Just had a bash through these two chaconnes on the piano. Don't sound much like Bach to me.

My review of Dorian Gray, by Elżbieta Sikora and David Pountney, at Teatr Wielki, Poznań ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ www.gramophone.co.uk/opera-now/re...

With David Pountney and Aleksander Laskowski in Poznań for the premiere of Elżbieta Sikora's opera Dorian Gray, for which Pountney is librettist and director. A powerful evening of opera and lots to write about. So review to follow.

The November issue of Gramophone, in which I try to convince Hugo Shirley that Bernstein's recording of Der Rosenkavalier is a classic (spoiler: I fail).

My review of The Makropulos Case at the Royal Opera House: www.gramophone.co.uk/opera-now/re...

The striking new Rosenkavalier production that opened the Zurich Opera season is available on Arte w/o VPN. www.arte.tv/de/videos/12...

My profile of composer Elena Firsova in the October issue of Gramophone: www.gramophone.co.uk/features/art...

Richard Tice says Archbishop Stephen Cottrell should stick to presenting Match of the Day www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

My obituary of Rodion Shchedrin, who died today: www.gramophone.co.uk/classical%20...

Purbeck Valley Folk Festival

The Bayreuth Festival opens on Friday with a new production of Die Meistersinger. All of the first week performances will be broadcast on Bavarian radio, and there is also a video livestream of the Meistersinger (VPN possibly required). www.br-klassik.de/themen/bayre...

Great to meet up with Elena Firsova today - preparing a composer profile for Gramophone in the Autumn.

My review of Philippe Manoury's Die Letzten Tage der Menschheit at Cologne Opera www.gramophone.co.uk/opera-now/re...

At Oper Köln for the premiere of Philippe Manoury's Die letzten Tage der Menschheit.

In Dresden for Kent Nagano's period-instrument Siegfried.

In Frankfurt for (another) Parsifal

My review of Parsifal at Glyndebourne www.gramophone.co.uk/opera-now/re...

At Glyndebourne for Parsifal

A new opera by Unsuk Chin, 'Die dunkle Seite des Mondes', premieres in Hamburg on Sunday. A recording of the premiere will be broadcast on NDR Kultur on Saturday 24 May: www.ndr.de/kultur/sendu...

RIP Valentina Kholopova, Professor at the Moscow Conservatory and leading authority on Schnittke, Gubaidulina, Shchedrin, and much other recent Russian music. She died today aged 90. muzobozrenie.ru/pamjati-vale...

Proms listings from @bachtrack.com, the most easily browsable, as ever.

Some Bruckner landmarks in Linz. The first plaque and the organ, which was built to Bruckner's specification, are at the old cathedral. The E-Minor Mass plaque and the window are at the new cathedral.

The music section of a tourist guide to Vienna. An embarrassment of riches.

Theater 82er Haus, an active theatre in rural Austria (with a gorgous art deco exterior), operating in a 'town', Gablitz, so small it doesn't even have a shop. www.theater82erhaus.at

An interesting beer to go with today's BBQ, a lambic trippel from Bruges. Tart and fruity

Huge article today in the SZ on Donald Trump by Jürgen Habermas. He’s not a fan. www.sueddeutsche.de/projekte/art...

Putin is consolidating Russia's cultural dominance of Crimea in traditional soft-power fashion, with a world-class opera and ballet theatre at Sevastopol. Due to open next year. smotrim.ru/article/4410...

Of One Blood, a new opera by Brett Dean, premieres at Bavarian State Opera next May: www.staatsoper.de/en/productio...

RIP Sofia Gubaidulina www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS0D...

'Generative AI is experimental.'

A good week for modern British opera in London. This time I'm at ENO for Thea Musgrave's Mary Queen of Scots.

Markus Poschner named as the new Chief Conductor of the ORF Symphony Orchestra, from the start of the 26/27 season ... on the condition that long-term funding for the orchestra has been secured by then: ooe.orf.at/stories/3293...

Review of the new Meistersinger production at Melbourne Opera. Good to see Anthony Negus getting the work in. www.australianbookreview.com.au/arts-update/...

A report on an orchestra that vanished for @londonermag.bsky.social www.the-londoner.co.uk/london-chamb...

RIP Denis Wick www.deniswick.com

Given developments at the Kennedy Center, effective today I am resigning as artistic advisor to the NSO. Not for me. It’s been a wonderful 8 years working with Kennedy Center President Deb Rutter, fellow artistic advisor Renee Fleming, NSO artistic administrator Justin Ellis, and the entire NSO

New opera house planned for Hamburg, mostly financed by billionaire Klaus-Michael Kühne (including any overspend!). Still a few headaches though: suspicion of Nazi links to Kühne family fortune, plus planned site has links with Herero and Nama genocide. www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/klau...

Kudos to all involved in #Festen, especially #ROH for committing what must have been significant resources to assemble ideal cast and creatives for the project.

#Festen at #ROH worked for me. Turnage's music is often crassly cartoonish - more Anna Nicole than Silver Tassie - but its lurid effect is gradually intensified as the horrors unfold.

At Covent Garden for Turnage's latest

Climbing the Hirschberg in the snow

The opening night of Die Liebe der Danae from Bavarian State Opera is on BR Klassik this evening, 7pm local time. www.br-klassik.de/programm/rad...

This looks like fun, a detective story set around the Vienna New Year concerts. The victim is a musicologist, whose body is discovered at the Musikverein. And the conspiracy goes all the way back to Strauss's day. www.edition-a.at/buecher/krim...

Response from the Society of Music Analysis to the proposed closure of Cardiff University School of Music. www.sma.ac.uk/2025/02/stat...

We need to act now if we are to save our Arts. Here’s my new blog on Brexit, the Arts Council and my personal experience of “levelling up” raenicholls.wordpress.com/2025/02/04/a...

Latest on the Bayreuth 2026 funding saga. Katherina had planned 11 operas for anniversay but then cut this to 7 for lack of funds. Friends of Bayreuth Society has offered an extra E1m, but only if cuts are reversed. Now turns out the singers are no longer available. www.br-klassik.de/aktuell/news...

Please consider signing. I know petitions are not enough, but they are not necessarily nothing either. At the very least, helping our colleagues know the depth and breadth of support will be something. chng.it/DXBH5N6v4f

Dreadful news for such a historic and distinguished music department. Let's unite in solidarity

An impressive Jenůfa at Royal Opera this eve. Corinne Winters, Karita Mattila, Nicky Spence - what a cast! Bodes well for a new era of Czech opera under Jakub Hrůša.

A gentle reminder the rejoining the European Union would add/restore *£100bn a year* to the UK economy and have no environmental consequenses at all. www.theguardian.com/business/202...