Preparing for improvised concerts: hesitant thoughts

March 20, 2018

Next weekend – that is, on Palm Sunday, 25 March 2018 – I’ll be performing at St Stephen’s Richmond on the invitation of the parish organist, who heard my two Read the full article…

Brahms, you know, and travel

October 11, 2017

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) is shown by Jan Swafford at the opening of his wonderful biography of 1997 to be weeping at the premiere of his fourth symphony as he imagines Read the full article…

Truly? Maybe

June 9, 2017

With the feeling you’ve done good work comes the desire to share it with your fellow-travellers. It could be argued that this is egotism – the ‘look at me!’ impulse. Read the full article…

Here’s what you can do: show some respect

June 5, 2017

Don’t you hate it when you open something to read and the first words are ‘US president, Donald Trump’? I know I do. I am so sick of being shown, Read the full article…

The children laugh, without fail

August 29, 2013

  It’s quite possible to enjoy opera without having a clue what’s going on. This cracks the kids up every time it’s played. From Richard Wagner, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, act Read the full article…