Benjamin Appl and Joseph Middleton – Schumann Recital at Howard Assembly Room
Benjamin Appl was the last private student of the great Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and the influence of perhaps the greatest singer of the twentieth century is audible in the student. Of all the vocal soloists Leeds has recently hosted—and we have had some very great ones lately—Appl has perhaps the greatest sensitivity for the sonority of […]
Nothing Like the Sun – Gavin Bryars Ensemble at the Howard Assembly Room
I arrived in the manner I do everything – two seconds shy of being late. The Shakespeare Sonnet settings mostly occupying the second half of the programme, the first was mostly given over to instrumentals, beginning with a quartet (viola, cello, double bass, and electric guitar), which was more gloomy than pensive, more slow than […]
Leila Josefowicz and John Novacek at The Howard Assembly Rooms
Having some familiarity with her recorded performances, I was delighted to learn that the very fine violinist Leila Josefowicz would be gracing the stage of the Howard Assembly Room at the end of September. She was just as her reputation precedes her: excellent and most at home in a repertoire of the twenty-first century, and […]
Classical notes to round off the year
It is a very fine season for music in Leeds, with plenty of opportunities to see fabulous musicianship, imaginative programmes and classic and novel repertoire, all in gorgeous settings. We are, as always, blessed in having our International Concert Season at the Town Hall – which every other Saturday evening brings world-class orchestras to the […]
