Richard Wagner’s three-act opera Lohengrin is characterised by the composer’s romantic vision of the individual’s struggle for freedom under an oppressive rule. The title role is particularly suited to the dramatic and musical talents of Peter…

Directed by Wolfgang Wagner, Richard Wagner’s grandson, this production of Tannhäuser was one of the highlights of the Bayreuth Festival during the latter part of the 1980s. The abstract starkness of Wolfgang Wagner’s production is underscored by the…

The Waldbühne Concert given by the Berliner Philharmoniker marks the end of the 2009/10 season. More recently visitors to the orchestra’s Waldbühne concerts have been regaled by some of the greatest opera singers of our age, including such operatic…

What made Claudio Abbado stand out was his unpretentious, noble character, his democratic understanding of music making and his ability to celebrate the live moment on stage. Claudio Abbado empathized with his musicians. In order to be able to…

This special edition, released for the occasion of Martha Argerich’s 80th birthday, combines some of her most impressive recordings. At the same time, it is testimony to the enormous musical and creative versatility with which she has succeeded in…

“I cannot begin even to describe what I have learnt with these musicians. Maybe they have learnt a little something from me, but that is nothing compared to what I have learnt from them, and the generations that came before.” (Zubin Mehta about the…

A Ghost Light – a single lamp that illuminates the stage when rehearsals or performances are finished – is part of a long theatrical tradition. Legend says that originally, the night light was for the ghosts of former artists so that they may cavort…

What Makes Music Symphonic? asked Leonard Bernstein in the course of one of his celebrated Young People’s Concerts. He found his answer in the music of Johannes Brahms: “He grows his music, like a master gardener … With Brahms music doesn’t just…

★★★★ “I have to tell the whole truth. I can tell the story of angels, but that wouldn't be the true story. My story is a mix of the devil and angels with a bit of meanness. You have to have a bit of everything to progress in life.” ★★★★ (Astor…

In Spring 2019, the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists, led by John Eliot Gardiner, presented a critically-acclaimed European tour of Handel’s opera 'Semele', including Alexandra Palace Theatre in London, where this live recording took…