Live concerts are something we all missed throughout the lockdowns brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, and they are only recently starting to make a return. From experimental ensembles to historical recreations, here are ten memorable live music concerts from the Wales Arts Review archive.
Sinfonia Cymru: Birdsong / Cân Yr Adar | Live
In 2018, Nigel Jarrett reviewed a performance of the bilingual song-cycle Birdsong / Cân Yr Adar by Sinfonia Cymru.
Read the full review here.
Gruff Rhys With BBC National Orchestra Of Wales | Festival Of Voice
During the Cardiff Festival of Voice 2018, Super Furry Animals’ lead singer Gruff Rhys gave an impressive performance as a solo artist, accompanied by the seventy-two-piece BBC NOW.
Read the full review here.
Cath Barton explored the unusual combination of voice, harp, clarinet and double bass in her review of The Hermes Experiment.
Read the full review here.
Live | International Women’s Day Concert (BBCNOW)
Next is BBC NOW’s International Women’s Day Concert 2019. Including works by Augusta Holmès, Clara Schumann, Joan Tower and Florence B. Price, the celebratory concert at Hoddinott Hall was reviewed by Cath Barton.
Read the full review here.
Wall2Wall Jazz Festival 2019 | Live
In 2019, the Wall2Wall Jazz Festival grew to become a seven-day celebration of jazz. Here, Nigel Jarrett reviewed the Abergavenny-based live music event.
Read the full review here.
Later in 2019, the innovative percussion group Ensemble Bash performed a lunchtime concert at the RWCMD. Cath Barton reviewed the event.
Read the full review here.
Mrs Peachum’s Guide To Love & Marriage | Live
Nigel Jarrett was at Blackwood Miners’ Institute to share his thoughts on a performance of a new version of John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera: Mid Wales Opera’s Mrs Peachum’s Guide to Love & Marriage.
Read the full review here.
Khamira | Live Performance At RWCMD
Indo-Welsh jazz band Khamira performed live at the RWCMD ahead of the recording of their second album. Gary Raymond reviewed the evening, which presented interpretations of music from Miles Davis’ 1970s albums.
Read the full review here.
Beethoven: The 1808 Concert | Live
As part of the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, the WNO orchestra and BBC NOW joined forces to recreate the 1808 Vienna concert. Nigel Jarrett reviewed the event.
Read the full review here.
Ryan Bancroft Conducts BBC NOW | BBC Proms
Here, David Truslove reviewed the debut from Ryan Bancroft as conductor of the BBC NOW for their first socially distanced appearance at this year’s proms.
Read the full review here.
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