Classical Music Daily — all articles published in 2025

 

Classical music news. January 2025 Newsletter — Watch and listen to our January 2025 video newsletter - Music and the Visual World

Spotlight. Tantalizingly Perplexing — Keith Bramich listens to Cantonese choral music by Kai-Young Chan. '... an interesting and listenable album of modern choral music, very well performed.'

Classical music news - New Releases in 2025 — Classical Music Daily is changing the way in which we pass details of new releases to our reviewers

Classical music news. Obituary — Wilhelm Brückner (1932-2025)

Spotlight. A Fine Composer — Geoff Pearce highly recommends chamber music by British composer William Busch. '... admirably performed ...'

Classical music news. Obituary — Dashbaldangiin Purevsuren (1929-2025)

Classical music news - Dialogue Across Borders — The National Youth Orchestra of Germany gives ten concerts in cities including Vienna, Hamburg, London, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh

Spotlight. Brimming with Good Humour — Geoff Pearce listens to piano music by Salieri. '... a fine disc ...'

Classical music news. Obituary — Ayla Erduran (1934-2025)

Mandobass — A classical music word search puzzle by Allan Rae

Ensemble. As Compelling as Expected — Mike Wheeler is impressed by Ravel, Thorvaldsdóttir, Nielsen, Shostakovich and more from the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain

Spotlight. Speaking from an Earlier Time — Geoff Pearce enjoys vocal music by Sweelinck. '... beautifully performed ...'

Classical music news. Obituary — Fereydoon Shahbazyan (1942-2025)

Profile. Albert Schweitzer: Erased Musician? — A P Virag investigates a forgotten polymath

Ensemble. An Example To Us All — Roderic Dunnett's take on the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain's January 2025 tour

Classical music news. Obituary — Elgar Howarth (1935-2025)

Spotlight. Complex Music — Geoff Pearce finds a new recording of Messiaen's 'Quartet for the End of Time' very compelling. '... one of the best recordings you could ever hope to hear.'

Classical music news - A Musical Offering — In Oliver Cotton's play 'The Score', J S Bach is summoned for a meeting by King Frederick II of Prussia

Spotlight. Striking, Varied, Inventive and Unusual — Keith Bramich takes a trip down the Amazonian rivers of Brazil, courtesy of Philip Glass, Constance Volk and Third Coast Percussion. '... all highly approachable ...'

Castaway — Peter King muses on the needs of the modern desert island recluse

Spotlight. A Life-enhancing Disc — Gerald Fenech warmly recommends chamber and instrumental music by Claude Debussy. '... mercurially performed and recorded ...'

Spotlight. Musica Sine Rhetoricis — John Dante Prevedini discovers a valuable release of new chamber music for guitar. '... an astonishing diversity of creative voices ...'

Ensemble. Bounce and Swing — Mike Wheeler enjoys the contrasts in music for string orchestra by Bartók, Suk and Dvořák

Classical music news - Fresh Perspectives — Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music celebrates its centenary season

Classical music news - January 2025 Obituaries — Our summary of those the classical music world has lost this month

Classical music news - Donatella Flick Conducting Competition — Young European conductors are invited to apply for the December 2025 competition in London

Spotlight. A Heartwarming Programme — Gerald Fenech strongly recommends choral music by John Rutter and other contemporary composers. 'Expressive performances from a choir at the top of its powers.'

Classical music news - Australian Chamber Orchestra Celebrations — The Sydney-based ACO celebrates three important anniversaries with two tours

Ensemble. A Stellar Night — Frances Forbes-Carbines, in her first feature for Classical Music Daily, gives English National Opera's revival of Gilbert and Sullivan's 'The Pirates of Penzance' an enthusiastic thumbs up

Classical music news - 'The C[ritic]s can Drown in their Baths' — English pianist Myra Hess is the subject of Jessica Duchen's new biography, which will be published in February 2025

Classical music news - Taiwan Philharmonic — The National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan's current season runs until 27 June 2025

Classical music news. February 2025 Newsletter — Our February 2025 PDF newsletter has just been published

Ensemble. Extraordinary Quiet Playing — Mike Wheeler is delighted by performances of Haydn, Ravel, Chopin and a Disney improvisation from Scottish pianist Ethan David Loch

Classical music news. A New Approach to Competitions — Applications are now open for the new Shanghai International Musician Competition

Classical music news. Obituary — Peter Schmidl (1942-2025)

Ensemble. A Delight from Start to Finish — Mike Wheeler is thrilled by Sibelius, Mozart and Tchaikovsky from Benjamin Grosvenor, Andrey Boreyko and the London Philharmonic Orchestra

Spotlight. Thoroughly Enjoyable — Geoff Pearce highly recommends chamber music by English composer Ian Stephens. '... engaging music ...'

Ensemble. A Terrific Show — Frances Forbes-Carbines experiences Mozart's 'The Marriage of Figaro' at English National Opera, praising the music but not the costumes or the set

Ensemble. Unique Strengths — Ron Bierman listens to music by Billy Childs, Sergei Prokofiev, Nikolai Medtner and Ludwig van Beethoven played by Alexander Malofeev, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra and conductor Rafael Payare

Ensemble. Hoisting the Mainsail — Mike Wheeler experiences sea shanties and wild winds from the wind principals of Sinfonia Viva

Spotlight. Ravishing Music — Geoff Pearce reviews works by Bridge and Franck played by Sally Pinkas and the Apple Hill String Quartet. '... an absolutely marvellous performance ...'

Ensemble. New Year - New Sounds — Mike Wheeler hopes that a collaboration between the Sitwell Singers and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire will become an annual event

Spotlight. A Very Fine Disc — Geoff Pearce enjoys chamber music by contemporary French composer Michel Merlet. '... polished and inspired performances.'

Classical music news. Innovative Programming — Malin Broman has been appointed musical director of The Nordic Chamber Orchestra

Bouzouki — A classical music word search puzzle by Allan Rae

Classical music news. Significant Anniversaries — Classical Music Daily launches a series of pages featuring a selection of each year's notable music anniversaries

Spotlight. A Varied Soundscape — Geoff Pearce listens to music by Anna Thorvaldsdóttir. '... at times the flute, and also the cello, sound almost like a human voice.'

Classical music news - February 2025 Obituaries — Our summary of those the classical music world has lost this month

Ensemble. A Whirlwind of Demonic Energy — Mike Wheeler enjoys a splendidly mixed programme from Chinese pianist Siqian Li

Ensemble. Excellent Talent on Show — Frances Forbes-Carbines is moved by the singing and the theatricality of English National Opera's production of 'Mary, Queen of Scots'

Individual and Communal Transformation — Jeffrey Neil talks to Oakland Ballet's artistic director, Graham Lustig

Ensemble. A Darkly Intense Climax — Mike Wheeler is impressed by Dvořák, Prokofiev and Shostakovich from Gabriela Montero and the Prague Symphony Orchestra conducted by Tomáš Brauner

Spotlight. A Curate's Egg — Gerald Fenech strongly recommends early recordings of orchestral music by Rued Langgaard. '... performances are consistently uplifting ...'

Ensemble. Finely Judged — Mike Wheeler was at Derby Chamber Music's Young Artists' Recital

Spotlight. Fine and Sadly Neglected — Geoff Pearce discovers the music of Anatoly Alexandrov. 'Technically and musically, Clarisse Teo is certainly up to the demands of the music ...'

Ensemble. Romantic Beauty and Excitement — Ron Bierman describes an evening in La Jolla capped in triumph by Mahler's first symphony

Ensemble. Nothing Short of a Masterpiece — Frances Forbes-Carbines finds Mark-Anthony Turnage's opera 'Festen' far from easy viewing

Spotlight. Mercurial Precision and Gracefulness — Gerald Fenech strongly recommends anthems by British composers, sung by the Choir of Merton College, Oxford. 'This imaginative compilation is certain to enhance the choir's reputation no end ...'

Ensemble. Drama, Intrigue and Passion — Frances Forbes-Carbines finds Giuseppe Verdi's 'Il Trovatore' at Covent Garden an incredible production of a glorious revenge-fest

Classical music news. March 2025 Newsletter — 'Transformation', our March 2025 PDF newsletter, has just been published

Classical music news. Obituary — Ricardo Kanji (1948-2025)

Spotlight. A Sense of Flow — Gerald Fenech convincingly recommends South Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho's new recording for Deutsche Grammophon of Maurice Ravel's concertos. '... caressing warmth and spontaneous creativity.'

Classical music news. Classical Music in the Wild — American pianist and naturalist Hunter Noack announces the tenth season of his concert series 'In a Landscape - Classical Music in the Wild'

Classical music news. Obituary — Mario Trabucco (1951-2025)

Classical music news. Highly Original — Alessandro Scarlatti's 'Il trionfo dell'onore' is to be performed for the first time in Venice

Ensemble. Metamorphic Variations — Mike Wheeler listens to orchestral music by Arthur Bliss and an illustrated talk by Stephen Johnson

Spotlight. Quite Compelling — Geoff Pearce listens to contemporary orchestral music on the Ablaze Records label. '... each composer is worthy of your consideration as they are all talented and original voices ...'

Spotlight. Chosen with Great Care — Geoff Pearce discovers contemporary songs for mezzo-soprano and piano. '... exceptional artists ...'

Classical music news. Montreal's Place des Arts — Classical music programming highlights in 2025 and 2026

Classical music news. Susanna Mälkki — A high profile Finnish conductor is to become a professor of conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland

Classical music news. Obituary — Donald Hazelwood (1930-2025)

Classical music news. Jacques Cohen's 'Lancastria' — A new choral work commemorates the worst disaster in British maritime history

Barrelhouse — A classical music word search puzzle by Allan Rae

Classical music news - March 2025 Obituaries — Our summary of those the classical music world has lost this month

Ensemble. An Engaging Partnership — Mike Wheeler is impressed by Hana Chang, Delyana Lazarova and Sinfonia Viva, playing music by Fanny Mendelssohn, Mozart, Caroline Shaw and Beethoven

A Worthy Captain — Peter King marks BBC presenter Petroc Trelawny's move from dawn to twilight

Ensemble. Phantasmagorical Imagery — Mike Wheeler reviews orchestral and choral music by Vaughan Williams, Elgar, Ravel and Saint-Saëns

Spotlight. Rather Enigmatic — Geoff Pearce, after listening to 'Missa Cambrensis', wants to hear more by Welsh composer Grace Williams. '... exceptional artists ...'

Classical music news - Just Shut Up and Play? — High profile musicians cancel tours of the USA

Spotlight. Enchantingly Luminous — Gerald Fenech strongly recommends Raphaël Pichon's new recording of J S Bach's B minor Mass. '... this reading possesses a fluent and exuberant aura that brings out all of Bach's genius with enviable clarity and superbly controlled tempi.'

Classical music news - Studio Martínek — American audio production company Parma Recordings has established new operations in Czechia

Ensemble. Truly a Spectacle — Frances Forbes-Carbines strongly recommends Puccini's 'Turandot' at Covent Garden

Ensemble. Deeply Satisfying — Mike Wheeler reviews Benjamin Frith's recital of music by J S Bach, Chopin, Schubert and Beethoven

Spotlight. Absolutely Stunning — Geoff Pearce listens to Lea Birringer's Sibelius, Szymanowski and Järnefelt. '... beautifully played.'

Classical music news - Ian Venables — The British composer celebrates with at least twenty-five performances on both sides of the Atlantic

A Renaissance Man — Gillian Wills talks to Jack Liebeck, artistic director of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music

Ensemble. Very Impressive — Lucas Ball reports from Worcester Festival Choral Society's recent St Matthew Passion

Beautifully Articulated — Jeffrey Neil finds, in Gillian Wills' novel 'Big Music', a drama that entertains, instructs, and makes you laugh

Ensemble. A Bold Re-imagining — Mike Wheeler finds primeval turbulence in Opera North's production of Wagner's 'The Flying Dutchman'

Classical music news. April 2025 Newsletter — 'Big Music', our April 2025 PDF newsletter, has just been published

The Title — Introducing 'The Pianistic Crown'

Ensemble. Shocking and Gruesome — Ron Bierman reviews Richard Strauss' opera 'Salome'

Ensemble. A Big Existential Question — Mike Wheeler listens to an all-American programme from Sinfonia Viva

Spotlight. Something of a Miracle — Gerald Fenech strongly recommends music from a mysterious manuscript, played by Mathilde Vialle, Thibaut Roussel, Ronan Khalil and Zachary Wilder. '... this reading possesses a fluent and exuberant aura that brings out all of Bach's genius with enviable clarity and superbly controlled tempi.'

Spotlight. Contrasting Elements — Geoff Pearce gradually discovers the charm and skill of music by Justin Connolly. '... beautifully played.'

Spotlight. In the Face of Great Adversity — Gerald Fenech marks the history of this music from Jewish Vienna. '... unbridled warmth and passionate subtlety ...'

Ensemble. Unmistakeably Balletic — Mike Wheeler is impressed by the partnership between Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in music by Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev, and by Esther Yoo's performance of Bruch's first violin concerto

Profile. Frank Cooper — Investigating a musical archeologist extraordinare

Classical music news. Obituary — John Nelson (1941-2025)

Ensemble. Clean and Fresh — Mike Wheeler hears a non-obvious pairing of Zoltán Kodály and Franz Joseph Haydn choral works

Classical music news. The Performing Artist as Co-creator — John Dante Prevedini led an online discussion for Classical Music Daily on Wednesday 23 April 2025

Atayoskewin — A classical music word search puzzle by Allan Rae

Classical music news. Obituary — Roberto Cani (1967-2025)

Classical music news. David Chan — The long-term concertmaster of the New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra becomes a professor at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music in Texas, USA

Classical music news. Adèle Charvet — The French mezzo-soprano has been signed up by the Intermusica agency

Ensemble. Firm and Incisive — Mike Wheeler reports on Haydn, McDowall and Handel from Derby

Spotlight. Exotic Flavours — Geoff Pearce listens to two works by Gustav Holst. '... very evocative and enjoyable ...'

Spotlight. Relevant Authenticity — John Dante Prevedini explores the music of contemporary American composer Alicia Rytlewski. '... a highly original path ...'

Ensemble. An Integral Voice Among Many — John Dante Prevedini attends an evening with American film director Ken Burns

Classical music news. WNYC saves New Sounds — John Schaefer's radio programme is to continue, thanks to the support of listeners and major donors

Classical music news. Jorge Mario Bergoglio — Pope Francis died on Monday 21 April 2025

Ensemble. La traviata in Strasbourg — Andreas Rey, in his first report for Classical Music Daily, has mixed feelings about a 2025 Alsatian production of Verdi's famous opera

Classical music news. The Last Days of Immanuel Kant — Donald Nally's professional chamber choir The Crossing gives the first performance of a new work by British composer Gavin Bryars

Ensemble. A Remarkable Achievement — Mike Wheeler is impressed by the clarity of Derby Cathedral Choir's 'St John Passion'

Classical music news - April 2025 Obituaries — Our summary of those the classical music world has lost this month

Classical music news. Obituary — Martin Graham

Classical music news. Obituary — Dumitru Zamfira (1940-2025)

Classical music news - Schumannfest 2025 — 'Romanticise yourself' is the motto of Düsseldorf's Schumann Festival in June 2025

Music on the Front Line — Peter King discusses the special place that music has for journalists at the sharp end of conflict zones

Classical music news - Firedove — English organist Anna Lapwood's new album was recorded in a Norwegian cathedral

 

MOST RECENTLY PUBLISHED ARTICLES (HOMEPAGE)

ALL ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR (2024)