The Spidy Editor | Clare Varney - Music, Food and Culture

Zubin Mehta and the Staatskapelle Berlin play Bruckner 8

11 April 2024Music

An emotionally charged performance of Bruckner's Eighth symphony was on offer from Zubin Mehta and the Staatskapelle Berlin in their Good Friday concert in the Philharmonie, Berlin. A feast for…

Brahms’ German Requiem at the Concertgebouw

3 April 2024Music

A fabulous Brahms German Requiem at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam with Dinis Sousa, the Monteverdi Choir and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. This British choir (formed over sixty years ago for a…

Harptastic: Tom Moth performs at the Dutch Harp Festival 2024

29 March 2024Music

British harpist Tom Moth, and Florence and The Machine harpist extraordinaire, will perform at the Dutch Harp Festival hosted by the TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht on April 20th. Originally from Suffolk, Tom Moth…

Buffalo meat lasagne

28 March 2024Food

I recently wrote an article recently about a fabulous farm, deep in the lush Dutch German border, Buffalo Farm Twente, where I tested lots of their cheese and detailed places…

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra appoints new Associate Conductor: Aurel Dawidiuk

28 March 2024Music

'As of season 2024/2025, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra will have an associate conductor. The commitment is for two seasons. The position was made possible thanks to a generous donation from…

Tetzlaff’s colourful Shostakovich with the LPO tells a Russian story

28 February 2024Music

Christian Tetzlaff, Cristian Macelaru and the LPO

Christian Tetzlaff's colourful interpretation of Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1 with Cristian Macelaru and the London Philharmonic Orchestra in Essen told a very Russian story of struggle and strife. The…

Nederlands Studenten Orkest pull off a thrilling Mahler 5

23 February 2024Culture, Music

Lilian Farahani tours the Netherlands with Frans-Aert Burghgraef and the Nederlands Studenten Orkest to perform Mahler 5 and a new commission by Sílvia Lanao. Performing Mahler’s 5th Symphony in C sharp minor,…

Clare’s Concert Choices | Feb 2024

12 February 2024Culture, Music

Simon Haje | Winner of International Piano Competition, Enschede

Thinking of going to a concert this February? Hopefully some of the concert choices below will inspire you. Find concerts in Germany and all over The Netherlands featuring music from…

The search for the definitive Miles Davis sound

2 February 2024Music

What an incredible task the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw set themselves. To revisit the 1960s sound world of Miles Davis, and more specifically, to recreate a concert given by…

Best Reads of 2024

14 January 2024Culture

The Long Song of Tchaikovsky Street | A Russian Adventure | Pieter Waterdrinker An autobiographical novel written the prolific Dutch author and former Russia correspondent for De Telegraaf, Pieter Waterdrinker.…