I've always hated karaoke. But a Prosecco-fuelled Christmas do with colleagues bellowing out nostalgic love songs turned out to be unexpectedly therapeutic. “I died a hundred times…you go back to her… and I go back to...blaaack, blaaack, blaaack, blaack.” youtu.be/d7z5YjouK44?...

So good to see Simon Rattle on top form after his cancelled Proms appearance last summer. The BRSO really is the “Rolls Royce” of orchestras! 👏 Bruckner’s 7th was sublime, with that gorgeous Wagnerian Adagio — rings of Valhalla! And I loved the searing orchestral drama of Janáček’s Taras Bulba!

Another fab evening: James Ehnes in astonishing performance of Beethoven’s Violin Sonata with @lporchestra.bsky.social & Ed Gardner. Thunderous applause! I couldn’t love Ehnes more — the gorgeous, singing tone from his Stradivarius is magical! His Bach Violin Partita No. 3 encore moved me to tears.

Kian Soltani & Benjamin Grosvenor at the Wigmore Hall–a spectacular collaboration between two of my favourite musicians! Five stars for virtuosity, creativity, a well thought-out programme and so much warmth and humour. My heart nearly burst during the 3rd movement of César Franck's Sonata in A! ♥️

This excellent review by @markvalencia.bsky.social in @bachtrack.com reflects how I experienced it. Yes, I'm one of the unversed ones and was left very confused... "I’d defy anyone unversed in The Makropulos Case to unravel the story amid so much visual noise. But, oh, the glorious sound of it."

Applause, booing, and quite a lot of empty seats marked RBO’s opening of The Makropulos Case. More versed in Katie Mitchell than Janáček, I’d say: opera purists may bristle, but Mitchell devotees will recognise her signature blend of bold feminism and multimedia. Critics will be divided, I’m sure.

I could barely hold back the tears at Benjamin G’s encore: the solo piece from the 2nd mov of Ravel’s Piano Cto. On the way home, I listened to Martha Argerich & the Royal Stockholm Phil. Orch. playing it on YouTube and cried again. It’s such a blessing there’s always music when words fail us.

Absolutely stunning recital by the ultra-talented Benjamin Grosvenor: Chopin, Ravel and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, which I love a little more every time I hear it! 💕 I can’t wait to hear Benjamin play with Kian Soltani (another fave of mine) at the WH next month!

"I sat with my anger long enough, until she told me her real name was grief." This stirs something deep and inexpressible within.

“…more akin to the contemporary gilded canvases of Klimt in a deliquescence of musical gesture, as notes inexorably [dissolve into] silence.” I love reading reviews that feel as inspired – and as inspirational – as the performance itself! 💕 #Mahler9

What a way to open the season – BBCSO & Sakari Oramo w/a sublime Mahler 9! 💕 An orchestra friend told me she kept “losing it slightly” in rehearsals and “barely kept it together” last night, re the Adagio. That last mov. is everything! Big emotions from me too; so many reflections on life & death.

Mahler’s 4th Symphony with LPO, Ed Gardner & Jennifer France – being a Mahler fan, my expectation was huge, and I really wanted to say I loved it…But I didn’t. More meh than yay. 😒 I’m now placing my bets on Mahler 9 tomorrow with BBCSO & Oramo. Their Mahler 4 last April did not disappoint!

If you're a workaholic, or someone in your household is, this piece may resonate. So often our drive to overwork stems from a skewed belief that the love and approval of others can only be earned in this way... Here's a PDF version in case you can't access the article: tinyurl.com/mrv6h4dn

Duolingo just *forced* me to sign up for a free trial of Duolingo Super Family by not giving me an option to say no and continue my lessons! I really really don't want it. Does anyone know how to cancel it? In real life as in an app, not being given the choice to say 'no' is called coercion! 😡

'The Concerto', Queen's Hall, Langham Place (c.1935) by Cyril Power

How do you show you're obsessed with Mahler without saying you're obsessed with Mahler? Every time you write the verb to paint in German ('malen'), you spell it 'mahlen' and lose points on Duolingo! Gah... ❌⚠️😁

The Labour Party has a tradition of antiracism campaigning. It’s supposed to be in the party’s DNA. That they cannot say it’s just straightforwardly wrong to alarm families who choose Britain to live, work and raise children in is a total moral failure.

Back at the Barbican with the LSO & Pappano for Shostakovich’s Tenth (after the Ninth on Thursday). That fierce, relentless 2nd movement had my heart racing – I barely breathed! Might be my favourite Shostakovich yet. Spectacular from start to finish! My Shosta fever has gone up a notch this week…

And…can I just say how much I appreciate the @londonsymphony.bsky.social programmes? Delightful programme notes tonight by Stephen Johnson & Andrew Mellor–notes so informative and well written, you actually learn something new and can enjoy the music all the more because of them. Thank you!🙏

My 1st non-Prom concert of the new season! ♥️ The virtuosic Seong-Jin Cho made the fiendishly difficult Prokofiev Piano Cto no.2 seem like child’s play. But for me it was the final piece–Beethoven’s Fifth–w/ LSO & Antonio Pappano that blew the roof off the Barbican tonight! Simply exhilarating! 👏 👏

Oh Dio…I have the “E lucevan le stelle” aria playing in my head in a loop, and it’s not helping me focus on work! I keep wanting to bellow out a tenor part I couldn’t sing, even if I was facing an execution! “Oh dolci baci, o languide carezze…” 🎭🎶🎤 #Tosca #Puccini

As "Lin" of Duolingo always says, "Remember, I'm always listening." Looks like she was also spying my socials because they just magically switched the new battery system to *add*, not deplete more "energy" with correct answers. 😆

This! #Duolingo

Mandelson Crisis Starmer Acts! The new Private Eye is out now.

“As a conductor, you have to have a strong moral backbone. It’s like running a company — you have responsibility. You’re in the public eye. Maybe nobody cares what you say, but it has some influence. It’s important to do whatever we can to stop the cycle of helplessness.”~ Ilan Volkov Respect!

My Saturday pancake bruch attempt turned out quite well! First one was a disaster, as I flipped it before the batter had cooked. But by the end of 7 baby pancakes, I finally nailed it! Great metaphor for everything in life: keep going, however imperfectly. It’s the doing that creates perfection.

Here's a good Soviet joke from tehgraun that I hadn't seen before. www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...

Bestest orchestra in the world – for sure! 💗 How I'd love to go back in time and re-live last night's extraordinary Bruckner 9th...

Even before the Vienna Philharmonic had played a single note, shouts of “Bravo!” erupted. A stupendous Bruckner 9th showed us why—the sound this orchestra produces is INSANE! Bruckner may have offered his 9th to God, but the sensory ecstasy I experienced was closer to the Devil. #Proms

By Paul Noth in the @newyorker.com

From Patricia Kopatchinskaja's Facebook. Love the photo on the left – so genuinely 'Patkop'! "Bartok 1.Violinconcerto and some encores with Christian Măcelaru and WDR Sinfonieorchester at George Enescu Festival in beautiful city Timisoara. A JOY!" 📸Marco Borggreve

Can anyone recommend a good #Shostakovich biography? I’m increasingly fascinated by his life!

I had no idea Shostakovich had written an opera until now. I'm chuckling non-stop listening to Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk on Radio 3. Didn't expect the plot to be this humourful – it's actually quite delightful! #Proms

Kerching! 💪After daily obsessive ROH/RBO page refreshes, managed to bag a Tosca ticket with Anna Netrebko in the lead role! First time hearing her live. Excited!!

Arvo Pärt touchingly remembered Benjamin Britten at tonight’s Prom. And I was reminded how much I adore Sibelius’ 2nd Symphony… Simply glorious! A very fine performance by Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and Andris Nelsons. 👏👏

Mark Berry's blog post pretty much sums up how I felt about Saturday's Prom–Concertgebouw/Mäkelä. I've been to more Mahler 5 performances than any other, but not even the Adagietto did it for me this time. No emotion stirred, just impatient for the end. The Mäkelä hype didn’t live up…soz!

Anyone would like an Arena standing ticket for today’s 2pm Prom? Get in touch asap please.

I'm in shock. The Royal Opera House is no longer offering Friday Rush tickets!! What does that even mean for us on modest incomes?!

We’re better off without such people. Let’s hope Spain doesn’t get fed up with them!

Oh no, Hilary Hahn is still not recovered from her injury and is withdrawing from next week's Proms performance... The RAH site says Isabelle Faust is standing in for her, with the programme unchanged. A very apt replacement of course. Still, as a huge Hilary fan, I'm a little heartbroken! 😢

A message from Daniel Barenboim. ♥️ #WestEasternDivanOrchestra

Happy! My backorder of the 15th August Prom programme has arrived at last! I now have the text for Shostakovich’s ‘Babi Yar’…for next time! As a geek, once I get obsessed with something, I pursue info on it relentlessly. I was prepared to go ANY lengths to get my greedy paws on this programme! 🤓

With my foreign rights sales specialist hat on, I can see this could be a very welcome move, esp. in children's book publishing. The biggest barrier to selling Danish language rights has always been that foreign-acquired content made book prices too high, due to their 25% tax on top.

Listening to Philharmonia's #Proms concert on R3. That fun ragtime piece encore definitely had Santtu-Matias Rouvali's stamp on it! 😆 Apart from Bruce Liu's fine performance of Tchaikovsky's Second Piano Concerto, loved the beautiful violin solo playing by concertmaster Zsolt-Tihamér Visontay! 💗

Can't believe I subscribed to The Times just to be able to read this!(Get yer commission, Mr P!) Concert operas rarely do it for me. Moreno impressed but I couldn't say Suor Angelica worked as a whole, in the way Fischer & BFO's Bluebeard's Castle did. As an opera novice, 'twas still a nice intro!

Just one more thought re Suor Angelica. Was it just me that found López Moreno's choice of dress odd, given her role as a nun in a convent? All other nuns were dressed more modestly...

This man is simply the G.O.A.T!! Tonight it was like seeing Antonio Pappano back in the orchestra pit of the ROH. 💕No one conducts opera as masterfully as he does! I worship him so much, next time I’m filling in a form and am asked about religion, I might tick: ‘Other’ and add: ‘–Pappano’!

Star soprano Carolina López Moreno receives accolades from the RAH audience for her extraordinarily moving performance of Suor Angelica at #BBCProms with @londonsymphony.bsky.social & the great Antonio Pappano. Beautiful voice and raw emotional depth! I died a little with Angelica at the end!

Me now reading 'Also Sprach Zarathustra' on Kindle and doing obsessive searches on Bachtrack of all upcoming #Delius concerts in the UK and elsewhere in the world. God help me; the geek in me has been awakened! 😅

Bummed to have missed Delius' Mass of Life live. Had it bookmarked to go, but I'd never heard of Delius until now and had no idea it was so rarely performed (no mention in Proms' marketing copy; why?). I found it ravishing too, but it's now unlikely I'll hear it live again in my lifetime, darn it!