Sofia Vasheruk makes the piano sing in Amsterdam
Undulating chords amidst a sea of calm, as the piano gently introduced a heavenly melody. Twisting, turning, grasping at embers in the snow, unsure which direction to turn next. Such…
Rotterdam Philharmonic appoints Top man for the job
Dutch violinist, Tjeerd Top is the new leader of the Rotterdam Philharmonic, replacing Igor Gruppman who bid the orchestra a fond farewell in January 2023. Taking a six-month sabbatical from…
Yearning and longing: Gražinytė-Tyla and Blechacz at the Concertgebouw
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla is having quite a year. Following her departure from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in 2022, she has spent subsequent seasons travelling the world as a guest conductor…
Joshua Bell inspires a new generation of violinists at the Concertgebouw
The Concertgebouw was buzzing. In one of the most diverse audiences I have seen for a while, young and old alike jostled for position in the cosy foyer of the…
Joyce DiDonato makes an emotional debut with the Concertgebouw Orchestra
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…
Vladimir Jurowski continues the Concertgebouw Orchestra’s Bruckner celebration
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…
Suave and sophisticated: Mäkelä’s Rachmaninoff hits all the right notes
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…
Karina Canellakis makes her debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
All eyes were firmly on Karina Canellakis in this her debut night conducting the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in a programme full of extremes of emotion. Canellakis is well known to…
Augustin Hadelich’s Sibelius soars the heights at the Concertgebouw
German-American violinist Augustin Hadelich, who grew up in the foothills of rural Tuscany, is most definitely the man of the moment and is quite rightly earning a reputation as one…
The Vienna Phil blows away the cobwebs at the Concertgebouw
Fresh from two concerts in Lucerne, the Vienna Philharmonic travelled to the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam to perform Strauss' immensely powerful Ein Heldenleben and Mendelssohn's Third Symphony the "Scottish". I had immense…