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Alexander Gavrylyuk at Wigmore Hall
Appointed artist-in-residence at the Wigmore Hall for the 2023/24 season, Ukrainian-born Australian pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk stands out as one of the most promising pianists of his generation – I mean, you have to be pretty good to receive standing ovations
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We Must Have Whiskey: Greek National Opera’s Mahagonny
The history of Kurt Weill’s 1930 masterpiece, Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny (Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny) at the Greek National Opera is an uneasy tale of power and achievement. The first production in 1977 was
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Review: La Gioconda at Teatro San Carlo, Naples
The Frenchman Stéphane Lissner, current Sovrintendente and Artistic Director of the storied Teatro San Carlo in Naples, can be credited with upgrading the program and quality of what was once the leading opera house in Italy. Most importantly, he has
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BLACK & WHITE
Ashley Wass, piano
Orchid Classics
This new release from British pianist Ashley Wass celebrates a significant milestone in his musical life – some 40 years since he first touched the keys of a piano. Black and White, the album and corresponding live concerts, is a
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La Muse Oubliée II
Antonio Oyazarbal, piano
Music by women composers is now almost ubiquitous in concert programmes and recordings, and the contribution of female composers to classical music’s oeuvre is finally being properly recognised, though not without significant effort on the part of advocates, such as
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One-Of-A-Kind International Piano Competition
Just when we think the world is saturated with a profuse presence of piano competitions, a new one has sprung up in a unique format, promoting classical music in a most unexpected location. Judging from its immense operational scope, vast
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Sounds As They Are by Richard Beaudoin
A new book by Richard Beaudoin published in 2024 by Oxford University Press, Oxford Studies in Music Theory division, came to our attention recently. Sounds As They Are is a beautiful-looking hardback of 240 dense pages with musical examples, an
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All My Plans Are in Ruins: Greek National Opera and Die Walküre
The second part of Richard Wagner’s great opera tetralogy, Die Walküre, had its debut at the Green National Opera (GNO) in March 2024. It was a joint production with the Royal Danish Theatre and was the first Ring Cycle production
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