: skip to main skip to sidebar Planet Hugill Classical Music blog from Robert Hugill Classical Music Blog from London based singer and classical music composer , Robert Hugill News , Views and opera reviews , CD reviews musings on contemporary music and writing new . music Saturday , January 30, 2010 When a Man knows Plans are now well advanced for the first performance of my new opera When a man knows The opera is based on a one-act play by Alan Richardson which has been extensively performed all over the world , including a run at the King's Head in Islington . With just 2 characters , a man and a woman baritone and soprano the opera expands the cast to 4 by adding two chorus alto and tenor with an instrumental ensemble of piano , violin , clarinet and . cello We are doing a concert performance at St . John's Waterloo as a try out , and plan to do a short run of more studied semi-staged performances of the revised work late this year , early next . As it last around 75 minutes , we'll be providing drinks afterwards in the hope that people will stay and discuss the new . piece Here's the full : blurb When a man knows An opera in one act by Robert Hugill Based on the play by AlanMy review of Moniuszko's final opera Paria is here</a, on MusicWeb International.For interested parties only. You may wonder what all the fuss is about. …
: skip to main skip to sidebar Planet Hugill Classical Music blog from Robert Hugill Classical Music Blog from London based singer and classical music composer , Robert Hugill News , Views and opera reviews , CD reviews musings on contemporary music and writing new . music Thursday , January 28, 2010 Opera goes to Prison From Feb 26th to March 6th Pimlico Opera are going back to prison to present another of their inestimable theatrical presentations using prisoners . This time it is Carmen the musical , performed in Wandsworth Prison . This year's programme was put in jeopardy late last year , but luckily the Prison Service saw the light and understood how valuable this sort of programme can be in rehabilitation . In fact last year's Grange Park Opera included an ex-prisoner in the chorus , a past participant in one of Pimlico Opera's prison projects . Usually they present a musical , so this year's Carmen is a bit more of a stretch , but its certainly a fascinating prospect . Posted by Robert H at 8:09 AM Labels : opera preview 0 comments : Post a Comment Newer Post Older Post Home Subscribe to : Post Comments Atom When a Man knows When a man knows Premiere June 13th Subscribe To: , skip to main skip to sidebar Planet Hugill Classical Music blog from Robert Hugill Classical Music Blog from London based singer and classical music composer , Robert Hugill News , Views and opera reviews , CD reviews musings on contemporary music and writing new . music Thursday , January 28, 2010 Coming to a PC near you , Opera Live Opera Houses are slowly waking up to the possibilities of modern technology , in a piecemeal and varied sort of way . You only have to look at the way internet booking was taking up quickly by some and very slowly by others to understand how live hook-ups and video-streaming are being implemented quite patchily . Besides the high profile , high definition Cinema showings from the Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Opera , there are a number of sites offering live opera . streaming Now the Royal Opera Liege has joined the throng and the big advantage is that its free . So from the 2nd February for 5 days you can watch Bellini's Capuletti e Montecchi with Patrizia Ciofi and Laura Polveri directed by Claudia Muti conductor Riccardo Muti's wife With Rigoletto following in March . Posted by Robert H at 8:03 AM Labels : opera preview 1 comments :: skip to main skip to sidebar Planet Hugill Classical Music blog from Robert Hugill Classical Music Blog from London based singer and classical music composer , Robert Hugill News , Views and opera reviews , CD reviews musings on contemporary music and writing new . music Monday , January 25, 2010 Buxton Festival 2010 Besides the three main works in the Buxton programme see this post Luisa Miller Verdi The Barber of Baghdad Cornelius and Idomeneo Mozart R . Strauss they will as usual be playing host to visiting opera . companies The Opera Group will be reviving their production of George Benjamin's Into the Little Hill which also comes to Covent Garden again . Psaphha will be doing Bernstein's magical little opera Trouble in Tahiti and the Opera Theatre Company will be bringing their production of Alcina The Classical Opera Company will be performing Mozart's incomplete Singspiel Zaide though plans for them to bring Arne's Artaxerxes seen at Covent Garden's Linbury Theatre seem to have foundered . Posted by Robert H at 6:09 PM Labels : diary opera 0 comments : Post a Comment Newer Post Older Post Home Subscribe to : Post Comments Atom When a Man knows When a man knows Premiere: skip to main skip to sidebar Planet Hugill Classical Music blog from Robert Hugill Classical Music Blog from London based singer and classical music composer , Robert Hugill News , Views and opera reviews , CD reviews musings on contemporary music and writing new . music Thursday , January 21, 2010 Recent CD Review My review of a disc of Polish composer Romuald Twardowski's music is here on MusicWeb International . The disc includes thw wonderful Exegi Monumentum plus Three Frescoes and Ioannes Rex For anyone interested in exploring dramatically interesting late 20th century tonal music Posted by Robert H at 10:14 PM Labels : cd review 0 comments : Post a Comment Newer Post Older Post Home Subscribe to : Post Comments Atom When a Man knows When a man knows Premiere June 13th Subscribe To Posts Atom Posts Comments Atom Comments Labels ballet review 7 book review 16 cd news 13 cd review 225 Competition 1 concert review 77 diary 170 feature article 34 music news 17 opera 57 opera magazine 34 opera review 140 performance 30 play review 2 preview 102 recording 5 tv programme review 2 writing music 23 Latest CD The Testament of Dr . Cranmer CD out now at Divine Art Search This Blog: skip to main skip to sidebar Planet Hugill Classical Music blog from Robert Hugill Classical Music Blog from London based singer and classical music composer , Robert Hugill News , Views and opera reviews , CD reviews musings on contemporary music and writing new . music Tuesday , January 19, 2010 V says goodbye to music Its seems that the V plans to disperse its musical instrument collection . One of the advantages of major museum like the V having a collection of instruments is the serendipity of it , people can wander in without having planned to see them . I can well remember my childhood visits to the museum and being delighted at being able to see and hear the instruments . Also , as a museum of decorative arts , the instruments themselves are often of decorative interest as well . Gems include Elizabeth I's Virginals , a recorder of ivory and tortoiseshell which belonged to Rossini and two pianos owned and decorated by . Burne-Jones The gallery is in need of refurbishment and I imagine that the collection itself might require a bit of investment . Instead of doing this , they plan to move part of the collection to the Horniman Museum which has an excellent collectionMy review of the Cambridge Handel Encyclopedia is now on-line here, at Music and Vision. (Note that the site is now subscription, see Music and Vision for details).Magnificent Scholarship...
: skip to main skip to sidebar Planet Hugill Classical Music blog from Robert Hugill Classical Music Blog from London based singer and classical music composer , Robert Hugill News , Views and opera reviews , CD reviews musings on contemporary music and writing new . music Monday , January 18, 2010 Too Loud On Saturday we went to a preview of the play , The Little Dog Laughed which is about to open at the Garrick Theatre . It was an enjoyable , if relatively slight , piece with a stand-out performance from Tamsin . Greig In order to provide atmosphere' the producers have decided to play pop music in the auditorium before the play and during the interval . This seemed to be set one or two levels too loud , almost preventing conversation . Rather than providing atmosphere , it seemed to impose itself on you and made me rather restive . At the interval , it was a relief to get out into the foyer perhaps that was the idea , to drive you to the bar . When the music stopped and the show started such was the difference reduction in volume that it was a bit of a shock and you had to concentrate to listen to the singers properly . Posted by Robert H at 9:17 AM Labels : diary 0 comments :
Audiophile wank has spewed from the mouths of reviewers for many years (I’d love to see just how far back this goes — did the press ever talk about the luscious high-end on the first wax cylinders?). For my first exhibit I present this review of the first Sony CD player, from 1983. IN DIGITAL!
Featuring [...]My review of Handel's Teseo from Stuttgart Opera is here on MusicWeb International. I can't help wishing that one of the UK record companies could have captured some of the UK's Handel centenary opera performances the way Carus have here in Stuttgart.A fine record of a memorable occasion … <script type="text/javascript"
: skip to main skip to sidebar Planet Hugill Classical Music blog from Robert Hugill Classical Music Blog from London based singer and classical music composer , Robert Hugill News , Views and opera reviews , CD reviews musings on contemporary music and writing new . music Monday , January 11, 2010 Towards a new opera DATE My new opera When a man knows is moving towards its first performance . I now have a venue , a date , a conductor and singers for the two leads . This week I will be sending out scores to the singers , which is always rather unnerving . In fact , the whole period between now and the concert makes me nervous as the work is exposed first to the performers and then to the . public We plan a simple concert performance on Sunday June 13th 2010, at St . John's Church , Waterloo . There will be drinks afterwards so I can get feedback from the audience . The conductor will be David Roblou who runs Midsummer Opera . Posted by Robert H at 4:15 PM Labels : opera 0 comments : Post a Comment Newer Post Older Post Home Subscribe to : Post Comments Atom When a Man knows When a man knows Premiere June 13th Subscribe To Posts Atom Posts Comments Atom Comments Labels ballet reviewMy column from the Winter edition of the Salisbury Review is now on-line here. It covers the issues surrounding James MacMillan's St John Passion and the issues of possible anti-semitism that the text raises.
: skip to main skip to sidebar Planet Hugill Classical Music blog from Robert Hugill Classical Music Blog from London based singer and classical music composer , Robert Hugill News , Views and opera reviews , CD reviews musings on contemporary music and writing new . music Saturday , January 09, 2010 Latest Press release Spherical Editions Latest publications of music by Robert Hugill We are pleased to announce the latest additions to our catalogue of music by Robert Hugill . Included in the list are motets , anthems , an award winning song along music for piano and for chamber . orchestra Awards In March 2008 Robert's song He looked at me setting a text by A.E . Houseman , came 3rd in the English Poetry and Song Society's A.E . Housman Competition . He looked at me is available in versions for tenor or baritone and piano , and is part of the Four Songs to Texts by A.E . Housman for tenor and . piano Motets Robert's motet Videte Miraculum was premiered by the Chapelle du Roi , conductor Alistair Dixon on Saturday 19th March 2010. Ivan Hewett , writing on www.telegraph.co.uk said Robert Hugill's Videte Miraculum soared too , especially at its ending , with the three sopranos perched: skip to main skip to sidebar Planet Hugill Classical Music blog from Robert Hugill Classical Music Blog from London based singer and classical music composer , Robert Hugill News , Views and opera reviews , CD reviews musings on contemporary music and writing new . music Saturday , January 09, 2010 Chelsea Opera Group Chelsea Opera Group are venturing into more popular territory for their next concert . On Sunday Feb 21st they will be performing Verdi's La Traviata at the Queen Elizabeth Hall , conducted by Gianluca Marciano . No unusual editions or rarity value here , but a fine opportunity to hear Nelly Miricioiu as Violetta . Miricioiu , is perhaps a bit mature for an ideal Violetta , but this represents a rare chance to hear her in London in mainstream repertoire . Apart from the odd Tosca she has been represented in London in recent years mainly by more out of the way operas . For which we are profoundly grateful , but for once it will be interesting to hear her here . Germont Pere will be sung by Alan Opie , so we can be sure of some fireworks in Act 2. Posted by Robert H at 9:57 AM Labels : preview 0 comments : Post a Comment Newer Post Older Post Home Subscribe to : Post: skip to main skip to sidebar Planet Hugill Classical Music blog from Robert Hugill Classical Music Blog from London based singer and classical music composer , Robert Hugill News , Views and opera reviews , CD reviews musings on contemporary music and writing new . music Friday , January 08, 2010 Recent CD Reviews My review of Kile Smith's Vespers performed by the early music group Piffaro is here A brilliant new work in the spirit of the Lutheran Vespers service And my review of Vivaldi's opera Argippo is here Both reviews are on MusicWeb . International A lively and personable , if imperfect , account Posted by Robert H at 10:55 AM Labels : cd review 0 comments : Post a Comment Newer Post Older Post Home Subscribe to : Post Comments Atom When a Man knows When a man knows Premiere June 13th Subscribe To Posts Atom Posts Comments Atom Comments Labels ballet review 7 book review 16 cd news 13 cd review 225 Competition 1 concert review 77 diary 170 feature article 34 music news 17 opera 57 opera magazine 34 opera review 140 performance 30 play review 2 preview 102 recording 5 tv programme review 2 writing music 23 Latest CD The Testament of Dr . Cranmer CD out now at Divine ArtI've just discovered that the concert by the Chapelle du Roi, conductor Alistair Dixon, on 19th December which featured my new motet Videte Miraculum, was on Mark Pappenheim's Top Ten list in the Independent on 19th December. Very gratifying, especially as I was mentioned by name.
Magnificent ScholarshipMy review of the magnificent new Cambridge Handel Encyclopedia is now on Music and Vision. (Note that the sight is moving to being a subscription site so you will have to register to read the review I'm afraid).
It’s Christmas time. There’s a currently a lack of mistletoe and/or wine.For the last six year –, basically since I stopped spending the immediate fortnight before Christmas at my parents house — the 25th has pounced out of the end of December like a mugger. There isn’t any build-up. It’s work, work, work, BANG xmas, [...]