Cadogan Hall; Royal Albert Hall, LondonTwo proms celebrated the rich music of Astor Piazzolla in contrasting but illuminating waysThe centenary of Astor Piazzolla’s birth falls this year, an anniversary marked by a pair of Proms, notably different in t…
How John Cage, the great disrupter, had the last laugh – by writing beautiful music
Late in life, maverick composer Cage decided to stop finding ‘alternatives to harmony’. The results have been rediscovered by a new generation of musiciansIn the summer of 1990 John Cage gave a lecture at the International New Music gathering in Darmst…
From Ghetts to Genesis, Nick Cave to Arlo Parks: autumn 2021’s essential music
From Fontaines DC to the Valkyrie, a techno Halloween to Little Simz, this is the unmissable music of the next few months Continue reading…
Sean Shibe: Camino | Erica Jeal’s classical album of the week
(Pentatone)Shibe’s playing buzzes with vitality in this revelatory new recordingYou might think you know what Spanish guitar music sounds like, and you might think it an unexpectedly middle-of-the-road choice for Sean Shibe, who has always appeared mo…
Classical home listening: Bruch, Prokofiev and Schumann
The Nash Ensemble are the ideal advocates for Bruch’s chamber music; and violist Timothy Ridout takes on an entire ballet and song cycle• His Violin Concerto No 1 in G minor and the Scottish Fantasy aside, does Max Bruch deserve to be so sorely neglect…
Hindemith: Mathis der Maler review – vivid version of an unmistakably political opera
Wolfgang Koch/Kurt Streit/Manuela Uhl/Vienna SO/Bertrand de Billy(Naxos, Blu-ray or 2 DVDs)The visionary story of an artist caught up in social turmoil still resonates in this superbly conducted productionMathis der Maler is easily the best known of Pa…
Composer-pianist Max Richter: ‘Creativity is activism’
The German-British composer explains why his new album, Exiles, addresses the refugee crisis – and is played by an orchestra who break all the rules When Max Richter sat down to compose a new ballet score in 2015 he knew what he wanted to say. In April…