Seven Sonnets News Today

The cellist and pianist juxtapose three major 20th-century sonatas – by George Walker, Britten and Debussy – with a handful of songs in which the cellist takes the vocal line.

David Truslove listens to new album Unveiled, the first solo release from Welsh tenor Elgan Llŷr Thomas. Wales Arts Review

Contemporary piano music, post-war British songs and baroque cantatas Reviews by Graham Rickson

Benjamin Britten couldn't talk about his sexuality in his lifetime. But now he is among the LGBT+ composers being celebrated this Pride month.

Pianist Malcolm Martineau marshals ten committed singers for the complete song cycles. Classical music/opera review by David Nice

Robert Schumann (1810-1856) and Clara Schumann (1819-1896) Clara Schumann was a well-respected pianist and composer, Robert Schumann a composer, pianist, and music critic. Clara’s father, Frederick Wieck, was also a pianist and was in fact Robert’s teacher, but he opposed the match. At the time, the opposition would have been enough to prevent their marriage, but they sued him and were given permission by a judge to marry anyway. In the first year that they were married, Robert wrote over 1...

Tuesday, February 16, 2021 Steuart Bedford on Aldeburgh Beach (photo: Paul Mitchell) Steuart Bedford, who conducted the world premiere and first recording of Benjamin Britten’s final opera, Death in Venice, in 1973, has died. He was 81. The grandson of the opera singer Liza Lehmann and the composer, author, miniature painter and inventor Herbert Bedford, son of the singer Lesley Duff, and brother of the composer David Bedford and singer Peter Lehmann Bedford, Steuart Bedford ...

Robert Schumann (1810-1856) and Clara Schumann (1819-1896) Clara Schumann was a well-respected pianist and composer, Robert Schumann a composer, pianist, and music critic. Clara’s father, Frederick Wieck, was also a pianist and was in fact Robert’s teacher, but he opposed the match. At the time, the opposition would have been enough to prevent their marriage,...

Grady Harp | 03/08/2006 (5 out of 5 stars) "The re-mastering of the works on this historically significant recording is so fine that they sound as clear and responsive as the best of todays engineering on recordings. And that is a feat! These recordings by Benjamin Britten were made form 1942 to 1944 when Britten was just coming into recognition as a major force in composing, conducting and performing as a pianist. And in some cases here are first recordings of come of his works as well as ...