Journalist, photographer and social commentator.
Only a very select group of artists make it into the art market top 40. Amedeo Modigliani (1884 -1920) is one of those blue chip artists. He currently has three paintings on that hit list of most expensive works of […]
Robert Allen Zimmerman finally gets the official nod, the recognition that he is a literary giant. The English speaking world usually takes no notice when the Nobel Prize in literature goes to some African, Chinese or Austrian author. The Swedish […]
This blog is not really a platform for politics, but I will make an exception. But the consummate Israeli statesman Shimon Peres died last night and I had the honour of interviewing him quite recently. Israeli politics is a hornet’s […]
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg seen in Munich, with Jonas Kaufmann, Bayerisches Staatsorchester, conductor Kirill Petrenko At the Festival theatre in Bayreuth, which was designed by Wagner, the orchestra and the conductor remain hidden from view. The point is that the […]
PROM 71, Mozart piano concerto no.24, Bruckner symphony no.3, Daniil Trifonov, Christian Thielemann, Staatskapelle Dresden The meteoric rise of Daniil Trifonov reminds me of the stellar career path of his fellow Russian, Evgeny Kissin back in the nineties. Kissin was […]
PROM 69 DANIEL BARENBOIM soloist and conductor with STAATSKAPELLE BERLIN, September 5, 2016, Royal Albert Hall The Proms is offering three evenings pairing a Mozart piano concerto with a Bruckner symphony. Anton certainly admired Wolfgang but then who didn’t? We […]
Seen in Bayreuth August 2016 While listening to the melodramatic and wave tossed overture of The Flying Dutchman, I realise that this could be the perfect introduction to Wagner for a young person. The main character and his crew are […]
PRELUDE I have a confession to make: I don’t quite get Parsifal. It is not the music that is the problem. Some of it is exceptionally easy on the ear. But the message remains mysterious and the metaphors can be […]
All Wagner pilgrimages eventually must lead to Bayreuth. And If you only see one opera there, let it be Parsifal. After all , Parsifal is the only work that Wagner actually composed specifically with his Festspielhaus in mind. This was […]
Moritzburg Chamber Festival, Germany 6-21 August The other night the Moritzburg Festival kicked off at the Gläserne Manufaktur, Volkswagen’s transparent factory on the outskirts of Dresden. Unfortunately I can’t attend this year, but I don’t mind doing a puff piece […]
Tristan und Isolde by Richard Wagner, 1 August 2016, Bayreuth The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was fascinated by Tristan und Isolde and he wrote that for stress release he preferred Wagner’s opera to hashish. This drama in three acts certainly has […]
PROM 18, 29 July 2016, MAHLER 3 with LSO conducted by Bernard Haitink Bernard Haitink’s appearances at the Proms are one step ahead of his age. At 87 the Dutchman has just conducted his 88th performance at the BBC Proms. […]