Modernist, patriot, man of faith, insurance broker: a new box illuminates one of classical music’s most singular voices, and his recording legacy, explored by Peter Quantrill
The longevity of conductors can be misleading, says Peter Quantrill, when the sentiment of the occasion obscures the vitality of the music-making. Yet with age can come great wisdom...
Peter Quantrill finds reasons to be cheerful in the proliferation of young-musician ensembles based on more flexible models of organisation – but can traditional venues follow suit?
A pair of prestigious piano competition finals has Peter Quantrill wondering if particular pieces and composers are best left on the shelf, waiting for a musician’s life to catch up with their ability
There’s more to the Hungarian pianist than his famous Bartók and Mozart recordings, says Peter Quantrill, as he explores Anda’s rigorous formation and poetic imagination
Peter Quantrill explores the career and catalogue of a renowned Bach Evangelist and Schubert tenor with a peerless ability to communicate directly with his listener
What do conductors do, and how do they do it? Peter Quantrill says two recent memoirs lift
the veil on the supposed mysticism of a very practical profession, from contrasting perspectives
There is a nice irony to the fact that the most silent musicians of all are required to be the best with words. Orchestras may like the conductors who speak the least, but explanation, correction and encouragement can’t entirely be done at the tip of a baton. Meanwhile, the public is perennially fascinated by the power dynamic at play when a single figure seems to conjure unity from the talents of a hundred individuals.