Previews

Personal previews about things I’m going to see, or things I’d like to see. For full event listings, please see the what’s on page.

Caesar and Cleopatra in all their glory

Handel’s Giulio Cesare is a sumptuous feast of an opera, with one ravishing aria after another. I’m absolutely thrilled that ETO have chosen it for this autumn’s production, coming to Durham for two nights in October, and to introduce you to my favourite Handel opera, I’ve put together a summary and playlist of the best arias.

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Oompah Brass performing at streets of brass 2014

Praise the God of Brass

Fresh from the first rehearsal for an exciting new transcription of Walton’s ‘Belshazzar’s Feast”, my preview of DurhamBRASS 2017 focuses on two major concerts for choirs and brass instruments.

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image of figure crossing the red sea

Not the Messiah…. Israel in Egypt

Royal Northern Sinfonia with Nicholas McGegan and six Samling Artist soloists bring a Handel oratorio to Durham Cathedral in Holy Week. But it’s not Messiah. I’ve been finding out more about the technicolor glories of Handel’s “Israel in Egypt” .

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Durham Vocal Festival

The first Durham Vocal Festival starts at the end of January with a week of choral music of all shapes and sizes, from the exquisite close harmony of the King’s Singers to a large scale project from Durham Choral Society, and a chance to hear the recently crowned BBC Choir of the Year, North East Voices of Hope.

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botanic gardens durham autumn

Autumn 2016 concerts

A run-down of some of the concerts taking place in Durham over the next few months, including one of the world’s greatest early music groups, baroque opera, Messiah, Royal Northern Sinfonia at Ushaw, and a world premiere performed by Orchestra North East.

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Durham Festival of the Arts 2016

Durham’s second Festival of the Arts, bringing together the university’s leading musical and theatre groups, begins on 3 June with a gala concert in the Cathedral. I’ve picked out a few of my highlights from the wide-ranging list of musical events on their programme.

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Durham Festival of the Arts 2015

There are always lots of student concerts on at this time of year, after exams are done, and this year they have come together to create the first Durham Festival of Arts. There’s lots going on, and the major music events are previewed here.

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