13 years in from his terrific ENO performances, Ed Gardner returns to Wozzeck this evening in the company of the LPO and a monumental cast headed by Stéphane Degout. I'll be reviewing it for Opera.

Last night's light show. My review for @bachtrack.com

Tonight I'll be at the QEH @southbankcentre.bsky.social for... well, it's a bit complicated. I'll let the OAE explain. Reviewing for @bachtrack.com

That was nice... Wordle 1,768 2/6 🟨🟨⬜⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

22 operas next season at The Royal Opera inc. 10 new productions. Let's not forget how lucky we are to have them. Time was we had 2 London houses producing that amount of work, but since the disgraced Arts Council England took its axe to ENO the latter can only offer tiny bites of competition.

Early start for the last night of the 2026 @festivalpaques.bsky.social . The final concert concludes the residency of Lahav Shani and the Munich PO. Brahms 4 + the ubiquitous Renaud Capuçon playing Shostakovich VC1. Reviews of all six concerts I've attended will appear soon on Musical America.

What a thoughtless and discriminatory presentation. Wearying for most people and near-blinding for anyone with early stage cataracts or floaters, issues that would concern a fair proportion of the audience I should think.

Do you have sensitive eyes? I only glimpsed the odd moment here & there at the @festivalpaques.bsky.social. Had to avert my eyes the rest of the time. Here are Capuçon & Argerich with the front lights up. The 5 searchlights hammered us uninterrupted. Rage, rage against the frying of the light.

After last night's staggeringly wonderful concert, tonight Martha Argerich & Lahav Shani return for more, joined this time by Aix Easter Festival's artistic director Renaud Capuçon in chamber music by Mozart, Debussy and Schumann. Wild horses wouldn't keep me away. @festivalpaques.bsky.social

Reading between lots of lines, I suspect that I'm not alone in finding Michael Frayn's fêted play Copenhagen about as gripping as watching porridge cool. I haven't seen it since the 1st run but I vividly recall enduring it with a glum prayer of 'Excite me, why don't you'. All very mind-wandery.

Tonight's dinner in Aix will be pasta with cream and girolles. I adore girolles. The weather here is extraordinary. A whisky and a novel on the balcony at 6.45 pm and it's still sunny at a balmy 20°. Best bit of the day.

Tonight: the first of 6 concerts at this year's Aix Easter Festival that I'm covering for Musical America. A Brahms evening: Renaud and Gautier Capuçon play the double concerto with the Lausanne CO, followed by the early First Serenade. Wall to wall Provence sunshine too. I took this yesterday.

Cancel state visit.

Evisceration of Trump on French TV in the early evening news magazine 5/5. Intelligent, damning, unanswerable, no holds barred. Since I've given up on UK TV news, I don't know whether anything as vituperative as the analysis here makes it into our own news bulletins. But I doubt it.

Just arrived in Provence for three glorious weeks in my favourite place on earth. I'll be reviewing six concerts at the @festivalpaques.bsky.social (Easter Aix) for Musical America. I'll also be living the life of Riley.

It is a curious story. I have it written in faded ink... Yes it's Turn of the Screw day at the Royal Opera. Down in the depths of the Linbury, ghosts are stirring. I'll be there to review them for Opera. Malo, everyone.

Tonight at the RFH Robin Ticciati and the @lporchestra.bsky.social join forces that are Scandinavian from start to Finnish in Sibelius (Kullervo) and Wennäkoski (a WP). I'll be reviewing for Musical America.

My review of a delightful chamber concert by the Aurora Orchestra Principal Players at King's Place last Thursday. Now published by @bachtrack.com bachtrack.com/22/296/view/...

He also has a far cooler name than I have.

I do love @kingsplacelondon.bsky.social . Such an elegant venue for chamber music.

Why are we rewarding Donald Trump with a state visit from our King? His illegal war is driving up costs for British families and he is belittling our country and insulting our troops. Cancel the visit.

Tonight at @kingsplacelondon.bsky.social the Principal Players of Aurora Orchestra trespass delightfully on Nash Ensemble territory with an attractive mix of chamber works by Mozart, Poulenc, Janacek and Judith Weir. I'll be reviewing for @bachtrack.com.

If anyone asks me to name the best opera productions I've ever seen, my answers vary according to current mood. There is, however, one constant, and it returns to @parisoperaballet.bsky.social Bastille in May. Hie thee hither!

Erica Jeal on top form in this spiffing review of Siegfried in @theguardian.com. Exquisite writing. www.theguardian.com/music/2026/m...

What say you, @ofcom.bsky.social? Here's your chance to put us straight.

I'm not going to get hot under the collar if England's players continue to be rubbish this summer. As Gus Atkinson said dismissively at his press conference, "It's just a bit of cricket". If the players aren't bothered, why should the rest of us care?

Just told the boiler service man that we can’t pay him for repairing our boiler and that he should do it purely for the exposure since that’s just the way things work nowadays

Tonight I'll be at the Royal College of Music to see their production of La finta giardiniera, probably my favourite of Mozart's early operas. I'll be reviewing for Opera.

Tonight I met Misty on the District Line.

Later I'll be at Cadogan Hall for an intriguing double bill by Chelsea Opera Group. Two by Mascagni: the eternal Cav plus a rarity, Silvano. Reviewing for Opera.

Well said

Ironic coded message to me from @radiotimes.bsky.social last week. Yet again they failed to deliver my copy until the week was 50% over. This week's copy, whose listings began this morning, has still not arrived. 'Final delivery' indeed.

What this is (like so much in the publishing industry right now) is prioritising shit books by famous people that will briefly sell a lot then be forgotten over books with steady longevity by writers who've spent years learning their craft. It's money-grabbing cowardice & book lovers see through it.

Oui, c'est elle, c'est la DS

A brilliant analysis Andrew Miller - England's Brendon McCullum era may have run out of road | ESPNcricinfo share.google/ART9h6LD1Wgk...

Wordle 1,724 2/6 ⬜⬜🟨🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Big win. Lottery ticket beckons.

At the risk of sounding like a contrarian, I do wish people would lay off Timothée Chalamet. The overreaction amongst opera folk to one careless remark has been punishing. He's done his time now. Move on.

This was special. My review for @bachtrack.com

Traitorous or Treacherous? I'm always keen to learn, so which word better describes the despicable Farage? The distinction is subtle but both words seem appropriate. #LordHawHaw

This was special. My review for @bachtrack.com

Wordle 1,721 X/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 Enjoy Wordle. Knock yourself out.

Last night I dreamt that the new #Ghosts film should be called 'Ghosts - For Good' and now conscious me can't improve on that.

Tonight I'll be at the @southbankcentre.bsky.social to hear the LPO and their newly-installed Chief Conductor Designate Paavo Järvi in action. - Tchaik PC2 with Kantarow - Sibelius 2 Reviewing for @bachtrack.com

News: Paavo Järvi appointed as new Chief Conductor & Artistic Advisor of the @LPOrchestra

My review for @bachtrack.com of Thursday's Barbican concert

We killed 85 schoolgirls. We are not the good guys.

As this is still rolling, I will say one thing about Yuja Wang; I don't know a practising musician who wouldn't feel honoured to even get a reply from her.

Successive interviews by Nick Robinson this morning perfectly sum up the BBC: with Zack Polanski: sneering, aggressive, constantly interrupting. with David Bull, Reform's Chairman: polite, nodding along, barely any interruptions. Amazing. Will share the link when it's up so you can listen too.