Articles by Clive Paget

LSO/Pascal review – from an effervescent marimba to funeral gongs in compelling new music concert

This programme featured the LSO Futures at its best – three world premieres by Omri Kochavi, Sasha Scott and Donghoon Shin, whose piano concerto was brought to sparkling life by human dynamo Seong-Jin Cho

1 hours ago

Entertainment

Brahms: Symphony No 1, Tragic Overture album review – Petrenko and the Berliners give Brahms organic momentum

Brahms’s Tragic Overture leaps to life while there is much interest in a careful reading of the composer’s First Symphony in this new recording from the Berlin Philharmonic with their chief conductor

22 hours ago

Entertainment

CBSO/Vänskä review – weird brilliance and neurotic tics in a compelling programme

Soprano Helena Juntunen brought Sibelius’ vocal works to dramatic life in a remarkable concert that paired the Finnish composer with late Shostakovich

1 days ago

World

Víkingur Ólafsson: Opus 109 album review – pianist’s concept album opens up transcendent vistas

Olafsson’s account of Beethoven’s Op 109 is one of the most beautiful on record, the centrepiece of a recording that links the composer to Bach and Schubert

1 days ago

Sports

Le Poème Harmonique: Hail! Bright Cecilia album review – Purcell’s ode shines in luxurious French recording

Vincent Dumestre and his radiant ensemble bring theatrical flair and exquisite detail to a joyous celebration of England’s patron saint of the baroque

Nov 14, 2025

Entertainment

Schubert 4 Hands album review – affectionately searching accounts from two pianists in emotional synergy

Leif Ove Andsnes and Bertrand Chamayou find lyrical intimacy and finely tuned emotional balance in Schubert’s late masterpieces for four hands

Nov 13, 2025

World

Rebecca Clarke review – composer of spirited chamber music and songs finally gets her due

In a deftly curated programme, youthful compositions rubbed shoulders with music from her most productive period, the 1920s

Nov 10, 2025

World

Dead Man Walking review – searing honesty and humanity in ENO’s staging of Heggie’s compelling opera

The first staging in the UK of Heggie and Terrence McNally’s adaptation of the memoir by Sister Helen Prejean is an anguished reflection on truth, compassion and capital punishment, sung with empathy and pathos

Nov 2, 2025

Gli Incogniti/Beyer: Bach from Italy album review – fascinating collection sizzles and shines

Violinist Amandine Beyer and the musicians of Gli Incogniti juxtapose original works by Vivaldi and the Marcello brothers with the Bach compositions they inspired and influenced

Oct 24, 2025

Apartment House review – an evening rich in discoveries, musical delicacies and magic

The new music ensemble was at the top of its game with seven premieres that included melancholy hymns from Linda Catlin Smith, Paul Paccione’s scrunchy modal harmonies and fragile beauty from Ramūnas Motiekaitis

Oct 22, 2025

La Bohème – noirish reframing of Puccini’s classic weepy

Floris Visser’s stylish bohemia recalls Brassaï’s Paris, while Puccini’s score is delivered with crispness and elasticity

Oct 12, 2025

Susanna review – Opera North’s arresting take on Handel’s proto-#MeToo tale

Dance, sign language, outstanding singing and precise orchestral playing all illuminate this powerful tale of gendered violence and abuses of power

Oct 5, 2025