A lyrical set of 17th-century premieres

Rachmaninov himself at the piano, recorded in 1929, is bound to remain a benchmark, even after nearly a century. Like many performers at the start of the recording era, Rachmaninov was microphone-shy

However highbrow we think we are, we’ve all been guilty of it – that is, sitting in a concert or opera and waiting impatiently for ‘the famous bit’. In some instances, that well-known moment may be ju

On one level he seems so direct, so simple, so uncomplicatedly appealing. Schubert could turn on heart-lifting melody with the same ease that most of us would turn on a tap. Often he seems happy just

CONCERT HEAVEN Zosha Di Castri, Jocelyn Morlock, Nicole Lizée, John Estacio Life Reflected National Arts Centre Orchestra Eskasoni, Cape Breton Nation (May 2017) This concert was during one of my earl

Jacob Collier is on stage with the Britten Sinfonia, in a packed-out concert hall. We’ve already been treated to a freewheeling, virtuosic and wildly joyful programme, ranging from Bob Dylan to scat-s

Let’s get the inevitable out of the way: Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 is one of the most popular pieces in history, and it also made David Lean’s 1945 Brief Encounter into the movie we know and