NYO/Davis

This year the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain is concentrating on three symphonies first performed within a handful of years at the beginning of the 20th century, by composers born within eight years of each other. In August Simon Rattle will conduct the NYO (and a good few singers) in Mahler's Eighth; this week Colin Davis is taking the orchestra through Sibelius's Third and Elgar's Second.

Part premiere

Eighty-eight years separated the composition of the two works given premieres by Martyn Brabbins and the BBC Symphony Orchestra last night, and it was not Arvo Part’s piece, first performed in 2000, that provided the revelation, but Reinhold Glière’s Third … Continue reading →

Pärt premiere

Eighty-eight years separated the composition of the two works given premieres by Martyn Brabbins and the BBC Symphony Orchestra last night, and it was not Arvo Pärt’s piece, first performed in 2000, that provided the revelation, but Reinhold Glière’s Third … Continue reading →

BBCSO/Davis

The BBC Symphony Orchestra is certainly honouring its agreement with its first composer in association, Mark-Anthony Turnage. This concert, conducted by its former music director Andrew Davis, was its second programme within a month to include a Turnage piece. Although … Continue reading →

BBCSO/Davis

John Milton may be one of the greatest of British writers, but his poetry has inspired surprisingly little music from his fellow countrymen. There is no definitive setting of even part of Paradise Lost, no work based on Samson Agonistes. … Continue reading →