Heavenly music: The Sixteen in Oxford’s Christ Church Cathedral

The programme notes for The Sixteen’s 2013 Choral Pilgrimage draw attention to how composers have been inspired by the grandeur and beauty of their places of worship and work. In this context, the setting for The Sixteen’s concert in Oxford was more than suitable. Completed in 1200, Christ Church Cathedral is a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. For a long time this cathedral was the smallest in England, and for Saturday’s concert the intimate space was packed full of choral music devotees.

Read my full review at Bachtrack.

Exceptional Britten and Dvořák from Maxim Vengerov and the Oxford Philomusica

Just a few weeks after the announcement that Oxford would be hosting the UK’s first major Stradivari exhibition this June, Maxim Vengerov gave a phenomenal performance on one of the Italian craftsman’s instruments. Performing on the ex-Kreutzer instrument made in 1727, Vengerov’s performance with the Oxford Philomusica was unforgettable.

Read my full review at Bachtrack.