In concert – Hugh Cutting, Irish Baroque Orchestra / Peter Whelan @ Wigmore Hall

Posted on by
Reply

Hugh Cutting (countertenor), Irish Baroque Orchestra (Peter Whelan, director)

Programme including pieces by Mozart, Gluck, Johann Christian Bach, Johann Christian Fischer, Tommaso Giordani and Thomas Arne. Full repertoire list at the bottom of this review

Wigmore Hall, London, 9 March 2026

by John Earls. Photo credits John Earls

Giusto Ferdinando Tenducci (c. 1735-90) may not be a name on many people’s lips but he was something of a superstar in his day (his portrait was painted by Gainsborough twice). The Siena-born soprano castrato (who were the pop stars of their time) was not just a successful singer but his celebrity also featured a colourful life that included spells in a debtors’ prison and a scandal involving him marrying his teenage singing pupil Dorothea (Dora) Maunsell – the couple met in Dublin in Ireland but eloped to Cork, where he was also jailed for a time (the marriage was later annulled).

This concert explored the world and music of Tenducci and his time in Ireland (he spent the early part of his career touring Italian and German cities and came to prominence in London and Ireland in the late 1750s and early 1760s). The Irish Baroque Orchestra released the album The Trials of Tenducci: A Castrato in Ireland (Linn Records) in 2021 and a number of its pieces featured tonight, although there were some compositions too. On the album the singer is Irish mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught. Tonight’s singer was British countertenor Hugh Cutting, a BBC New Generation Artist (2022–24) and the first countertenor to win the Kathleen Ferrier Award. Cutting impressed me as Arsace in English National Opera’s recent surrealist production of Handel’s Partenope, and he made a very strong impact in this performance.

In a nice scene setter, the concert began with Mozart’s Symphony no. 1 which the composer wrote when he was just eight years old, about the time when Tenducci met him in England in 1764. The first set also included two arias from Mozart’s third opera Mitridate: re di Ponto: Già dagli occhi and Venga pur Minacci (which closed the first half) seeing Cutting give rein to his strong stage presence and in the latter, an, at times, literally pointed delivery.

The rest of the first set featured Thomas Arne’s Vengeance, O come inspire me! from Alfred (a forceful opener from Cutting with lively, bright accompaniment from the orchestra) and Water parted from the sea from Artaxerxes (which ran for some 33 performances in Dublin in 1765-66), delivered with clarity by Cutting (not so much the audience member who coughed loudly at the end).

Another first set highlight was the orchestra’s performance of Johann Christian Fischer’s Gramachree Molly with variations from the Oboe Concerto No. 7 which spotlighted some gorgeously expressive and fluent oboe playing by Emma Black.

The young Mozart’s Symphony no. 4 opened the second half followed by three pieces from Gluck’s opera Orfeo ed Euridice. Here the orchestra was in full command for Dance of the Furies with the two horn players holding their instrument’s bells upright for maximum impact. Cutting’s singing on Ahimè! dove trascorsi! and Che farò senza Euridice? was clear and passionate.

There then followed a piece where the orchestra absolutely shined. Tommaso Giordani’s The Celebrated Overture and Irish Medley to The Island of Saints saw Emma Black working oboe magic again, beautifully accompanied by plucked strings, for Shepherds I Have Lost My Love. The Irish Medley was given a joyous performance of its selection of Irish folk melodies featuring some fantastic fiddle playing. It was rewarded with rapturous applause – a perfect early Saint Patrick’s Day celebration. There was more Giordani of a different sort next with Caro mio ben, with Cutting’s vocals hanging confidently and elegantly.

Johann Christian Bach’s Vo solcando un mar crudele from Artaserse W.G 1 was a crisp, rousing finale giving full expression to Cutting’s virtuosity. A repeat of Caro mio ben served as an encore and was even more glorious than the first time round.

This was a mesmerising evening with a wonderful programme that highlighted that baroque music in Ireland goes further than the celebrated premiere of Handel’s Messiah in Dublin in 1742. Hugh Cutting and the Irish Baroque Orchestra are an outstanding combination. I hope there is more to come.

Hugh Cutting and the Irish Baroque Orchestra performed the following repertoire:

Mozart Symphony No. 1 in E flat major K16
Arne Vengeance, O come inspire me! from Alfred
Mozart Già dagli occhi from Mitridate, re di Ponto
Johann Christian Fischer Gramachree Molly with variations from Oboe Concerto No. 7
Arne Water parted from the sea from Artaxerxes
Mozart Venga pur Minacci from Mitridate, re di Ponto; Symphony No. 4 in D major K19
Gluck Dance of the Furies; Ahimè! dove trascorsi!; Che farò senza Euridice? from Orfeo ed Euridice
Giordani The Celebrated Overture and Irish Medley to The Island of Saints; Caro mio ben;
Johann Christian Bach Vo solcando un mar crudele from Artaserse W.G 1

John Earls is Director of Research at Unite the Union and posts at @johnearls.bsky.social on Bluesky and @john_earls on X. You can subscribe (free) to his Hanging Out a Window Substack column here: https://johnearls.substack.com/

Published post no.2,825 – Tuesday 10 March 2026

In Concert – Michael Collins & Wu Qian @ Wigmore Hall: Finzi, Martinů, Milhaud, Tailleferre & Arnold Cooke (reviewed online)

Posted on by
Reply

Michael Collins (clarinet, above), Wu Qian (piano, below)

Finzi 5 Bagatelles Op.23 (1920-9)
Martinů Sonatina for clarinet and piano (1956)
Milhaud Duo Concertante Op.351 (1956)
Tailleferre Arabesque (1973)
Cooke Clarinet Sonata in B flat (1959)

Wigmore Hall, London
Monday 9 March, 1.05pm

Reviewed from the online broadcast by Ben Hogwood Photo of Michael Collins (c) Jack Lewis Williams

This was the first public appearance for Michael Collins and Wu Qian as a duo, yet together – on BBC Radio 3’s Lunchtime Concert at least – they displayed an easy familiarity, suggesting a partnership of a longer vintage.

They began with five much-loved miniatures from Gerald Finzi, often heard in isolation on rival radio stations. Collins and Qian enjoyed the bustling counterpoint of the outer Prelude and Fughetta movements, but the emotional heart of the set lay in the lovingly phrased Romance and Forlana, whose lilting rhythms were persuasively played, and the solemn Carol. The downbeat mood, inhabited from wartime struggles, was especially pertinent, though the Fughetta gave the music renewed energy in this performance.

Martinů’s Clarinet Sonatina is a late work, completed during a brief second stay in New York. The Czech composer was used to relocating at short notice on account of Nazi invasions of his homeland and Paris, but this brief second trip to America was an ultimately unsuccessful career move. The Sonatina inhabits the composer’s restlessness, looking longingly across the Atlantic towards Paris. This was captured by Collins and Qian in the bare piano octaves and reflective melody of the Andante, while the finale found greater conviction of feeling.

While Martinů pined for the French capital, Darius Milhaud was writing his Duo Concertant as a competition piece for his Paris Conservatoire students. Milhaud rarely outstays his welcome, and the piece was wrapped up with typical humour and a heartfelt central episode, gracefully played. Meanwhile the Arabesque of Milhaud’s fellow ‘Les Six’ member, Germaine Tailleferre, was a softly undulating dance that proved restrained yet elegant.

The English composer Arnold Cooke acquired a continental edge to his music thanks to a period of study with Paul Hindemith in the 1920s. His compositions for clarinet were written for Franz Reizenstein, also a pupil of Hindemith, and include a concerto and quintet. The airy first movement of the Clarinet Sonata in B flat – written deliberately without major or minor key labelling – was similarly elusive, its questioning line thoughtfully phrased by Collins in a satisfying balance with Qian.

The strident second movement is laced with humour which Collins was keen to bring out, before a probing slow movement with private asides from the clarinet hints at darker thoughts, particularly in its low burbling notes from the instrument near the end, suggesting a watery contemplation. The Finale swept these thoughts aside, making demands on Collins’ agility with the wide range of its thematic material, common across the work. The music dipped and weaved its way through a number of entertaining figures, plumping resoundingly for the major key in a hugely satisfying coda.

You can listen to this concert on BBC Sounds until 9th April.

Published post no.2,824 – Monday 9 March 2026

In appreciation – David Gilmour @ 80

Posted on by
Reply

by Ben Hogwood

On Friday, the Pink Floyd guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour turned 80. I was fortunate to see him live at the Royal Albert Hall in 2006, so wanted to pay appreciation in the form of a favourite memory, a performance of Comfortably Numb with ex-bandmate Rick Wright:

Published post no.2,823 – Sunday 8 March 2026

Switched On – Moby: Future Quiet (BMG)

Posted on by
Reply

Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Quiet is the new loud for Moby, who revisits his ambient roots for album no.23. The springboard for this appears to have been the appearance of When It’s Cold I’d Like To Die, the closing track from the 1994 album Everything Is Wrong, in prominent parts of the Stranger Things series.

That song opens Future Quiet, sung by Gabriels singer Jacob Lusk, while Moby works in a sequence of vocal and instrumental tracks that are mostly on the slow and ambient side.

What’s the music like?

There is little doubt that this is the style Moby does best, his slightly mournful take on electronic ambient music working a treat here.

The vocal guests acquit themselves extremely well, none more so than serpentwithfeet on the understated On Air, India Carney on Precious Mind, and Moby himself on the plaintive This Was Never Meant For Us.

Yet less is more in this area of music, and if anything Moby’s instrumental music speaks with greater clarity. Ruhe and Great Absence are intimate piano pieces that could easily be played in the same house as the listener, while Mott Street 1992 circles back to its main piano motif. Subtle, floated vocals from Elise Serenelle boost Estrella Del Mar, while Tallinn has a lovely solo violin.

Does it all work?

Pretty much. On rare occasions the music threatens to be over-produced, but in general the room Moby affords his music adds to its emotional reach and ambience.

Is it recommended?

Yes, enthusiastically. Moby’s response to a frantic, fraught world is to seek solace in ambient music, and that we can easily join him that says much for the content of Future Quiet. It speaks very subtly but leaves a calming imprint that lasts long after you stop listening.

Listen / Buy

You can explore purchase options for physical formats of Future Quiet at the Norman Records website

Published post no.2,822 – Saturday 7 March 2026

New Music – Shabaka: Of The Earth (Shabaka Records)

Posted on by
Reply

by Ben Hogwood, with text from the press release

Shabaka has today released his new solo album Of The Earth, available today worldwide via his newly formed label Shabaka Records.

Written, performed, produced and mixed entirely by Shabaka, Of The Earth marks a defining moment in the British musician’s ongoing artistic evolution. Widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in contemporary British music, Shabaka has spent the past decade reshaping global perceptions of UK jazz through projects including Sons of Kemet, The Comet Is Coming and Shabaka and the Ancestors. With Of The Earth, he steps forward not only as a bandleader and instrumentalist, but as a producer crafting his sound from the ground up.

The album follows 2024’s internationally acclaimed Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace, which introduced a new phase of Shabaka’s practice centred on flute, breath and meditative sonic space. Of The Earth extends that transformation while reconnecting with the rhythmic propulsion that has long defined his work. Built from beats, loops and layered instrumentation recorded across multiple locations, the album synthesises the diasporic rhythms of Caribbean and African traditions with electronic production and improvisation.

Much of Of The Earth was created while travelling, with Shabaka working from portable instruments and digital production tools. Electronic rhythms and looping structures form the album’s foundation, while choral melodies unfold across alto flute, saxophone and clarinet. The music reflects a sense of movement – tracing diasporic pathways through sound while remaining grounded in rhythm and breath.

For the first time on record, Shabaka also raps. Inspired in part by André 3000, the decision emerged naturally from his deep relationship with hip hop. Having grown up practicing instruments over rap beats, he approached his voice as another instrument within the album’s sonic ecosystem, exploring cadence, phrasing and breath alongside flute and saxophone.

The album also marks a renewed relationship with the saxophone. After publicly stepping away from the instrument in recent years, Shabaka returned to it during the memorial concert for South African jazz legend Louis Moholo-Moholo in 2025. On Of The Earth, the saxophone reappears not as the dominant voice of earlier projects but as one element within a broader instrumental palette shaped by years of studying global flute traditions.

Shabaka will celebrate the album’s release with a special live launch performance at Village Underground, London on April 7th 2026, where he will present the music in an evolving hybrid format blending live instrumentation, improvisation and manipulated stems from the album recordings. With Of The Earth, Shabaka reveals a new dimension of his artistry, one that unites instrumental virtuosity, beatmaking and experimentation into a singular creative vision.

Published post no.2,821 – Friday 5 March 2026