The Snowmaiden review – crystalline singing brings elemental folktale to life
Ffion Edwards plays the daughter of Spring Beauty and Grandfather Frost in English Touring Opera’s ambitious staging of Rimsky-Korsakov’s time-stopping romance
September 2024
Philharmonia/Rouvali review – epic Nordic soundscapes of drama and disruption
Tag und Nacht: Strauss Songs album review – music for soprano is brisk, bright and light on its feet
Rodgers and Hammerstein: Carousel album review – welcome return from Broadway band of dreams
Eugene Onegin review – stripped back staging is compelling and probing
Last Night of the Proms review – pauses stretched patience but warmth and a Mexican wave won out
Prom 58: Orchestre de Paris/Mäkelä review – electrifying music-making from an elite team
August 2024
Imogen Holst: Discovering Imogen album review – expressive works from composer hiding in plain sight
Huw Montague Rendall: Contemplation album review – young opera star justifies the buzz
Prom 49: Czech Philharmonic/Hrůša/Kobekina review – impassioned playing of Dvořák and less well known Suk
Prom 42: Beethoven’s Ninth by Heart review – music and emotion made electrifyingly visual
Prom 40: Bach Collegium Japan/Suzuki review – audience lean in for subtle drama
Jane Stanley: Cerulean Orbits album review – music with an ear for texture and economy
Aigul Akhmetshina: Aigul album review – mezzo from Bashkortostan is an insouciant star
July 2024
Prom 15: The Swingles/BBCPhil/Collon review – a bicycle wheel, birds and beatboxing
Anna Clyne’s The Gorgeous Nothings was fleetingly spellbinding, borne by the Swingles’ singing, and Nicholas Collon ensured Messaien’s Turangalila was light on its feet
Janáček: The Excursions of Mr Brouček album review – eccentric opera has sparkle and muscle
Jaroslav Březina is characterful in the title role for this new studio recording, heading an excellent cast and orchestra who know this music inside out
Mishka Rushdie Momen: Reformation album review – beguiling and beautiful performances make the past present
The British pianist plays 16th-century keyboard works on a modern grand, making them feel fresh and new with a virtuosic light touch
June 2024
Katya Kabanova review – Romaniw soars in cogent take on Janáček’s tragedy
Natalya Romaniw is touching as the heroine trapped in a loveless marriage, while Susan Bullock is chilling as her monstrous mother-in-law in David Alden’s staging
Sibelius and Prokofiev Violin Concertos album review – freewheeling rapport never sounds forced
The violinist, orchestra and conductor find remarkable connections with each other, bringing expansiveness, risk and a spellbinding atmosphere
To Sing of Love album review – sweetly glowing, beautifully coloured choral music
Partly set to medieval poetry, with eight singers and an orchestra boasting top soloists, these works pull heavily on the heartstrings
