The Spidy Editor | Clare Varney - Music | Food

Joyce DiDonato makes an emotional debut with the Concertgebouw Orchestra

15 January 2025Music

Joyce DiDonato descended the Concertgebouw stairs to give the Dutch premiere of one her most beloved works, Jake Heggie’s 2015 orchestral version of Camille Claudel: Into the Fire, for her…

Dutch bells take centre stage at the Concertgebouw

6 January 2025Culture, Music

Rafael Payare and the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal travelled to the Concertgebouw Amsterdam with some very special luggage: a pair of orchestral bells made by the Eijsbouts foundry in the…

A class act: Augustin Hadelich plays Mozart on tour with Andrew Manze

18 December 2024Music

ugustin Hadelich / Mozarteumorchester Salzburg / Andrew Manze

The Mozarteumorchester, Salzburg and Andrew Manze travelled to Tonhalle, Düsseldorf for the final night of their 2024 tour of Germany after concerts in Munich, Hamburg, Coesfeld, and Cologne. With violinist,…

A festive feast: John Eliot Gardiner and The Constellation Choir

17 December 2024Music

The Constellation Choir and Orchestra with John Eliot Gardiner

After a somewhat fraught start to the week when Storm Darragh delayed their arrival in Hamburg followed by subsequent performances in Vienna and Luxembourg, all seemed serene and calm as…

Vladimir Jurowski continues the Concertgebouw Orchestra’s Bruckner celebration

12 December 2024Music

Running down the famous Concertgebouw stairs with the energy of one half his age, Vladimir Jurowski joined the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for programme of Mozart and Bruckner. The evening started…

The Viride Quartet explore an absence of love in the depths of the Dutch countryside

27 November 2024Music

Hot on the heels of three sold-out shows at the Carré Theater, Amsterdam with Dutch indie-pop band, Haevn, the Viride String Quartet travelled deep into the Dutch countryside for a…

A towering inferno: on tour with Vikingur Ólafsson and the London Philharmonic

18 November 2024Music

Vikingur Ólafsson and Edward Gardner and the London Philharmonic Orchestra

Smartly dressed in a grey suit and a pale pink tie and exuding a calm efficiency, Norwegian pianist Vikingur Ólafsson swept onto the stage. Expectation fizzed. A year on from…

Suave and sophisticated: Mäkelä’s Rachmaninoff hits all the right notes

16 November 2024Music

Klaus Mäkelä conducting the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

It’s been a busy few weeks for Klaus Mäkelä. First on tour with the Oslo Philharmonic. Then a quick soirée to the UK for the Rite of Spring with the London Symphony Orchestra…

The real deal: Tarmo Peltokoski conducts the Rotterdam Philharmonic

13 November 2024Music

Much has been invested in Tarmo Peltokoski, the 24-year-old Principal Guest Conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra who made his debut with the orchestra in May 2022. Amidst the hype…

Dutch broadcaster showcases teaching at its best on prime-time TV

10 November 2024Culture, Music

In the classical music world, the development of young music talent is important, yet most of the time, it occurs behind closed doors. A constant stream of masterclasses given generously…