Category Archives: Playlists

In appreciation: Herbert Blomstedt

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by Ben Hogwood Photo Matthias Creutziger

Last week we heard the sad news of the death of much-loved Swedish conductor Herbert Blomstedt, at the ripe old age of 99.

Blomstedt was a fine conductor of symphonic music, and I wanted to choose a playlist with personal resonance which draws on that, as well as some music from the stage. My personal favourites include Nordic composers Berwald, Grieg, Nielsen and Sibelius, along with Hindemith – whose orchestral music he recorded in memorable accounts for Decca – and finally Beethoven’s Symphony no.7, which I was fortunate to watch him conduct with the Philharmonia Orchestra in 2017.

With grateful thanks to him for some wonderful music making!

You can listen to the playlist on Tidal

Published post no.3,073 – Monday 9 November 2026

In appreciation: Stephen Kovacevich

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by Ben Hogwood Photo: David Thompson/EMI Classics

Earlier this week we learned of the sad news that leading pianist Stephen Kovacevich had passed away at the age of 86.

A truly great pianist, Kovacevich was in later years an insightful conductor too. I was very fortunate to meet him at his house back in 2015, where he gave an interview full of insight, humour and generous detail. His generosity and geniality shone through at that meeting, but so did a fierce creative intensity running through his finest recordings.

I have put together a Tidal playlist which you can access by clicking here

Published post no.3,062 – Thursday 29 October 2026

Playlist: Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment @ 40

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by Ben Hogwood

This month, London’s Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment have been celebrating their 40th birthday…so Arcana have taken the opportunity to join in the celebrations by crafting a playlist from their discography. If you click here, you can enjoy a selection including works by Rameau, Handel, Brahms and Mahler:

https://tidal.com/playlist/8fb15e7f-d576-4eee-af5e-b59c2b33f86a

Published post no.2,932 – Monday 29 June 2026

Podcast – Whisky High Notes

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by Ben Hogwood

In something of a rarity for the Arcana pages, I’m very pleased to say I have made a guest appearance on Naomi Belshaw‘s very excellent Whisky High Notes podcast. The idea is to pick four meaningful pieces of classical music and present them to Naomi, who thoughtfully and creatively pairs each with a whisky.

My appearance is on episode four, which you can watch below:

I would strongly encourage you to watch the rest of the series, whose contributors so far include artistic director of King’s Place Sam McShane, viola player Dan Shalliday and composer Dobrinka Tabakova. Click here to access the Whisky High Notes homepage

Published post no.2,930 – Saturday 27 June 2026

In appreciation: Dame Felicity Lott

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by Ben Hogwood picture (c) Trevor Leighton

Just over two weeks ago the sad news of the death of popular British soprano Dame Felicity Lott was announced. ‘Flott’, as she was affectionately known, was one of the finest singers to grace UK opera houses and concert stages from the second half of the 20th century onwards.

This obituary for the Guardian reveals her career and accomplishments in detail, but Arcana had great enjoyment in putting together this Tidal playlist below as an indication of just how strong her career on record came to be.

Click here to access the selection on Tidal

Published post no.2,903 – Sunday 31 May 2026