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by Rachel Beaumont

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December 2017

16 December	Evading greatness: Christmas Oratorio at the Southbank Centre
13 December	Gerhaher Glow: Das Lied von der Erde at the Barbican
12 December	Daisy I can do without: Daisy Pulls It Off at Park Theatre
9 December	Entirely satisfactory: Nash Ensemble and James Newby at the Wigmore Hall
5 December	Box of Delights: Ruins in Reverse at the LCMF
2 December	Move over Marlon: Guys and Dolls at the Royal Exchange

November 2017

23 November	Well-meant, ill-advised: Saint George and the Dragon at the National Theatre
22 November	Auspicious beginnings: The Rake’s Progress at Wilton’s Music Hall
21 November	What are all the men for?: Sylvia at the ROH
20 November	I’ll take the boom-smash: Stimmung and Cosmic Pulses at the Barbican
16 November	Almost suitably bonkers: Semiramide at the ROH
4 November	Passion and Precision: Alisa Weilerstein and Inon Barnatan at the Wigmore
3 November	More champagne and madeleines!: Young Marx at the Bridge Theatre
3 November	Wind Wound: Tharp and Pita at the Royal Ballet

October 2017

31 October	All about Bartók: Elias Quartet at the Wigmore
29 October	A Mediterranean Mystery: Jordi Savall at the Wigmore Hall
27 October	Man-Handeled: Rodelinda at ENO
25 October	Who invited Judas?: The Judas Tree and Song of the Earth at the ROH
19 October	It’s not a competition: Concerto / Le Baiser de la fée / Elite Syncopations at the ROH
18 October	A question of tastelessness: Les Vêpres siciliennes at the ROH
14 October	Life and death in English music: Earth Dances and Skempton
13 October	Context is everything: The Dreamers Ever Leave You at Printworks
11 October	Danger deficit: Haitink, Ax and the LSO perform Brahms and Beethoven
10 October	Smugging smugathon: King's Singers at Westminster School
7 October	Great art, great silliness: Aida at ENO
4 October	Long and apparently random: Autobiography at Sadler's Wells

September 2017

29 September	Oh god let me out: Jane Eyre at the National Theatre
24 September	Knots aplenty: Khovanshchina at WNO
23 September	Alas, poor cello: Vienna Mozart Trio at the Wigmore
21 September	A Birtwistle-stop tour: Nash Ensemble at the Wigmore
20 September	The Bartók Balance: Senza Sangue and Bluebeard's Castle at Hackney Empire
17 September	This Is Knussen! (but mainly Birtwistle): Knussen and BCMG at Milton Court
16 September	Nobody puts Schubert in the corner: Woyzeck in Winter at the Barbican
14 September	Illusion stripped: La bohème at the ROH
13 September	Different pleasures: Die Zauberflöte at the ROH
8 September	Exceptional music performed exceptionally: András Schiff and Book 1 at the BBC Proms
7 September	Attack of the bathtub: Vienna Philharmonic and Mahler 6 at the BBC Proms

August 2017

12 August	Nonsense and drama in (almost) perfect balance: La Bayadère with the Mariinsky
5 August	Anna stripped back to her ballet essentials: Anna Karenina by the Mariinsky

July 2017

30 July	Rapture attack: La clemenza di Tito at Glyndebourne
20 July	An opera of two halves: The Merchant of Venice with WNO at the ROH
7 July	Analogue delights: The Tempest with the RSC at the Barbican
4 July	Not clever but it is big: Turandot at the ROH
3 July	Kaufmann yes; everything else, not sure: Otello at the ROH

June 2017

27 June	Crowe one, dove nil: Mitridate at the ROH
21 June	Business as usual: Ensemble intercontemporain at the Wigmore Hall
18 June	21st-century opera parody: Hamlet at Glyndebourne
15 June	Instruments as bodily growths: Arditti and Eliot Fisk at the Wigmore
14 June	Yep, really as good as everyone says: Igor Levit plays Beethoven at the Wigmore
13 June	Distracted by 18 Musicians: Keersmaeker's Rain at Sadler's Wells
10 June	A pretty cool programme: Scottish Ballet with Pite and Preljoçaj at Sadler's Wells
7 June	Charm bottled: L'elisir d'amore at the ROH
5 June	A decadent act: Gurre-Lieder at the Bridgewater Hall
3 June	Requiem for a wig: Ashton mixed programme at the ROH
3 June	A profound meditation on identity – if a slightly indulgent one: Akram Khan's DESH at Sadler's Wells
2 June	Go Go Gimeno: Ligeti, Salonen, Bartók and Mahler with the Philharmonia at the Southbank

June 2017

1 June	The Maltman Menagerie: Christopher Maltman and Malcolm Martineau at the Wigmore
31 May	Deliciously loud: Beethoven and Barry with Adès and the Britten Sinfonia at Milton Court
28 May	Is it wrong to review someone's birthday: Psophos Quartet at Staplefield
27 May	It's aliiiiive! Actually, maybe it isn't: Don Carlo at the ROH
25 May	Bennnnnd… and swish!: Forsythe, Balanchine, Wheeldon and Scarlett at the ROH
14 May	Charm offensive: Simon Bode and Igor Levit at the Wigmore Hall
12 May	No two performances the same: Kenneth MacMillan's Mayerling at the ROH
11 May	Not good enough: Kyung Wha Chung plays Bach at the Barbican
10 May	The operatic animal: Lise Davidsen at the Wigmore Hall
8 May	Not a bad way to spend a Sunday evening: Bartók and Mahler at the Southbank Centre
7 May	Too long and too loud: Varèse at the Barbican
5 May	Good programming bad programming: Boulez and Debussy at the Southbank Centre

April 2017

25 April	A good time to be an opera lover: The Exterminating Angel at the ROH
21 April	Words cannot express: Thomas Dunford at the Wigmore Hall
20 April	The romance is over: Obsession at the Barbican Theatre
19 April	Daniel Hope and the Basel Chamber Orchestra at the Wigmore Hall
8 April	Pull the other one: Travesties at the Apollo Theatre
7 April	Someone turn down the brass: Berg and Mahler with the LSO at the Barbican
1 April	A shining example: Jewels at the ROH

April 2017

1 April	An irresistible programme: New York Philharmonic play Bartók and Mahler at the Barbican
29 March	Not for purists/grumps: Twelfth Night at the National Theatre
27 March	BLWRAAAAAHHHGH-uck-urggh: The White Devil at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
17 March	Characterization, characterization, characterization: Hamlet at the Almeida
16 March	I demand to be devastated: The Human Seasons/After the Rain/Flight Pattern at the ROH
11 March	Wagner was not a feminist (and that's ok): Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at the ROH
11 March	The long and short of it: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at the Old Vic
10 March	Scarytales and deep dark demons: Stepmother/Stepfather at The Place
7 March	Almost as awkward as real life – in a good way: The Cherry Orchard at the Arcola
5 March	The Wayniest thing ever: Tree of Codes at Sadler's Wells
3 March	Cheer up, Ryan! The Winter's Tale at ENO

February 2017

27 February	Stage magic: The Glass Menagerie at the Duke of York's Theatre
25 February	What, no Nancarrow? Adams's Grand Pianola Music at the Barbican
23 February	Play it again, Sam: Aimard in the 'Emperor' and Tansy Davies's Concerto for Four Horns at the Southbank Centre
21 February	Poor old Berg: Lulu at the Hamburgische Staatsoper
19 February	A bargain at €700 million: Beethoven at Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie
16 February	Early days: The Sleeping Beauty at the ROH
10 February	Please could you just die already: Adriana Lecouvreur at the ROH
7 February	Can't say no to Beethoven: Pinchas Zuckmern at the Southbank Centre
4 February	Woolf Works sometimes, sometimes not: Wayne McGregor's Woolf Works at the ROH
1 February	May I have my Adès less deconstructed: In Seven Days with the London Sinfonietta at the Southbank Centre

January 2017

30 January	There will be blood and ondes martinots: There Will Be Blood in concert at the Southbank Centre
27 January	So many enfants terribles: Les Enfants Terribles at the Barbican Theatre
26 January	Worra lorra Trovatore: Il trovatore at the ROH
22 January	Leave it to the musicians: Fidelio at the Southbank Centre