An accomplished treasure

THIS MONTH Alexandra Dariescu pianist Moldavian National Chamber Orchestra/Nicolae Tatarinov Organ Hall, Chișinău, Moldavian Republic (March 1995) I made my concerto debut when I was nine, which is re

Andrey Gugnin (piano) Hyperion CDA684712 83 mins This album of Russian ballet transcriptions sparkles like a glass bauble hanging amidst the fairy lights. Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky wrote so colourful

Kahchun Wong remembers vividly the moment it happened. ‘With an orchestra, you know it when it clicks, when there is a chemistry,’ he recalls. ‘I went to the first rehearsal without any expectation. I

Works by Bach, Vivaldi and Marcello Amandine Beyer (violin); Gli Incogniti Harmonia Mundi HMM90276970 134 mins The communicative warmth and infectious vitality of Amandine Beyer’s performances will ha

Picture the scene: you’re about to get up on stage to give a presentation or performance. Something feels off – you look down, and realise your shirt is missing; in fact, you have no clothes on at all

National Symphony Orchestra/ Gianandrea Noseda NSO NSO0022 75:12 mins Mahler’s mad-cap Seventh is the toughest of his symphonies to conceptualise and to execute. Lacking any explicit programme, two of