Let’s hear it for Engelbert

Classical: Mark Elder and the Berlin Philharmonic are a fairy-tale double act for Hansel and Gretel, says Anthony Holden.

Vaughan Williams: The Wasps, Goodman/Suart/Hallé/Elder

In 1909 Vaughan Williams composed the incidental music for a Cambridge University production of Aristophanes’s comedy The Wasps, performed in the original Greek. Three years later he prepared an orchestral suite from his score, but the only parts of it … Continue reading →

A French farce too far

Classical: Not even Mark Elder and a fine cast can save Rossini this time, says Anthony Holden.