seasons

May, the force, be with you

Spring is in the air, or at least that’s what the calendar tells us; there are plenty of people in the northern hemisphere who have been looking at mercury levels that don’t corroborate the fact that winter is supposed to … Read More →

The-Laughing-Audienceb

From Florence to Bayreuth

While it’s relatively easy to raise a smile with music that accompanies an amusing song or a comic dance, pieces that have no visual or literary add-ons rarely succeed in getting the giggles going. The finale of Haydn’s Joke string … Read More →

8.573057 EU.indd

Podcast: Shostakovich Symphony No 7 ‘Leningrad’

Vasily Petrenko’s Award-winning survey of the Shostakovich symphonies with the RLPO, now reaches the eighth instalment with the release of the epic ‘Leningrad’ Symphony. Here he talks to Edward Seckerson about the work. Album details… Catalogue No.: 8.573057   Podcast: Download … Read More →

shostakovich-leningrad

Troubles, brewing

  • 3 May, 2013
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This month sees the much awaited release of the next installment in the cycle of Shostakovich symphonies recorded by Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (Naxos 8.573057). The historical baggage carried by the Seventh Symphony, Leningrad, is well … Read More →

montage-copyright

Heard it all before?

April 26 is World Intellectual Property Day, a good moment to reflect on the issue of people pinching musical ideas from other composers. Whilst imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, plagiarism isn’t. On the whole, however, classical musicians … Read More →