The news that Alex Ross is now the only full-time classical music critic on an American magazine has got me thinking about the changing status of reviews. Gone are the days when an ‘important’ concert would routinely be reviewed by all the major papers. When I was a young professional I used to walk down to a […]

Sad news that Edward Greenfield has died. He was senior music critic of The Guardian for many years, and a longstanding contributor to Gramophone magazine. Although ‘Ted’ was a professional critic, it always seemed to me that he was determined to accentuate the positive, which marked him out from many of his peers. I had particular reason to be grateful to Ted […]

‘Sleeping in Temples is the fourth book by the pianist and author Susan Tomes. The book is drawn from the author’s memories, experiences and thoughts about the music she has been intensely and sincerely committed to as a pianist performing at the highest international standard for many years. Tomes describes the book as being about the […]

On Friday I played Mozart’s K414 concerto with the Aurea Quartet in the Cottier Festival in Glasgow. Today’s Herald carries a delightful review by senior critic Michael Tumelty; as the Herald Online is sometimes tricky for non-subscribers to access, here is the review.   ‘THERE are some moments in concert performance where everything, magically, just clicks. It’s the time, […]

Today’s Herald carries a review, by senior critic Michael Tumelty, of Friday’s Cottier Chamber Project opening night. As the review is only accessible online to subscribers, I’ll post it here. Susan Tomes/Daniel’s Beard, Cottier’s Theatre, Glasgow ‘THERE was a marvellous sense on Friday night of the Cottier Chamber Project setting out its stall and throwing open its doors, with […]