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ARTICLES AND NEWS INDEX 2008-2009
At every New Year,
Seen and Heard Reviewers are
asked to nominate the concerts or opera performances
that they enjoyed most over the year previously. Here
is the selection for
2008
Robert Cohen :The International cellist launches his “Cello Clinic” (BK)
Garsington
Opera 2010:
The programme for the last season at Garsington Manor is announced (BK)
Salzburg Festival 2010:
a preview from Mark Berry (MB)
BBC NOW Composer Portrait Series (2):
Spotlight on the work of Christian Jost (BK)
The Handel Experience: Devon Baroque's
weekend of Handel at Dartington Hall 14th and 15th November 2009 (BK)
BBC NOW’s Composer Portrait Series in Cardiff:
The season begins next week with the work of Simon Holt (BK)
The
ARD International Music Competition 2009 (Day 12) :
Seen and Heard's Own Marathon Man
Jens F Laurson makes it to the end in Munich - well, almost (JFL)
The
ARD International Music Competition 2009 (Day 11) :
Jens F Laurson gallops towards the
finish with his penultimate report from Munich (JFL)
The
ARD International Music Competition 2009 (Day 10) :
The indefatigable Jens F Laurson
enters the home straight with this report from Munich (JFL)
The
ARD International Music Competition 2009 (Day 9) :
Jens F Laurson reports from Munich (JFL)
The
ARD International Music Competition 2009 (Day 8) :
Jens F Laurson reports from Munich (JFL)
The
ARD International Music Competition 2009 (Day 7) :
Jens F Laurson reports from Munich (JFL)
The
ARD International Music Competition 2009 (Day 6) :
Jens F Laurson reports from Munich (JFL)
The
ARD International Music Competition 2009 (Day 5) : Jens F Laurson reports from Munich (JFL)
Hear
the Violin Sing:
Viviane Hagner performs in concert with BBC National Orchestra of Wales
at Cardiff's St. David's Hall 2.10.2009 (BK)
Der Ring
Des Nibelungen: Opera North
announces plans for a new Ring Cycle 2011-2014 (BK)
The New Opera House in Oslo: Göran Forsling
takes a guided tour (GF)
The Oxford Lieder Festival
2009:
a preview from Bill Kenny (BK)
Cape Town Opera's First UK Tour:
Porgy and Bess
in Cardiff, London and Edinburgh(BK)
Edinburgh International Festival 2009:
Simon Thompson
takes a look back at the season (SRT)
The
ARD International Music Competition 2009 (Day 1) : Jens F Laurson reports from Munich (JFL)
The
ARD International Music Competition 2009 (Day 2) : Jens F Laurson's
second report from Munich (JFL)
The
ARD International Music Competition 2009 (Day 3) : Jens F Laurson's
third report from Munich (JFL)
The
ARD International Music Competition 2009 (Day 4) : Jens F Laurson's
fourth report from Munich (JFL)
Hildegard Behrens :
an appreciation by Göran Forsling (GF)
The 2nd Manchester International Piano Competition for young pianists
-Junior Finals:
Royal
Northern College of Music, Manchester, England 20/21.8.2009 (
RJW) and (DP)
Opera
North 2009 /2010: A season
preview by Robert J Farr (RJF)
Cheltenham Music Festival The Humour of Gerard Hoffnung – an illustrated talk:
2009: Annetta Hoffnung, Cheltenham Music Festival, 19.7.2009 (RJ)
Swansea Festival of Music and the Arts 2009: 28th September – 17th
October (BK)
Parry Day at the Royal College of Music – 25.6. 2009: A report by John France (JF)
BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2009
- Main Prize Final: Russian
Soprano Ekaterina Shcherbachenko wins the Main Prize
and an Italian Tenor wins the Audience Prize, St. David’s Hall, Cardiff
14.6.2009 (BK) (SL)
NCEM Composers Award 2009:
The competition winners
are announced (BK)
BBC Cardiff Singer Of the World 2009 - Song Prize
Winner:
Czech Bass
Jan Martiník
wins the song competition (MS)
BBC Cardiff Singer Of the World 2009:
Italian Tenor wins the 5th Concert rounds, the Main Prize finalists are
announced and there is a change to the Song Prize finalist line-up (MS)
BBC Cardiff Singer Of the World 2009
- Master Classes:
Master classes for young singers
taking part in BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2009 -
Saturday, June 13th New Theatre and Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff
(MS)
Leipzig Gewandhaus
Orchestra: 'Grand Concert'
series named as best concert
programme 2008/2009 by Association of German Music Publishers
(MB)
BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2009:
Ukrainian counter-tenor wins the third concert round (MS)
BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2009:
Five contestants announced as Song Prize Finalists (MS)
BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2009: Japan wins
the first concert round and Russia
wind the second.(MS)
Buxton
Festival 2009: a preview from Robert J
Farr (RJF)
BBC Cardiff Singer Of the World 2009: New
Bursary Announced as the contestants are welcomed (MS)
Colorado MahlerFest XXII:
A report from Boulder by Mitch
Friedfeld (MF)
‘Taking Sides’ and ‘Collaboration’: Plays by Ronald
Harwood about Furtwängler and Richard Strauss, Duchess Theatre, London 27.5.2009 (JPr)
Garsington Festival
Opera's 20th Anniversary: the 2009
season begins this weekend (CA)
The First Jersey Liberation Music Festival:
Jersey,
8th–10th May 2009 (MA)
Birmingham's International Concert Season 2009/10:
John Quinn checks out the highlights from visiting orchestras
and artists as well as from CBSO (JQ)
National
Centre for Early Music Composers' Award 2009:
Announcement of the short list
and first round winners (BK)
New
Devon Opera
2009: A superstar
tenor guides South West England's only professional opera
company (BK)
Longborough Festival Opera 2009:
Waiting for Wagner – A preview by Roger Jones (RJ)
BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2009: Bryn Terfel meets some of the contestants (MS)
BBC Cardiff Singer of
the World 2009 :
Order of singing announced (MS)
Berlin’s Komische
Oper's 2009-10 season: a preview
from Mark Berry (MB)
Staatsoper Unter den
Linden's 2009-10 season: a
preview from Mark Berry (MB)
Smooth Classics at
Glasgow's Old Fruit Market: A
One Night Only Anthology of Classical
Music Favourites Performed by The Scottish Philharmonic Orchestra
for charity (CCo)
Garsington
Opera beats the VAT man: Tax
dispute settled in the company's favour
(CA)
The Royal Opera season
2009/10:
A preview from Mark Berry (MB)
Cheltenham
Music Festival 2009:
A Preview from
John Quinn (JQ)
Three Choirs Festival 2009:
A Preview from John Quinn (JQ)
The BBC Promenade Concerts
2009:
A magnificently fullsome preview by Deputy
Editor Bob Briggs (BBr)
The Third English Music
Festival, Friday 22nd to Monday 25th May 2009:
A preview (BK)
Festival
d'Aix en Provence 2009: A
preview from Mark Berry (MB)
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Season 2009-10:
A preview from Simon Thompson (SRT)
Opera East's Summer Tour
2009: Haydn's Il Mondo
della Luna in East Anglia and beyond (BK)
East Neuk Festival 2009:
Recognition and Reputation (BK)
Changes
announced at Royal Danish Opera: Kasper
Holten to quit in 2011 (BK)
Rigoletto’s
Cage Rage : Vancouver Opera
Fans challenge 'The Critics.' (TandS)
ENO
Announces the 2009/10 Season:
a
preview from Colin Clarke (CC)
Houston Grand Opera 2009:
The World Premiere of Andre Previn's
Brief Encounter and the return of Verdi's Rigoletto
(BK)
Edinburgh
International Festival 2009:
A
preview from Simon Thompson (SRT)
Helsinki Festival
2009: Erik Söderblom
appointed Helsinki Festival Director (BK)
Bayreuth Festival 2009 and beyond:
a preview
by Jim Pritchard
(JPr)
The Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires:
A
vision and a 2009 season (JSJ)
The
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama's 60th anniversary concert:
Beethoven’s 9th, Sir Charles Mackerras with The
RWCMD Symphony Orchestra and Chorus ,St. David’s Hall, 7.30pm 30th
March (GPu)
The
First Greenwich International String Quartet Festival:
at Trinity College of Music 17-19
April 2009 (BK)
BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2009:
Sue
Loder talks with the two UK finalists and
looks forward to the competition (SL)
Chipping
Campden Festival 2009:
A
preview from Roger Jones (RJ)
The Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra’s Opus 60 Series:
RPO announces four sixty minute concerts for
newcomers to classical music (BK)
Teatro
Colón,
Buenos Aires: Pedro
Pablo García Caffi takes on direction of the
Teatro Colón (JSJ)
Arvo Volmer: Chief
Conductor and Artistic Director of the Estonian
National Opera, interviewed by Göran Forsling (GF)
Garsington Opera 2009:
Garsington celebrates its 20th
Anniversary with the British Premiere of Martinů’s Mirandolina
(BK)
Devon Baroque's
Spring and Summer Programme 2009:
Directed by Margaret Faultless,
the south west's leading Baroque ensemble celebrates Purcell, Handel
and Haydn (M Ed)
SEEN AND HEARD'S PERFORMANCES OF THE YEAR 2008
BBC
Cardiff Singer of the World 2009 : The
Search is on for the
2009 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 22.12. 2008 (MS)
Tributes to Richard Hickox (1948 - 2008) :
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Press Release
The Bilbao
International Singing Competition 2008:
Orquesta Sinfonica de Bilbao.
Conductor: Miguel Patron Marchand.
Teatro Arriaga de Bilbao.22.11.2008 (JMI)
The Genius of
Valhalla – a celebration of Reginald Goodall:
Introduction by Humphrey Burton
and panel discussion with Norman Bailey, Margaret
Curphey, Dame Anne Evans, John Lucas, Sir Brian
McMaster, Anthony Negus and Nicholas Payne. Followed
by a showing of The Quest for Reginald Goodall
a BBC TV Omnibus programme; originally
broadcast in 1984. London Coliseum, London 23.11.2008
(JPr)
Quatuor Ébène
Festival Gauting:
Quatuor Ébène,
Bosco Community Center,
Gauting (by Munich) 29/30.09 & 01.10.2008 (JFL)
“In Praise Of
Amateur Music-Making": The
search for authentic musical
excitement. (Pse)
KLANG Stockhausen Symposium - Serialism:
Purcell Room,
London 8.11.2008 (CR)
Ripon
International Festival, 10th September - 2nd October
2008 : a report
from John Leeman (JL)
Aldeburgh
On Tour at King’s Place:
London, Monday 3rd to
Friday 7th November 2008 (BK)
BBC NOW's New
Home:
The orchestra moves to
Hoddinott Hall (BK)
Donatella Flick
Conducting Competition 2008:
Conductors: Ariane Matiakh,
Michael Francis and David Afkham, London Symphony
Orchestra. Barbican Hall,
London 2.10.2008 (JPr)
Opera North: A Preview of the 2008-2009
Season (RJF)
Festival de Valloires 2008:
Argoules, Picardie, France, 8-13th August 2008 (ME)
Oxford Lieder
Festival 2008:
A preview from Anne Ozorio, 10th-24th
October 2008 (AO)
Music films on TV : BBC4 is screening a
series of films by
Christopher Nupen (AO)
Julian Gayarre Singing Contest
Finals
:
Teatro Gayarre de Pamplona.
19.9.2008. (JMI)
ARD International
Music Competition:
Prize Winner Concert No.1 (Chamber
Concert),
Prinzregententheater, Munich, 17.9.2008 (JFL)
ARD International Music Competition:
Prize Winner Concert No.2 (Chamber
Orchestra Concert),
Prinzregententheater, Munich, 18.9.2008 (JFL)
ARD International Music Competition:
Prize Winner Concert No.3 (Orchestral
Concert), Herkulessaal, Munich, 19.9.2008 (JFL)
Dresden
Semperoper:
Mrs. Dr. Ulrike Hessler will
be the next General Director of the famous Semper
Opera Dresden, Thursday, September 18, 2008 (JFL)
57th ARD
International Music Competition:
Day 2,
Violists, 1st Round (2), Studio 1, Bavarian
Radio, Munich,2.9.2008 (JFL)
ARD International
Music Competition
Day 3: Violists,
1st Round (3), Studio 1,
Bavarian Radio, Munich, 2.9.2008 (JFL)
ARD International
Music Competition
Day 4:
Violists, 1st Round (4),
Studio 1, Bavarian Radio, Munich, 4.9.2008 (JFL)
ARD International
Music Competition
Day 5:
String Quartets, 1st Round (1), Large Auditorium,
Music Conservatory, Munich, 5.9.2008 (JFL)
ARD International
Music Competition
Day 6: String
Quartets, 1st Round (2), Large
Auditorium, Music Conservatory, Munich, 6.9.2008 (JFL)
ARD
International Music Competition,
Day 7:
String Quartets, 1st Round (3),
Large Auditorium, Music Conservatory, Munich, 7.9.2008
(JFL)
ARD
International Music Competition,
Day 8 : String Quartets,
2nd Round (1) and Viola Semi-Final,
Large Auditorium, Music Conservatory &
Prinzregententheater, Munich, 8.9.2008 (JFL)
ARD
International Music Competition,
Day 9:
String Quartets, 2nd Round (2),
Large Auditorium, Music Conservatory, Munich, 9.9.2008
(JFL)
ARD International
Music Competition
Day 10:
Viola Finals, Herkulessaal der
Residenz, Munich, 10.9.2008 (JFL)
ARD International
Music Competition
Day 11:
String Quartet Semi Finals,
Prinzregententheater, Munich, 11.9.2008 (JFL)
ARD International
Music Competition
Day 12:
Clarinet Finals, Herkulessaal
der Residenz, Munich, 12.9.2008 (JFL)
ARD
International Music Competition
Days 13 & 14:
String Quartet & Bassoon Finals,
Herkulessaal der Residenz &
Prinzregententheater, Munich, 13/14.9.2008 (JFL)
2008 is
Diamond Anniversary Year: The Swansea
Festival of Music and the
Arts - 4 to 18 October 2008 (HH)
2nd
Seattle International Wagner Competition:
Members of the Seattle
Symphony, competing singers, cond. Asher Fisch, Marion
Oliver McCaw Hall, Seattle, 18. 8.2008 (BJ)
San Francisco
Opera:
Summer’s Lease Hath All Too
Short A Date (PD)
Aldeburgh’s new Music Development Plan :
a report by Anne
Ozorio (AO)
Small is
beautiful in Warwick:
Roy Brewer reports on this
year's Warwick International Festival 24.6.2008 -
6..7.2008 (RB)
Deus in adjutorium
:
A new work by Robert Hugill at St
Michael's Church, London on Thursday 10th July. (BK)
Soli Deo Gloria, The Leipzig Bach Festival 2008:
A
special three part report by Aart van der Wal
(AvW)
Festival de
Valloires, Argoules, Picardie, France. 8 – 13
August :
Melanie
Eskenazi previews the third
Valloires festival, and talks to its founder and
director, Adam Gatehouse (ME)
Edinburgh
International Festival 2008:
Mark Berry
previews this year's programme
(MB)
The
Welsh Singers' Competition 2008 :
Soprano
Natalya Romaniw takes the
prize (MS)
'Coming
to America' Festival:
Gerard Schwarz, cond.,
soloists, Seattle Symphony, University of Washington
Chorale, Benaroya Hall, Seattle, 29.5-7.6.2007 (BJ)
Malvern
Songfest 3rd and 4th May
2008: a report from Lyndall
Dawson (LD)
Chipping Camden
Festival 2008 : A round-up
of this year's programme (RJ)
Sakari
Oramo Awarded The Elgar Medal: A
fitting
valedictory for the CBSO's departing Music Director (BK)
The English Music
Festival 2008:
Extraordinary
music in glorious settings (BK)
BBC Promenade
Concerts 2008 :
A preview of
this year’s season by Anne
Ozorio (AO)
The 61stth
Aldeburgh Festival 13th to
29th June, 2008:
Previewed by Anne Ozorio (AO)
Birmingham
International Concert Season 2008/09:
John Quinn takes an early
look at next year. (JQ)
Three
Choirs Festival 2008:
A Preview by
John Quinn (JQ)
BBC Young Musician of the Year 2008 Grand Final
Concert
:
Soloists, BBC
National Orchestra of Wales, Thierry Fischer
(conductor), Millennium Centre, Cardiff, 11. 5.2008 (GPu)
Cheltenham
Music Festival 2008: A Preview by
John Quinn (JQ)
BBC Young Musician of the Year 2008:
The
Competition's
Grand Finals in Cardiff
this weekend (BK)
Pure and
Poignant:
Bettina Mara talks to the Greek soprano
Alexia Voulgaridou (BM)
Study Day,
Understanding Nono; Understanding the World :
Purcell Room London 4.5.2008
(CR)
Kathleen Ferrier
Award 2008 Final:
Various singers and
accompanists. Wigmore Hall, London. 25. 4.08. (ED)
Kathleen Ferrier Award 2008 Semi-final:
Various singers and
accompanists. Wigmore Hall, London. 23.4.2008. (ED)
Brighton Festival
May 3 – 25 2008:
A preview
by Bill Kenny (BK)
‘Viva Verdi Part One’:
Jim
Pritchard writes about two
recent Verdi events in London (JPr)
Karim’s Journey :
Anne Ozorio previews Christopher Nupen’s
new film (AO)
Malvern
Songfest
2008 :
a new mini-festival of song launches in Worcestershire
next weekend (BK)
Finnish National Opera and Ballet 2008/9:
The company's first
season under its new artistic management is announced
(BK)
Aix en Provence
2008 : Mark Berry looks
forward to this year's festival
(MB)
Bayreuth Festival 2008
:
– a preview by Jim
Pritchard. (JP)
Harrison Birtwistle : The Minotaur:
Anne Ozorio looks forward to
the The Royal Opera's latest production in
conversation with singers Philip Langridge and Andrew
Watts. (AO)
A Class Act
takes the Handel Singing Competition:
Sue Loder reports from the
final. 3.4.2008 (SL)
Spring at the
London Sinfonietta: Anne
Ozorio looks forward to the new programme (AO)
The
Royal Opera's 2008/2009 Season:
Bill
Kenny previews a feature packed
year (BK)
Shakespeare
Resounding: Opera North’s Spring
2008 Main Stage Season (BK)
Welsh Singers
Competition in Cardiff
: four
voices compete for the title (MS)
Ivan
Ilić Tours Wales
in March
with
a new work by John Metcalf (MS)
Garsington
Opera's 2008 Season: A preview
by Bill Kenny (BK)
Giuseppe Di
Stefano
:
in Memoriam (GF)
BBC
Young Musician of the Year 2008:
The Grand Final Weekend,
Saturday and Sunday, May 10, 11, 2008, Wales
Millennium Centre, Cardiff (BK)
Inga Nielsen
Remembered: An appreciation by
Göran
Forsling (GF)
The Korngolds -
Cliché, Critic and Composer:
28 November 2007 to 18 May
2008, Palais Eskeles, Jewish Museum, Vienna (JFL)
Daniel Barenboim and the Beethoven Piano Sonata cycle:
Second concert and ‘Artist
as Leader’ discussion, Royal Festival Hall, London
3.3.2008 (JPr)
The Music of
Olivier Messiaen, From the Canyon to the Stars:
A
report from Anne Ozorio, South
Bank Centre, London, 1 February – 10 December 2008
(AO)
Christopher
Nupen
receives DVD of the Year
Award for the third time (BK)
Colorado
MahlerFest 2008: Boulder, Colorado
9-13.1.2008 (MF)
Peter
Sellars revisits Adriana Mater in
Helsinki:
February
premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s opera at the Finnish
National Opera (BK)
Mozart's Die
Zauberflöte at
The Royal Opera (BK)
Welsh National
Opera:
The 2008/2009 Season (BK)
Opera North's Winter Season:
Butterfly,
Grimes and a new English opera (BK)
BBC
Young Musician of the Year 2008: Category
finalists announced 10.1.2008 (BK)
PERFORMANCES OF
THE YEAR 2007 : Seen
and Heard Reviewers present the
concert and oper performances that gave them the most
pleasure during the past year. Click the blue links to
see their original reviews. (BK)
25th Menuhin
Competition to be held in Cardiff:
Friday 11th April – Sunday 20th
April 2008 (BK)
BBC Young Musician of the Year 2008 to
take place in Wales (BK)
The Seattle Symphony Saga
by Bernard Jacobson (BJ)
Welsh Singers Competition 2008:
Call for competitors
(BK)
Mikko Franck:
Appointment as Finnish National
Opera's Artistic Director confirmed (BK)
Gudrun
Wagner (1944-2007)
by
Jim Pritchard (JPr)
BBC Young
Musician of the Year 2008:
Semi-Finals and Category Finals
dates announced (BK)
Donizetti rarity
launches Liverpool's Capital of Culture Year :
Emilia di Liverpool at St.
George's Hall from New Year's Eve (BK)