With a spare evening in Düsseldorf, Hänsel und Gretel seemed our best bet. Purchasing very reasonably priced stalls seats, we made our way through the busy but spacious foyers of the opera house. It’s originally from the nineteenth century, but then rebuilt in the 1950s, a comfortable combination. A great many small schoolchildren were waiting to see the opera, led by parents and energetic teachers (even on a Saturday evening!...

In case it’s useful to know, I discovered that there are three churches in the Haarlem area named after St Bavo. The one I was meant to be visiting is the Catholic Cathedral, an enormous early 20th century basilica, neo-romantic, neo-everything, but inside full of beautiful detail, stone, tiling, ironwork.  My reasons for visiting were musical ones, and indeed as I walked in before the Sunday service I heard the organist doing...

When walking round the Vondelpark in Amsterdam I’ve often spied the large, outwardly gloomy former church which is now a musical centre called the Orgelpark. As a supposed fan of organ music, I always felt rather guilty I’d never been inside. On a free evening this week I noticed that Ton Koopman would be giving a solo recital – I really had no excuse.

Of course, the visit was revelatory. Not just Koopman’s wonderful, witty per...

Despite the ferociously crowded rush hour trains, followed by the steep climb up Egham Hill, I always enjoy night-time trips out to Royal Holloway College. What a fabulous sight this Victorian wedding cake-type building is, lit up amongst the dark woody landscape. My photo shows the incredible decoration of the Chapel, but on this evening I was heading for the equally lofty Picture Gallery next door.

Composer/conductor Nathan J...

Welcome to Not Now Bernard and other stories, a new album performed by the excellent Orchestra of the Swan under Tom Hammond. Three stories for narrator and orchestra by Bernard Hughes are the main feature, the speaker being none other than Alexander Armstrong.

Speech with music can be dangerous, as I well know from years of working with storytellers. The listener’s brain can get very confused, switching from music to speech be...

A few years ago I wrote a short piece for viola and soprano, The Sweet Primroses. It had a couple of performances, and I mostly forgot about it. Then viola player Katherine Clarke got in touch. She was going to include The Sweet Primroses in a recital. I asked her who would be singing. ‘I will’ was her very surprising reply.

Extremely intrigued, I made my way to St Stephen Walbrook in the City of London for Katharine’s solo lun...

The Grand Final of the Commonwealth International Composition Award took place this week in Overseas House. Notables rubbed shoulders with humble composers at this friendly event, which showcased ten compositions by school age finalists from all over the Commonwealth, played live in London, with video links. All over ? Yes, from Trinidad to New Zealand. The mind boggled.

Responsible for the whole idea, and its impeccable execut...

Bristol is one of a choice few places from my UK-wide travels which is looking better than when I last saw it. Spending a couple of days in its renewed centre was a sparkling experience even in grey stormy weather, and quite Parisian in places along the quays of the Avon. A decade ago I remember it being named as a national cycling city, although I’d say there is still progress to be made here, with quite a bit of scary motori...

Birmingham is changing by the week. With all the rebuilding going on at present, it’s unrecognisable to a longtime but irregular visitor like myself. My method of navigating via landmarks I could remember from the old days (such as St Martin in the Bullring, pictured) wasn’t much help while I searched for the new Conservatoire building, somewhere amidst a heap of new architecture, and arrived at Young Composers’ Project at lea...

I try never to miss a concert by the National Youth Orchestra. Who else would team up (as on this evening) Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem with Shostakovich’s The Year 1905 (his 11th Symphony, one of the good ones) ? And play them with septuple woodwind, 10 horns, 8 trombones, 3 tubas ?

You have to get used to the balance of course – the orchestra must have thought long and hard about this, with conductor Jaime Martin. As a liste...