It's a man's world (isn't it?)
The Magic Flute - Charles Court Opera - Wilton's Music Hall My varied singing career saw me perform five roles in 'The Magic Flute':...
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Carry on Bonie!!
Apologies to my hordes of readers (ahem...) for my prolonged silence. An unexpected return to the classroom and an even more unexpected...
At the heart of woman, man climbs towards his God - the problem with 'The Rape of Lucretia'.
Considering my close ties to Britten's 1946 Chamber Opera (I sang the role of Tarquinius in two productions, and was taught by Otakar...
The Fairy Queen
A brief comment on Prom 24: Purcell's 'The Fairy Queen'. My son, Hugo Herman-Wilson, was performing, along with other members of Le...
Notes on Holst's 'The Homecoming'.
For these few brief thoughts I am returning to Oliver Soden's comment recorded at the start of my last Blog, 'The Past and I': 'As with...
The Past & I
'As with all the best setting of poetry, the words were liberated by the music.' The above comment in Gramophone Magazine, by Oliver...
Much ado about 'The Gorgeous Nothings'...
The BBC made quite a splash regarding its Proms' commission 'The Gorgeous Nothings' by Anna Clyne (BBC Proms 30 July 2024). Much was made...
Credit where it is due
It is no secret that I am not an unequivocal fan of the nation's favourite Roderick Williams, and I must admit to being rather unkind to...
A fine baritone closes the door...
Considering he had not performed regularly in public for more than twenty years, the heart-felt tributes paid to the late Cornish...
Spellbinding
‘The Sorcerer’ (Gilbert and Sullivan) Charles Court Opera: Ulverston Festival at The Victoria Hall, Grange Over Sands. Sunday 2nd June...
We take the Golden Road to Samarkand!
'Hassan' by James Elroy Flecker is a curious piece, born out of Elroy Flecker's interest in the Turkish language. While studying in the...
To a Poet
"https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dvw5mke8W2o?si=KwlyVhpclw97CQkO" https://youtu.be/3nfQfeWTNK4?si=nMguy-ZMzEgqdzPK...
A Dogged Pursuit
I have written about cats in song in a previous post, but two weeks in Margate dog-sitting an aristocratic Hungarian Vizsla got me...
Figaro rides again...
A brief up-date on Charles Court Opera's 'The Barber of Seville' at Wilton's Music Hall. A return visit to see the alternative Almaviva...
One to watch
I have had a few musical 'I was there' moments in my life: I saw Thomas Allen's first 'Billy Budd', I watched the Terfel/Hvorostovsky...
King David was a sorrowful man...
Listening to Herbert Howells’ setting of the Walter de la Mare poem ‘King David’ (BBC Radio 3’s  Essential Classics ‘Song of the Day’ –...
Ride 'em Figaro!
This review of Charles Court Opera’s production of ‘The Barber of Seville’ at Wilton’s Music Hall cannot claim to be in any way objective...
A Mixed Bag
The Oriel Music Trust provided a very useful service in providing recordings of opera, choral and vocal music taken from BBC Radio 3 (or...
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