Born: Ljubljana, Slovenia Career highlight(s): For me, it’s been performing in venues such as the Musikverein, Walt Disney Hall, Konserthuset and Shanghai National Theatre, while also seeing my ideas for EuroStrings and the Virtual Guitar Orchestra

Rob Barron (piano); Jeremy Brown (bass); Josh Morrison (drums) Ubuntu UBU0064) The repertoire of most young/youngish jazz musicians these days consists almost exclusively of their own original compositions. This is entirely commendable, but I somet

‘Since first seeing him, I think I am blind, Wherever I look, Him only I see’. These besotted words open Robert Schumann’s Frauenliebe und -leben, regarded as one of his great song cycles alongside Dichterliebe and the Eichendorff-Liederkreis. This c

Fragments from Hans Andersen; 12 Studies, Op. 46; Concert Studies Nos 1 & 2 Nicolas Namoradze (piano) Hyperion CDA68303 66:32 mins Praised by Saint-Saëns as ‘the most remarkable of the young British composers,’ York Bowen (1884-1961) has all the sam

While editing Sophy Roberts’s wonderful piece on Siberian pianos (see p44), I was reminded of the time some years back when I listened to Borodin’s evocative tone poem In the Steppes of Central Asia while travelling on the Trans-Mongolian railway. In

An award-winning composer, conductor and pianist, David Gompper has enjoyed a global career that has seen him make music in the UK, Russia, Nigeria and across the United States. Born in South Carolina, he studied at the Royal College of Music and fou

It’s that moment on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow that we all wait for. After the expert has inspected and appraised the ornate vase, Victorian brooch or Chinese gong in front of them, at last comes the revelation of – expectant pause – how much it’s worth

Which features? Make a checklist of the features you need, such as DAB radio, Bluetooth or headphone output; but be warned, if it’s cheap and bursting with hi-tech features, sound quality may well be an afterthought. Look for products that do the bas

JS Bach Goldberg Variations Marcin Swiatkiewicz (piano) Rubicon RCD1064 These Goldbergs are full of energy and spontaneity. Swiatkiewicz’s frequent use of the 16-foot stop lends many of the variations a magnificent Thuringian heft. (OC) ★★★★ Brahms H

5 …more years of fresh Rocky mountain air, as conductor Sir Donald Runnicles (above) extends his contract at the Grand Teton Music Festival. 94 …per cent of adults in the UK say they would consider going to an orchestral concert, says a Royal Philha

LIFE: Verdi is born in Le Roncole near Parma, the first child of Carlo, an innkeeper, and Luigia, a spinner. He takes organ lessons as a child. TIMES: Under the Duke of Wellington, a British, Spanish and Portuguese army defeats Joseph Bonaparte’s Fre

As I cast my eye over what follows in the reviews section this month, I notice a distinctly British and American roster of composers. From the US we have works by the likes of Caroline Shaw, David Gompper, Jennifer Higdon and Joseph C Phillips, while

Plus each of our favourite percussion moments in orchestral music Editor Oliver Condy Triangle in Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 Deputy editor Jeremy Pound Bells in ‘Saturn’ from Holst’s The Planets Reviews editor Michael Beek Timpani in Bartó

As we go to press with this issue, 2021 has barely begun – the pandemic, of course, is still with us, although the promise of an end to it all is welcome indeed. The music world faces an almighty challenge in the months to come, not just to perform l

‘A seven-foot tamtam, an aluphone and a frog-shaped wood-block – just some of the instruments in Evelyn Glennie’s collection. It was wonderful to explore her career through these unique objects.’ Page 26 ‘Part detective hunt, part ode to a place oft

South-West England-based music charity Sound World has stepped up to help struggling local musicians by commissioning 12 new short works by composers such as Sally Beamish, Nico Muhly and Howard Skempton. The pieces have been recorded for a forthcomi

When I was growing up I had a lot of music around me – my father used to fill the house with his LPs. We had a recording of Saint-Saëns’s Carnival of the Animals with verses by Ogden Nash and I remember absolutely loving it. And as a teenager I disco

I guess I’m not the only one searching metaphorically for a rudder, a compass, a fair wind and a seaworthy vessel to get me through 2021. The turmoil inflicted by COVID has cast doubt on all certainties – including, for musicians, the certainties of