Così fan Tutte: Mozart's school for lovers
Misogynistic? Dramatically unconvincing? Not at all. The key to understanding the universal truths of Mozart’s opera lie in these very contrivances, writes the director of a new Covent Garden...
View ArticleDon Giovanni review – Richard Jones takes us far from Mozart with touches of...
Coliseum, LondonJones’s new staging for English National Opera delivers clever insights and a shock twist but ducks the opera’s complexities and, at points, flies in the face of the music’s logic“It’s...
View ArticleTurn it up to 11 (or maybe 666): when numerology and rock collide
From Mozart and the Beatles to Led Zep and Wu Tang, musicians have always been fascinated by numbers and their occult connection, and now Bon Iver has joined the pantheon of musical number nerds...
View ArticleMozart: Great Mass in C minor; Exsultate, Jubilate CD review – crystalline...
Sampson, Vermeulen, Sakurada, Immler, Bach Collegium Japan/Suzuki(BIS)As the mysterious opening bars of the Kyrie gradually emerge into the light, we know that this recording of Mozart’s glorious Great...
View ArticleFrom the scatological to the sublime: why Amadeus strikes a chord
In 1979 Simon Callow was offered the dream role of Mozart in Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus. As the play returns to the National, he recalls his early doubts and backstage battles The first I heard about...
View ArticleAmadeus review – stunning production pits Salieri against God, Mozart and his...
Olivier theatre, LondonMusicians are thrust centre stage to epic effect in Michael Longhurst’s revival, and Lucian Msamati is excellent as the composer locked in battle with the divinePeter Shaffer,...
View ArticleAmadeus review – a lush, high-voltage revival
Olivier, LondonAdam Gillen’s Mozart and Lucian Msamati’s Salieri share the honours as Peter Shaffer’s 1979 hit returns to the NationalPeter Shaffer, who died in June, wrote plays fuelled with...
View ArticleTeodor Currentzis is classical music breaking the four-minute mile
This young Greek conductor’s recordings of Mozart operas have redefined music and changed my life with their profound vision, energy and face-punching force Eighteen months ago, I discovered someone...
View ArticleMozart: Lieder review – supreme tenor Peter Schreier at the height of his powers
Peter Schreier/Erik Werba(Belvedere)Mozart’s songs with piano – 30 of them set to German texts survive – span much of his career as a composer, though they are usually regarded as a relatively...
View ArticleHuddersfield contemporary music festival; Bath Mozartfest – review
An opera you feel through a pillow is par for the course in Huddersfield. Plus, an intimate Firebird for four hands in BathLie on the floor. Mat provided. Wrap yourself in the soft white blanket if you...
View ArticleMozart 225: classical stars pick their favourite Wolfgang Amadeus wonder
It’s 225 years since Mozart’s death, and there’s a giant CD collection to mark it featuring many of the biggest names in classical music. We asked some of them to reveal which of his works they love...
View Article11-year-old British composer debuts first opera in Vienna
Alma Deutscher’s retelling of Cinderella is receiving high praise, with many calling her the modern MozartAn 11-year-old British composer has earned comparisons with Mozart after her opera opened in...
View ArticleMozart 225 review – all of Amadeus in one big box
Various artists (Decca/DG)In the 226th year since the death of Mozart in 1791, his appeal to a wide audience is greater than ever: this astounding box set containing 200 CDs of every conceivable thing...
View ArticleBBC Symphony Orchestra: this week’s best UK classical concerts
Edward Gardner focuses on music from eastern Europe. Plus: BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Cuarteto Casals, Andris Nelsons and Written On SkinEdward Gardner’s latest concert with the BBC Symphony...
View ArticleMozart: La Clemenza di Tito CD review – Allemano and Aldrich shine in...
Allemano/Bernsteiner/Aldrich/Solvang/Academia Montis Regalis/De Marchi (CPO)Even by Mozart’s standards, La Clemenza di Tito was composed in haste, commissioned for the celebrations in Prague marking...
View ArticleMozart, Ligeti, Bach: Labyrinth CD review – delightful puzzles
Dudok Quartet Amsterdam(Resonus)Mozart, Ligeti, Bach? A curious combination but one suggested to the impressive Dudok Quartet Amsterdam when considering musical labyrinths. Mozart uses rhythmic and...
View ArticleAnthony Goldstone obituary
Pianist celebrated for his Schubert, British music, championing of neglected composers and duet performancesThe pianist Anthony Goldstone, who has died aged 72, was a regular broadcaster and prolific...
View ArticleMozart/Schumann Fantaisies CD review – rousingly restrained recitals
Piotr Anderszewski(Warner Classics)It seems to get ever harder to persuade Piotr Anderszewski into a recording studio. His new discs are increasingly rare events – the previous one, containing three of...
View ArticleThe UK's best music festivals for classical fans
Rising talent shines this summer, as Aldeburgh pays tribute to Benjamin Britten and Cheltenham welcomes a wealth of living composersThe best festivals for familiesThe best classical festivalsThe best...
View ArticleEine kleine slam poetry: Mozart comes to Shoreditch
MC Mozart’s Classical Smackdown brings young audiences to classical music in a way never seen beforeJenna Al-Ansari is dressed in 18th-century Viennese costume, her hair curled and a beauty spot...
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