Ivan Hewett

“The simplest and most full-blooded conception” is how Wagner described his opera Tristan and Isolde, which received a tremendous concert performance by a stellar cast and the LSO under Antonio Pappano’s baton at the Barbican. On the surface, that’s true. To describe the plot needs barely a paragraph. The hero, Tristan, is sent by the King of Cornwall to fetch the bride Isolde from Ireland. Aided by Isolde’s maid Brangäne’s love potion, they fall deliriously in love. The King discovers their treachery, Tristan is stabbed and lies helpless, waiting for Isolde to come across the sea and save him with her magic healing arts.

Tristan and Isolde, Barbican ★★★★★ “The simplest and most full-blooded conception” is how Wagner described his opera Tristan and Isolde , which

From rock 'n' roll to Ross and Rachel, superheroes to skyscrapers, over the past two and a half centuries America has arguably had a greater influence than any other nation on how our lives look and sound.

Ivan Hewett Summer is afoot and classical music's festival season is bursting into bloom.

In Garsington Opera’s The Importance of Being Earnest, laughs are outnumbered by nightmarish sets and monstrous characters

“If you've gone too far,” said Jean Cocteau, “there's only one thing to do: go further.” The team involved in this intermittently amusing but

The evenings are just beginning to shorten, Wimbledon and the World Cup have passed, the grass is starting to look parched. You could almost think the best of the summer is over. But for classical music lovers it’s just starting. The Proms have launched, a brilliant sunburst of music extending for eight weeks right through to the autumn. There are 86 concerts, including 20 new pieces, great international orchestras, stellar soloists. It’s a feast, as always.

Ivan Hewett The world's biggest classical music festival is upon us and this year's programme is truly spectacular.

What would “prog rock” sound like… without the rock? That was the question underlying this peculiar yet entertaining concert as Prog went to the

Given that all the concerts are free to listen to online, the Proms offer a chance for an orchestra to shine on a wider stage, and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra has certainly seized that opportunity....