BIZARRE: 2 - You Need To See This

‘Misguided wokeism’ puts people off opera, says top London conductor

LSO’s Antonio Pappano says many in UK are ‘embarrassed’ by art form and suspicious of cultural achievements

The Guardian - UK · Apr 11, 2024

British music, birthdays and building work: LSO announce first season under Pappano

Boulez’s 100th and Rattle’s 70th are among the highlights of the LSO’s new season with chief conductor Antonio Pappano in which British music is a strong thread. The orchestra also announced an £8m redevelopment of LSO St Lukes

The Guardian - UK · Apr 11, 2024

The week in classical: LSO/ Rattle; The Rake’s Progress; The Flying Dutchman; Elena Urioste and Tom Poster – review

Dread runs through John Adams’s pulsating new ‘short symphony’; Stravinsky’s Rake has plenty of company at ETO; Bryn Terfel returns as the mythical Dutchman; and two lockdown favourites bring the house down

The Guardian - UK · Mar 9, 2024

LSO/Pappano at the Barbican review: the Covent Garden maestro steps into Simon Rattle’s shoes

This marked Sir Antonio Papano’s first concert as chief conductor designate of the London Symphony Orchestra

Evening Standard · Oct 5, 2023

The week in classical: LSO/ Rattle; Boston Symphony Orchestra/ Nelsons – review

The LSO gave Simon Rattle an unforgettable send-off in Mahler’s Ninth, while the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons turned on the style with Stravinsky, Ravel and Gershwin

The Guardian - UK · Sep 2, 2023

Prom 56: LSO/Rattle review – a packed Albert Hall hung on every note in utter silence

In his last UK concert as the LSO’s music director, Simon Rattle bid farewell with an outstanding and assured performance of Mahler’s final symphony. The BBC Singers’ Poulenc, beginning the Prom, was expert and impassioned

The Guardian - UK · Aug 28, 2023

The BBC Proms fights for its future

Hurt by arts cuts, gender balance criticisms and a post-Brexit lack of musicians from Europe, this year’s event is rife with insecurity. But, says Opera Now’s editor Hattie Butterworth, there is also defiant innovation...

Evening Standard · Jul 13, 2023

'Angry, shocked' stage stars fear for future of British arts

AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France: As a wealth of British theatre and opera maestros cross the Channel to perform at French festivals this summer, many are worried about the state of live arts back home.

Bangkok Post · Jul 4, 2023

Hooked on classics? But if you want to learn to play, you’d better be posh

My state school taught me the value of Bach and Vivaldi. Today’s pupils aren’t so lucky

The Guardian - UK · Jul 2, 2023

The week in classical: Dialogues des Carmélites; Tristan und Isolde; LSO/Rattle – review

Poulenc’s shattering opera disturbs and confounds in Barrie Kosky’s new Glyndebourne production; Wagner meets the pre-Raphaelites at Grange Park Opera. Plus, a thrilling farewell from Simon Rattle

The Guardian - UK · Jun 17, 2023