Gavin Dixon

1 week ago | gramophone.co.uk | Gavin Dixon

Gavin Dixon The opera director Pierre Audi has died in Beijing at the age of 67. Audi was principally associated with the Almeida Theatre in London and with Dutch National Opera. He pioneered a collaborative approach between art forms, which saw him work with some of the leading names in the visual arts and architecture. The repertoire of works that he directed was wide, ranging from the Baroque through to Wagner and into the present day, including nearly 40 world premieres.

2 months ago | gramophone.co.uk | Gavin Dixon

Gavin Dixon The composer Sofia Gubaidulina has died in Germany at the age of 93. Gubaidulina was one of the leading Russian composers of her generation, pioneering Modernist techniques and religious themes at a time when both were repressed by the Soviet authorities. She spent the last decades of her life in Germany, writing large-scale works to commissions from Western orchestras, but always retaining strong links to her Orthodox faith and Russian roots.

Aug 27, 2024 | cambridge.org | Gavin Dixon

In 1990, Alfred Schnittke and his wife, Irina, settled in Hamburg, the city remaining the composer's home until his death in 1998. The years that followed were the most productive of the composer's life. He was already at the peak of his fame and attracted many commissions for large-scale works. He was remarkably industrious despite serious health problems, suffering strokes in 1985, 1991 and 1994, the last paralysing the right side of his body.

Aug 27, 2024 | gramophone.co.uk | Gavin Dixon

‘Kaufmann sings Tristan’ … was not the title of this concert, but it might as well have been. The Gstaad Menuhin Festival, held every summer high in the Swiss Alps, peppers its six-week programme with performances from high-profile stars. A Festival Orchestra is on hand to accompany, and a festival tent serves as the main venue. Here, a wooden acoustic shell accommodates the orchestra and projects its sound effectively, though the singers, standing stage front, don’t get the same benefit.

Aug 26, 2024 | theartsdesk.com | Gavin Dixon

The summer festival circuit in Central Europe can be a bit of a merry-go-round. Notices in festival towns promise world-class orchestras and soloists, but they are usually the same performers, making festival appearances as part of broader touring schedules. But a festival needs to be distinctive, it needs to be unique. Any hint of routine is fatal to its spirit of occasion.