Thomas Wilson News
Scottish composer (1927-2001)
- opera
- United Kingdom
- composer, musicologist
Last update
2024-04-24
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2024-04-18 03:30:00
Rachmaninoff/Gershwin Transcriptions by Earl Wild (CD Review)
by Karl NehringRachmaninoff: Songs transcribed for the piano by Earl Wild - Dreams Op. 38 No. 5; The Little Island Op. 14 No. 2; Midsummer Nights Op. 14 No. 5; O, Cease Thy Singing Op. 4 No. 4; On the Death of a Linnet Op. 21 No. 8; Do Not Grieve Op. 14 No. 8; George Gershwin: Three Preludes; Earl Wild: Fantasy on Porgy and Bess. John Wilson, piano. AVIE Records AV2635Sadly enough, Earl Wild (1915-2010) has become somewhat a forgotten figure among followers of classical music. Perhaps Bill Heck and I are a bit more tuned into his name than most, because for many years, Wild made his residence resided in Columbus, Ohio, where Bill and I both attended graduate school and where we both live today. In addition, we are both quite fond of his recordings of the Rachmaninoff piano concertos, which he originally made for Reader’s Digest with Jascha Horenstein conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and have subsequently been […]
2024-03-15 09:42:00
Almost an expressionist nightmare: Janáček's Jenůfa at ENO with Jennifer Davis in the title role
Janáček:Jenůfa, Act 3 - Jennifer Davis - English National Opera, 2024 (Photo: © Ellie Kurttz)Janáček: Jenůfa; Jennifer Davis, Susan Bullock, Richard Trey Smagur, John Findon, Fiona Kimm, director: David Alden, conductor: Keri-Lynn Wilson; English National Opera at the London ColiseumReviewed 13 March 2024A vivid account of tis hard-edged, expressionist production showcasing intense and profound performances from the principalsDavid Alden's production of Janáček's Jenůfa at English National Opera debuted in 2006 and was last seen at the London Coliseum in 2016 [see my review]. The latest revival of the production is the last fully-staged opera ENO performs this season (two semi-staged performances of Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle are to come), a significant moment when a large amount of 'who knows' seems to hang over the whole enterprise. But this revival, directed by David Alden, with movement director Maxine Braham, seemed to be a stake in the sand, showing what ENO does best. Conducted by […]
Royal Opera House (The Guardian)
2024-02-16 18:28:30
[…] Whirling and elusive at the ballet’s centre, Yasmine Naghdi evokes ballet’s swan heritage – self-involved and determined, heedless of her partner, wonderfully unsupported.Mthuthuzeli November has made a splash with his work for Ballet Black. Ballet diversity being what it is, a predominantly white cast delivers For What It’s Worth, inspired by singer Miriam Makeba (“Mama Africa”). It’s glowingly lit in burnt umber, costumed in rich green, blue and orange. November co-created the score with Alex Wilson, and his satisfyingly full-fat movement pulses through an ensemble led by Mayara Magri with lavish, wheeling arms, percussive handclaps and delicately fluting wrists.The only dud for me was the last piece, Jessica Lang’s relentlessly winsome Twinkle. Kate Shipway’s piano, high on a platform, is silhouetted beside a metallic light, a planet in scrunched silver and gold. Set to a Brahms lullaby and Mozart’s variations on Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, it’s a skippity piece of […]
2024-02-15 07:23:00
A Lionel Tertis Celebration: Timothy Ridout, Frank Dupree, James Baillieu; Harmonia Mundi
[…] allow for some bravura playing and virtuoso display, particularly as the larger viola renders Kreisler's passagework more strenuous.The second disc opens with Rhapsody by Elgar's friend, the violinist W.H. Reed, a vigorous and passionate piece. Then follows a touching little work by Eric Coates, himself a Tertis pupil. First Meeting: Souvenir was written for Tertis, but he had retired and never played it in public. The original manuscript was lost and it is here heard in John Wilson's new reconstruction of the original. Charming and touching, prime Eric Coates.RVW wrote his Six Studies in English Folk Song for cellist May Mukle in 1926. Here Ridout and Baillieu bring a lovely veiled melancholy to the viola versions, ending in perky fashion with As I walked over London Bridge. Cecil Forsyth was a viola player and pupil of Stanford's who emigrated to the USA in 1914, and his Viola Concerto debuted at the Proms in 1903. Chanson […]
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