I do feel for them. It can’t have been obvious in advance that this was going to be a sellout and that they could’ve put on more performances.
22.02.2026 14:09
👍 1
🔁 0
💬 0
📌 0
I do feel for them. It can’t have been obvious in advance that this was going to be a sellout and that they could’ve put on more performances.
Sad as I am to see the stats on UK touring, our annual stats chave plenty to celebrate, not least the spirituality of Arvo Pärt and the success of Peaky Blinders from Rambert, one of the most extraordinary shows I’ve ever seen in any art form. bachtrack.com/classical-mu...
It was 40 years ago today… well, approximately, my mum and stepdad definitely took me to this Andrei Serban production of Turandot back in the 80s!
Christmas lights on the Avenue Montaigne seen from the TCE - very posh this year!
Gutted to see the demise on Friday of Paul Beuscher, one of the oldest music shops in Paris at 175 years old. Particularly for selfish reasons, I confess, since they still have a piano which we’ve paid for and which they were supposed to deliver this week. Uphill battle awaits…
I missed posting this on Halloween, where I would like to suggest that it would have been the scariest thing you found all evening. So here we are, one week late, on a subject that I've been worrying about for a long time.
polything.com/2025/11/07/p...
A fascinating account of a real-world cyber attack attempt: no fancy tech, just plain old appeal to greed.
Chilling out to L’Arpeggiata’s Terra Firma. I’d forgotten how much I adore folk music when it’s played to this quality.
Has anyone else had a problem with scam calls from a US 415 number ringing on an iPhone when Do not disturb is set?
In the event, last night’s Tosca wasn’t perfect, but the new production is very solid and Netrebko was truly exceptional. bachtrack.com/review-tosca...
Not entirely surprised that there are anti-Netrebko protests outside Covent Garden tonight.
You always know to expect the unexpected with Pekka Kuusisto... bachtrack.com/review-bbc-p...
I'm steadily hearing more news about how horrific the current botnet wave is... And even our small web business is in the eye of the storm. bachtrack.com/feature-swam...
It’s Eugene Onagin, folks. I’d be really disappointed if it didn’t!! @operahollandpark.bsky.social
I do love Mahler 3 deeply. And even in the unpromising acoustic of the Royal Albert Hall, Bancroft and BBCNOW did a great job of it. bachtrack.com/review-bbc-n...
I have been known to feel guilty about reviewing revivals of often performed, fairly lightweight operas. Not this one, which was entertainment I’d recommend to anyone. bachtrack.com/review-barbe...
The evening sun flooding into the Opéra Bastille foyer for the first interval of Il Trittico. Asmik knocking it out of the park as expected, but the real revelation was Misha Kiria’s Gianni Schicchi.
It's St George's day! England isn't exactly unique in having chosen George as its patron saint (check the list on Wikipedia), but it was still a good excuse to put together a playlist of opera in English - which deserves a far better rap than it usually gets. bachtrack.com/playlist-top...
Time for fairytale madness at the gorgeous Théâtre Athénée-Jouvet
Row 5 for the Bach Mass in B minor at the Philharmonie de Paris. I’m struggling to control my excitement. @philharmonie.bsky.social
Le programme du festival La Chaise-Dieu n’est pas encore en ligne, donc pour le découvrir, il suffit de retrouver les WC au restaurant Anicia, tout près de Montparnasse. Et d’ailleurs, c’est un magnifique resto !
Ravi que ce concert t’a fait tant de plaisir !
In reception at De Doelen in Rotterdam. My goodness, what a lineup that was!
My first ever visit to Toulouse revealed that it's really rather a lovely city. And its history makes it clearly the right place to see Norma (just don't mention Alésia...) bachtrack.com/review-norma...
This is the Place du Capitole in Toulouse, filling up with a demonstration against culture cuts (there’s a council meeting today).
This was really rather good, as long as you didn't mind spending the whole opera looking at characters in front of a largely blank wall. Massenet just sounds better when pretty much the whole cast are native French speakers!
bachtrack.com/review-masse...
First blog post of our extended stay in Paris. It had to be baking-related... polything.com/2025/03/22/s...
In Lyon, the recipe for making perfect bread. I particularly like the”longue conversation “.
Hi Randy: I did reply! I’ve just forwarded it again