Not the usual crowd at Opéra Bastille - it’s marathon day. A sign reads “pain is just a French word for bread”🥖 🇫🇷🎶

Those were the days, my friends

Sad as I am to see the stats on UK touring, our annual stats chave plenty to celebrate, not least the spirituality of Arvo Pärt and the success of Peaky Blinders from Rambert, one of the most extraordinary shows I’ve ever seen in any art form. bachtrack.com/classical-mu...

It was 40 years ago today… well, approximately, my mum and stepdad definitely took me to this Andrei Serban production of Turandot back in the 80s!

Christmas lights on the Avenue Montaigne seen from the TCE - very posh this year!

Gutted to see the demise on Friday of Paul Beuscher, one of the oldest music shops in Paris at 175 years old. Particularly for selfish reasons, I confess, since they still have a piano which we’ve paid for and which they were supposed to deliver this week. Uphill battle awaits…

I missed posting this on Halloween, where I would like to suggest that it would have been the scariest thing you found all evening. So here we are, one week late, on a subject that I've been worrying about for a long time. polything.com/2025/11/07/p...

A fascinating account of a real-world cyber attack attempt: no fancy tech, just plain old appeal to greed.

Chilling out to L’Arpeggiata’s Terra Firma. I’d forgotten how much I adore folk music when it’s played to this quality.

Has anyone else had a problem with scam calls from a US 415 number ringing on an iPhone when Do not disturb is set?

In the event, last night’s Tosca wasn’t perfect, but the new production is very solid and Netrebko was truly exceptional. bachtrack.com/review-tosca...

Not entirely surprised that there are anti-Netrebko protests outside Covent Garden tonight.

You always know to expect the unexpected with Pekka Kuusisto... bachtrack.com/review-bbc-p...

I'm steadily hearing more news about how horrific the current botnet wave is... And even our small web business is in the eye of the storm. bachtrack.com/feature-swam...

It’s Eugene Onagin, folks. I’d be really disappointed if it didn’t!! @operahollandpark.bsky.social

I do love Mahler 3 deeply. And even in the unpromising acoustic of the Royal Albert Hall, Bancroft and BBCNOW did a great job of it. bachtrack.com/review-bbc-n...

I have been known to feel guilty about reviewing revivals of often performed, fairly lightweight operas. Not this one, which was entertainment I’d recommend to anyone. bachtrack.com/review-barbe...

The evening sun flooding into the Opéra Bastille foyer for the first interval of Il Trittico. Asmik knocking it out of the park as expected, but the real revelation was Misha Kiria’s Gianni Schicchi.

It's St George's day! England isn't exactly unique in having chosen George as its patron saint (check the list on Wikipedia), but it was still a good excuse to put together a playlist of opera in English - which deserves a far better rap than it usually gets. bachtrack.com/playlist-top...

Time for fairytale madness at the gorgeous Théâtre Athénée-Jouvet

Row 5 for the Bach Mass in B minor at the Philharmonie de Paris. I’m struggling to control my excitement. @philharmonie.bsky.social

Le programme du festival La Chaise-Dieu n’est pas encore en ligne, donc pour le découvrir, il suffit de retrouver les WC au restaurant Anicia, tout près de Montparnasse. Et d’ailleurs, c’est un magnifique resto !

In reception at De Doelen in Rotterdam. My goodness, what a lineup that was!

My first ever visit to Toulouse revealed that it's really rather a lovely city. And its history makes it clearly the right place to see Norma (just don't mention Alésia...) bachtrack.com/review-norma...

This is the Place du Capitole in Toulouse, filling up with a demonstration against culture cuts (there’s a council meeting today).

This was really rather good, as long as you didn't mind spending the whole opera looking at characters in front of a largely blank wall. Massenet just sounds better when pretty much the whole cast are native French speakers! bachtrack.com/review-masse...

First blog post of our extended stay in Paris. It had to be baking-related... polything.com/2025/03/22/s...

In Lyon, the recipe for making perfect bread. I particularly like the”longue conversation “.

The Château de Chenonceau really has to be a contender for the title of “world’s most beautiful castle”.

For the first opera trip of our extended Paris stay, the Place de la Bastille gave us this beautiful sunset

I really didn’t think Festen would be even better than the movie - but it was! (And Richard Jones found space for his cherished flock wallpaper ) bachtrack.com/review-feste...

It’s not quite the pink bras of Anna Nicole, but Covent Garden has been suitably decked out for Festen.

bachtrack.com/review-rhein... There’s just no way Regents Opera’s Ring should be as good as it is. I’m really impressed.

I don't normally post photos that I get in press releases, but this one from Hungarian State Opera is pure eye candy.

Ahead of next month, I’ve just watched Festen. Two thoughts: 1. it’s an incredible movie, quite extraordinary. 2. I have absolutely no idea how Turnage is going to turn that into an opera.

Even on a skiing holiday, I can’t get away from opera… Marzemino is the wine served by Leporello to Don Giovanni in act 2, grown not far from here. And it is indeed “Eccellente”, as Giovanni says.

By the way, the La Scala Forza is currently working on catch-up on Arte - although if you’re in the UK, you have to VPN to Germany.

Angelina Jolie has been nominated for Best Performance by a Female Actor in the 2025 Golden Globes Awards for her portrayal of Maria Callas in “Maria”. Catch our interview with the film's director, Pablo Larraín: bachtrack.com/interview-pa...

The prima at La Scala is always a special night, but Ludovic Tézier and Anna Netrebko turned it into something quite extraordinary. And I realise this isn't a universally held view, but I truly love Forza. bachtrack.com/review-verdi...

Buona sera Milano! It’s Prima night at La Scala - La Forza with Netrebko, Jagde and Tézier. I’m seriously overexcited!

#ilovecrouchend even if getting to it can get interesting. Here is the former River Fleet doing its thing on the lane from Wood Vale to Park Road this morning.

Just been learning the Qui tollis peccata mundi from the Bach B minor mass. OMG the bass part is stunning - I’m virtually in tears.

Might just be Marc Brenner’s gorgeous photography, bit ENO’s new Elixir looks fun…

You can’t win them all… bachtrack.com/review-salon...

Saturday’s recital really was a rare treat. bachtrack.com/review-yo-yo...

Described by my colleague Elisabeth as “basically witchcraft “, watching Carolina Eyck play theremin is truly extraordinary. bachtrack.com/concert-vide...

And here’s what I was *really* in #sweden for - the wonderful Royal Stockholm Philharmonic. bachtrack.com/review-bancr...

The metamorphosis of M. Butterfly: my review of Huang Ruo’s opera receives UK premiere, an incredible vehicle for Kangmin Justin Kim bachtrack.com/review-m-but...

In other #sweden news, the loos in Ikea in Stockholm play you piped birdsong and wind chimes at levels that are only just perceptible. And charge you SEK15 for the privilege, although you do get free water (or, as they put it, a “hydration station“).

I can confirm that Thelins Konditori in Stockholm serves the definitive prawn sandwich. #sweden #stockholm