13 dance events. We’re still searching for new reviewers outside the UK, and please do get in touch if you might be interested.
bachtrack.com/reviews/list/all
An improbably controversial Rusalka
The biggest opera controversy of the month, somehow, proved not to be John Adams’ The Death of Klinghoffer, but instead Dvořák’s mild-mannered Rusalka: a production at the Royal Opera House by Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito stunned the London press, who collectively gave it anywhere between one and five stars. David Karlin’s review was the first published online and has been an important part of the debate. He followed the review up with an editorial over on One Stop Arts, which addresses the issue of provocative opera productions in a broader context:
onestoparts.com/after-rusalka-new-concepts-on-old-stories
We have a number of new season programmes put in on Bachtrack, including those at the Met and at the Barbican in London. Our search facility remains as quick to use as ever. Do have a browse!
bachtrack.com/find-events
If you want to join in with debates or keep up to date with events during the month you can find One Stop Arts on Twitter @onestoparts and at facebook.com/onestoparts, and Bachtrack on Twitter @bachtrack and at facebook.com/bachtrackpage.
Happy concert-going!
David and Alison Karlin
