A quick declaration of intent before the World Cup Final begins!
World Cup Final 2026 – Chabrier: España
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BBC Proms 2026 – The First Night
by Ben Hogwood Photo (c) Chris Christodoulou
The 2026 edition of the BBC Proms is underway! With a Transatlantic first night, the BBC Symphony Chorus and BBC Symphony Orchestra under Dalia Stasevska were joined by pianist Yunchan Lim for a special performance of Ravel‘s Piano Concerto.
Flanking this were two pieces celebrating America’s 250th ‘birthday’, Copland‘s Fanfare for the Common Man and Gershwin‘s An American in Paris, while French-British composer Josephine Stephenson was the ideal choice to write a first night premiere, That the sunrise not leave us unmoved.
Wrapping up the night was a rare performance of Finzi‘s For St Cecilia, a choral work of typical mystery and elegance but one that deserved its rare moment in the sun. Choral and orchestral forces then gave an encore of the Oasis song Wonderwall, acknowledging the England team’s prowess in the World Cup. A red card for its choice, I’m afraid – and a shame to have Finzi’s contribution immediately overshadowed in this way. Wonderwall is a great song, but felt miscast here.
Enough of my griping, though – as we should acknowledge many people enjoyed the inclusion, and the night as a whole was a celebratory indication of what we can expect to indulge in over the next eight weeks. Truly something for everyone.
You can watch the First Night of the Proms on the BBC iPlayer
On Record – Emil Friis: Hollow Hands EP (FatCat Records)
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
What’s the story?
“She was my savior. And that was the problem. What was I to her? An empty prayer. A hollow hand.”
This quote comes from Kevin Brooks’ short film, For Goodbyes, and it resonated with pianist and producer Emil Friis, providing the inspiration and the title for this new EP of compositions.
As the press release describes, Friis uses “a carefully assembled recording chain consisting of Extinct Audio ribbon microphones, a vintage U47 and additional FET microphones — alongside processing through Moog filters and a Wellspring reverb unit”. To this he adds field recordings captured in Italy during the summer of 2025.
What’s the music like?
Hands, Hollowed proceeds with a steady toll from the piano, though surrounding it are clouds and watery ripples that reflect and refract the music. Some Fine Afternoon is drowsy in a really appealing way, a languid piano arpeggio dressed with something more ornate but equally calming.
Hands, Remembered is a slow memorial piece, stately in the progress of its piano chords but rather beautiful in the muffled chorale that surrounds them. As Sun I Meet You Now is an extended composition, which through its insistent electronic ticking initially sounds as though someone left a machine on by accident, at a distance of a quarter tone to the music. It introduces a blend of comfort and unease, resolved in the toll for the right hand with which the piece ends, a powerful and affirmative statement.
Does it all work?
It does – the four movements taken together provide a distinctive and valuable time out.
Is it recommended?
Yes. Dreamy escapism is on offer with this EP, but look closer and the detail is equally there to enjoy in subsequent listens. Recommended.
Listen / Buy
Published post no.2,950 – Friday 17 July 2026
New music – Justine Perry & Paula Koski: Paired Works (Ostgut Ton)
posted by Ben Hogwood, with text from Bandcamp
Paired Works is a double EP by Justine Perry and Paula Koski, developed in parallel within the same time and environment. Evolving through years of shared surroundings and creative exchange, the record emerges as a natural extension of that connection.
Produced separately, the tracks document two distinct inner worlds shaped through proximity. Justine Perry leans into deep, hypnotic forms, while Paula Koski moves through dubby and spacious structures driven by texture.
Across four sides, the record shifts between focused, forward-moving passages and more atmospheric moments, creating a subtle push and pull. Rather than settling into one singular moment on the dancefloor, it stretches across the shifting phases of a long club night. Timeless and elegant in its approach,
Paired Works will be released on 24 July 2026, and marks the debut release on Ostgut Ton for both artists
Published post no.2,949 – Thursday 16 July 2026
On this day – the death of Ernest Bloch
by Ben Hogwood. Picture of Bloch used courtesy of Wikipedia, unknown author
On this day in 1959, the Swiss-born American composer Ernest Bloch died at the age of 79.
Bloch was a fine composer who has seemingly yet to get the coverage his work deserves. The first piece of his I heard stuck with me, the Concerto Grosso no.1 for strings and piano. It is a powerful piece whose Transatlantic language – hinting at folk influences from either side of the world – is also a pointer towards screen soundtracks that would come along decades later.
Here it is in a fine performance from the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra under Howard Hanson:
Published post no.2,948 – Wednesday 15 July 2026
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