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Stephen Layton was responsible for the memorable Mass in B minor, presented by Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra as its 2012 Choral Masterpiece concert.
On Thursday, the English conductor returned, once more for Bach, with a St John Passion that was both inspired and inspiring.
Layton spoke briefly afterwards of the rewards of working with a line-up of hand-picked soloists and the need to vitalise...
The St John Passion was originally composed for the Good Friday service in Leipzig in 1724, and Stephen Layton has made a tradition of performing this work every year around Easter with his Polyphony ensemble in London. Given this and the experience of his revelatory B minor Mass with the same orchestra two years ago, I had high expectations of this concert which were, one or two blots aside,...
“Silence is like fertile soil, which, as it were, awaits our creative act, our seed"
Arvo Pärt
Arvo Pärt is one of the few living composers to find popularity beyond the borders of classical music. R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe and Bjork are big fans. Although the 78-year-old musician usually shies away from acclaim and the media, he is currently attending a festival of his music in New York and...
The Holst Singers are one of Britain’s foremost choirs, having garnered many glowing reviews from the likes of the BBC and the Times. They are interested in lesser known repertoire, and in this concert they tackled an array of religious music by Russian and East European composers. Some of the composers, such as Rachmaninov or Rimsky-Korsakov are certainly well-known, however this part of their...
The Temple Music series held in the beautiful Temple Church features some star studded early evening recitals and intriguing repertoire, and tonight’s concert was no exception. The Holst Singers are an experienced group, performing a wide variety of concerts around London and the world. Tonight we were treated to a Russian choral extravaganza featuring some of the lesser known Russian composers...