Reading Time: 2 minutesFederico Colli is a pianist with a worldwide reputation, winning 1st Prize at the Salzburg Mozart Competition in 2011, the Gold Medal at the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2012 and performing with orchestras including the Mariinsky and St Petersburg Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony and BBC Philharmonic.
Reading Time: 2 minutesThis performance by Niki King interlaced songs celebrating Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington with some from her own album “The Everlasting Energy of Love”.
Reading Time: 2 minutesOrchestrator Ian Gardiner (along with musicians Will Pound and Delia Stevens) has done a fantastic job of rearranging the works so that, whilst different in many aspects, not least instrumentation, these pieces still evoke the feelings of the original. Though it does stray quite far from Holst’s original compositions in a lot of places this is not necessarily a bad thing either. It allows for a new life to be injected into the pieces through alterations in style, speed and even the arrangement of certain movements. Venus, for example, is now a lilting tune reminiscent of Latin Jazz; Jupiter is faster and seems something close to an Irish reel, or bluegrass; Mercury is filled with birdsong.
Reading Time: < 1 minuteOn Thursday evening, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra took to the stage in the new Tung Auditorium in the Yoko Ono Lennon Centre.
Reading Time: 2 minutesEntering the Barbican Hall, unsure of what to expect, I was soon captivated by the incredible experience that is Aoife O'Donovan’s performance. The GRAMMY Award-winning American singer-songwriter made her entrance on the stage discreetly, almost shy and overwhelmed by the moment. Jokingly, she remarked that she knew the tickets were sold out but didn't imagine there would be so many of us. She then performed three of her older songs, charming the audience with her beautiful voice, before diving into the tracks from her newest album, All My Friends. As she made her Barbican debut, accompanied by the Guildhall Session Orchestra, the Music Centre London Session Choir, and conductor Eric Jacobsen.
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s Un:Titled performances are informal, gig-style standing concerts. I particularly enjoyed the atmosphere of this concert.
Reading Time: 2 minutesAttending the recent performance of Brahms Requiem by Candlelight at St. Martin-in-the-Fields was a truly beautiful experience. The historic and elegant architecture of St. Martin-in-the-Fields provided a breathtaking backdrop for the evening. The atmosphere was enhanced by the warm glow of candles. For those not familiar with the concept, candlelight concerts at St. Martin-in-the-Fields are renowned for their intimate ambiance. The soft, golden light from the candles creates ethereal surroundings that perfectly complements the evening's music, making it always an evening to remember.
Reading Time: 3 minutesIn 1735, George Frideric Handel adapted a fanciful story from Ariosto’s Italian Renaissance epic, Orlando Furioso; the resulting opera, Alcina, is staged here by the Guildhall School in a playful and earnest exploration of a battle between true love and powerful enchantments.
Reading Time: 2 minutesOrchestral Qawwali Project, co-founded by self-taught composer and arranger Rushil Ranjan and vocalist Abi Sampa performed alongside the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, London Voices and the National Youth Chamber Choir to a sold out Royal Albert Hall earlier this week, despite only forming four years ago.
Reading Time: 3 minutesLast night's performance of A Celebration of Puccini at the Liverpool Philharmonic was an opera lover's dream. Performing to a packed auditorium, the orchestra was ably conducted by Liverpool's renowned Domingo Hindoyan for two acts of emotive magic, featuring guest soprano and tenor Sonya Yoncheva and Riccardo Massi.