Blogs
Proms Diary
01/09/2010 - 10:59
Spontaneity and passion made the Minnesota Orchestra's two Proms under Osmo Vänskä a refreshing listen
27/08/2010 - 17:00
Does knowing about a musician's hobbies help or hinder appreciation of their performances, asks Nick Shave
24/08/2010 - 17:58
The UK premiere of Arvo Pärt's powerful Fourth Symphony was spoiled by the Royal Albert Hall's muffled acoustics, writes Nick Shave
25/08/2010 - 10:45
An underwhelming performance of Scriabin's First Symphony leaves Nick Shave pondering some unanswerable questions
04/08/2010 - 16:04
At the end of The Sixteen's Choral Pilgrimage, the countertenor, hardy walker and unexpectedly dressed Ian Aitkenhead reflects on the 110-mile walk
23/07/2010 - 12:31
A provocative experimental opera staged in a vast East London warehouse proved intriguing, writes Helen Wallace
16/07/2010 - 18:08
Daniel Jaffé reports on a live screening of a Royal Opera production as seen in Bristol’s Millennium Square
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This month's BBC Music choices
DISC OF THE MONTH
Wagner: Parsifal
Mariinsky Orchestra & Chorus/Valery Gergiev
'Gergiev's reading evokes a rapt quality and an authentic spirituality'
CHAMBER
Ireland: Violin Sonatas Nos 1 & 2; Cello Sonata
Lucy Gould (violin), Alice Neary (cello), Benjamin Frith (piano)
'Ireland's passionate Violin Sonatas are here given splendid advocacy'
CHORAL & SONG
Heggie: Songs
Jake Heggie et al
'Jake Heggie's own fluent piano playing supports world-class singers'
DVD
Brahms • Chopin • Scriabin: Piano works
Vassily Primakov (piano); dir. David Starobin
'Reveals Primakov as a serious artist with fabulous pianistic skills'
INSTRUMENTAL
Louis Couperin: Keyboard suites
Christophe Rousset (harpsichord)
'Rousset plays Louis Couperin with energy and dramatic flair'
JAZZ
Larkin's Jazz
Including Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller
'This four-disc set compiled by Philip Larkin authorities is a gem'
ORCHESTRAL
Bartók: Piano Concertos
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano); BBC Philharmonic/Gianandrea Noseda
'Exciting and dynamic accounts of Bartók's Piano Concertos'
OPERA
R Strauss: Scenes from Elektra, Die Frau ohne Schatten & Salome
Atlanta SO/Donald Runnicles
'Christine Brewer sails through these testing Strauss soprano roles'
More about BBC Worldwide.