Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Wigmore Hall review - too big a splash in complete Ravel

★★★ JEAN-EFFLAM BAVOUZET, WIGMORE HALL Too big a splash in complete Ravel

Panache but little inner serenity in a risky three-part marathon

It was a daring idea to mark Ravel’s 150th birthday year with a single concert packing in all his works for solo piano. Jean-Efflam Bavouzet knows them by heart, has bags of charisma and energy, so why not? I could give more than one reason, but the main problem was that while Bavouzet perfectly embodied Scarbo, the monster-Puck of Gaspard de la nuit, and other nocturnal flitters, he seemed careless with Undine and her watery companions, of which there were many.

Bavouzet, BBCSO, Stasevska, Barbican review - ardent souls in mythic magic

★★★★ BAVOUZET, BBCSO, STASEVSKA, BARBICAN Vivid realisation of fantastical masterpieces by Bartók, Ravel and Janáček

Vivid realisation of fantastical masterpieces by Bartók, Ravel and Janáček

Not to be overshadowed by the adrenalin charges of the Budapest Festival Orchestra the previous evening, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and its Principal Guest Conductor Dalia Stasevska gave a supercharged triple whammy of masterpieces. They even had a pianist to match the Budapesters’ Igor Levit, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. He seemed as delighted with Stasevska and the players as they were with him; the post-performance embraces spoke volumes about communicative kindred spirits.

Chamayou, BBC Philharmonic, Morlot, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester review - blasts of Boulez, magical Ravel

★★★★ CHAMAYOU, BBC PHILHARMONIC, MORLOT Blasts of Boulez, magical Ravel

Celebration of the two French masters continues in big bangs and gentleness

The second of the Philharmonic’s Boulez-Ravel celebrations (birth centenary of the former, 150th of the latter) brought Bertrand Chamayou back: after his performance of the G major piano concerto in January, this time it was as soloist in the Concerto for the Left Hand, with Ludovic Morlot on the podium.

Chamayou, BBC Philharmonic, Wigglesworth, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester review - Boulez with bonbons

Assurance and sympathy from Mark Wigglesworth for differing French idioms

Top Brownie points for the BBC Philharmonic for being one of the first (maybe the first?) to celebrate the birth centenary of Pierre Boulez this year. His Rituel – in memoriam Bruno Maderna was paired somewhat uneasily with a second half of bonbons by Ravel (it’s his 150th anniversary year, too).

Mark Wigglesworth was the maestro who piloted both parts of the programme, however, showing equally calm assurance and sympathy with their differing idioms.

Trpčeski, RSNO, Søndergård, Usher Hall, Edinburgh review - flash and sparkle

★★★ TRPCESKI, RSNO, SONDERGARD, USHER HALL, EDINBURGH Flash and sparkle

Pianist as both showman and collaborator in a float through Saint-Saëns

Edinburgh is lucky to get a lot of high quality musicians coming to perform, not least during the summer festival season, but the most high profile musical visitor to the city this weekend was none other than Taylor Swift. Everyone is talking about her: she was even mentioned by one party in the general election campaign. The streets are thronged with visitors who have come to see her, and on my way home from this concert I met hordes of smiling fans dressed in cowboy boots and sparkly tops.

Sheffield Chamber Music Festival 2024 review - curator Steven Isserlis spotlights masterly Fauré and Saint-Saëns

SHEFFIELD CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL Steven Isserlis spotlights masterly Fauré and Saint-Saëns

More delights in the round as Ensemble 360 is joined by very special guests

“Saint-Saëns: The Renaissance Man” proclaimed the big screen at the first remarkable programme I attended within the 2024 Sheffield Chamber Music Festival. The same epithet could be applied to this year’s curator, Steven Isserlis, so remarkable a cellist that one forgets until coming face to face with his other talents what a unique speaker and programmer he is.

Daphnis et Chloé, Tenebrae, LSO, Pappano, Barbican review - lighting up Ravel’s ‘choreographic symphony’

★★★★★ DAPHNIS ET CHLOE, TENEBRAE, LSO, PAPPANO, BARBICAN All details outstanding in the lavish canvas of a giant masterpiece

All details outstanding in the lavish canvas of a giant masterpiece

Antonio Pappano fervently believes that talking about music is a vital part of his communicative art, and nobody does it better. Given that the London Symphony Orchestra's enterprising Half Six Fix format is scheduled for an hour each time, and that Ravel’s complete Daphnis et Chloé lasts almost that long, there wasn’t going to be much room for pre-performance demonstration yesterday evenng, but what we got still hit the mark.

Elmore String Quartet, Kings Place review - impressive playing from an emerging group

★★★★ ELMORE STRING QUARTET, KINGS PLACE Impressive playing from an emerging group

A new work holds its own alongside acknowledged masterpieces

The young Elmore String Quartet, recent graduates of the Royal Northern College, made an impressive Kings Place debut last night with a programme that put music written by composers at a similarly early stage in their careers alongside another’s last work. They played with a subtlety and thoughtfulness that point them up as a group to keep an eye on.