The Telegraph 

English National Opera faces protest over ‘pro-terrorist’ hijacking opera 

It is one of the most controversial musical works ever written, described by critics as “anti-Semitic” and “romanticising terrorism”.

Mackenzie Crook takes on orchestral role

Actor Mackenzie Crook will narrate the Prokofiev children’s classic Peter And The Wolf with the Aurora Orchestra.

Katherine Jenkins to omit Gethin Jones from memoirs

Katherine Jenkins, the Classical singer, reveals she has no intention of giving her former fiancé Gethin Jones a mention in her memoirs.

Conducting with kisses and fluttering eyelashes

What the orchestra sees, or ‘The Dancing Conductor’.

Gramophone 

Sir Mark Elder on his Gramophone Hall of Fame choices

There’s still time – just! – to cast your own votes

The Guardian

String quartets: ’til death us do part?

Many of the most successful string quartets play together with the same lineup for decades. But what happens when one of the four moves on?

BBC to screen Joyce Hatto biopic penned by Victoria Wood

British pianist had dozens of recordings by other artists passed off as her own by husband William Barrington-Coupe

Elizabeth Connell obituary

South African born dramatic soprano hugely popular with audiences worldwide

FT 

Instruments of change 

Aurora Orchestra’s daring cross-arts programme takes classical music out of its comfort zone

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/89d2d458-564c-11e1-8dfa-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1muqCgSzB

(Written on February 20, 2012 )

Audiences and critics alike positively received the first leg of the Belcea Quartet’s Beethoven concerts. The quartet took audiences in Hamburg, London, Liverpool and Gateshead though a personal and intimate interpretation of Beethoven’s coveted string quartet writing.

The program for this, the first concert in the quartet’s year-long exploration of all of Beethoven’s string quartets, consisted of three contrasting and prominent quartets: no.3, op.18, no.10, Op.74 and no.13, Op.130, the Belcea String Quartet’s interpretations were skillfully devoid of any over indulgence.

it was immediately clear from the opening phrases of this evening’s concert of Beethoven quartets that these four players enjoy an intensely powerful shared musical language, with an incredible level of communication between each other and with the audience. They immediately drew us right into the heart of Beethoven’s very personal music, as they took us on an introductory guide through his string quartet writing.

Throughout the concert, there was never any harshness, even in the more forceful parts of the latter quartets. The quiet passages were mesmerizing, almost vanishing at times

Backtrack

As versed as they are in the music, the quartet maintained a keen sense of spontaneity as they laid out the contrasting passages with razor-sharp articulation. The rich andante was beautifully phrased, while the presto brimmed with energy

The Northern Echo

The next leg of the concert series will begin on the 28^th of in Liverpool and moving on to revisit London, Gateshead and Hamburg with more of Beethoven’s string quartets. For more information, visit the Belcea Quartet’s website.

(Written on October 14, 2011 )