The less said about Viktoria Mullova's performance of the Brahms Violin Concerto the better. Concertos are traditionally arenas of heroic struggle but this was a losing battle... more
The lushness of the strings, the liquid beauty of the winds and mellow brass combine to produce a uniquely expressive sound from the Philadelphia Orchestra... more
It's no surprise that the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic brought an all-Nordic programme to the Proms, but no Swedish composer? Presumably no Swedish composer offers the guaranteed box-office of Sibelius (Finnish), Grieg (Norwegian) and Nielsen... more
Elder ensured that the calmer, more nuanced passages were given their due but the blaze of brass at the conclusion was visceral, thrilling and undeniably virile... more
Finnish repertoire interpreted by a percipient Finnish conductor. An enticing prospect, even if the opener was that old warhorse Sibelius’s Finlandia... more
Mick Gordon’s outdoor production of The Tempest is a stripped-down, spirited interpretation that runs for not much more than an hour and a half... more
Toradze's performance of Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto with the LPO injected new life into what too often sounds like a knackered warhorse.
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The seven symphonies of Sibelius are firm fixtures at the Proms and this year were performed by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra under Osmo Vanska.... more
This Philharmonia programme desperately needed either a charismatic conductor or a revelatory soloist for the Grieg. It had neither, says Barry Millington.
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Phillippe Herreweghe steered the Orchestre des Champs Elysées down an alternative path at its Proms performance of Mozart's Requiem, and the less intense approach proved successful.... more
Barry Millington's pick of the weekend's top classical events includes some Mozart at Greenwich park and the Minnesota Orchestra at the Proms with phenomenal pianist Llyr Williams...... more
A mood of elegy spun its web over the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra's Prom. But two masterworks from Strauss and Bartók weren't quite delivered with the precision and colour required.... more
Tonight:
3°c
