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posted by Ben Hogwood Next week sees the start of Autumn programming for classical concert venues – among them London’s much-loved Wigmore Hall. Once again they will be presenting a series of weekly Monday lunchtime concerts, broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and featuring much-loved international artists and young, up-and-coming performers from the BBC New Generation Artists scheme.

Julie Roset (soprano), Sinfonia of London Strings / John Wilson Berkeley Serenade for Strings Op.12 (1938-9) Bridge Lament H117 (1915) Britten Les illuminations Op.18 (1939) Imogen Holst Suite for String Orchestra (1943) Britten Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge Op.10 (1937) Royal Albert Hall, London Sunday 6 September 2026, 11am Reviewed by Richard Whitehouse Photos (c) BBC / Chris Christodoulou Just weeks after the heady excess of Respighi’s ‘Roman Triptych’, John Wilson and Sinfonia of...

posted by Ben Hogwood, with text from Bandcamp This poignant re-release of a long-lost track is a fitting memorial to Ken Downie, the much-missed founder of The Black Dog. Its Bandcamp commentary, from The Black Dog members Martin and Richard Dust, reads as follows: “I don’t remember talking to Ken about this album very much. I do remember his manager sending me the album and singles, along with a bit of chat about the quality of Jimmy Cauty’s remixes.

Augustin Hadelich (violin), Berliner Philharmoniker / Kirill Petrenko Beethoven Violin Concerto in D major Op.61 (1806) Scriabin Symphony no.3 in C minor, Op.43 ‘Le poème divin’ (1902-04) Royal Albert Hall, London Thursday 3 September 2026 Reviewed by Richard Whitehouse Photos (c) BBC / Chris Christodoulou Their second appearance this season saw Kirill Petrenko and the Berliner Philharmoniker tackling pieces that, written almost a century apart, could hardly have offered greater contrast in...

Reviewed by Ben Hogwood What’s the story? Rhythmique Nocturne is the first solo album from Christian Prommer in over ten years, picking up from the successes of Drumlesson Zwei and Übermood, complementing his work as part of Trüby Trio, Fauna Flash, Drumlesson and Voom:Voom. Prommer, in the words of his Bandcamp, “distils ten years of Berlin into a twilight drift between order and abandon.

Reviewed by Ben Hogwood What’s the story? This is the second collaboration between Abul Mogard and Rafael Anton Irisarri, created during a three-day residency at Berlin’s Morphine Raum. The duo recorded their performances live while also reshaping their work, using rotary speakers, modular synthesizers and bowed guitar. All were captured through a vintage (1970s!) mixing console and microphones placed around the room.

Royal Ballet Sinfonia / Pete Harrison, Gavin Sutherland (The Magical Kingdom), Barry Wordsworth (Journey to Lapland) Adam Saunders The Magical Kingdom (2003) Fairytale Sleighride (2008) Journey to Lapland (2020) Ballet for Strings (2025) Capriccio (2025) Parade of the Snowman (2025) Sinfonietta (2025) Sketches of New York (2025) Three Pieces (2025) Heritage Records HTGCD117 [68’12”] Producer Philip Lane Engineers Tony Faulkner, Mike Ross-Trevor (The Magical Kingdom) Recorded 4 February 2023...

by Ben Hogwood I had to end #AmbientAugust with Brian Eno. Music for Airports has proved a timeless piece of music with real inner calm and unexpected versatility, and it arranges so well for the Bang On A Can ensemble. This is truly mindful music: VIDEO Thanks for following all the posts this month! Published post no.3,002 – Monday 31 August 2026

by Ben Hogwood One of the landmarks in recent ambient music, Chill Out dates from 1990, and was conceived as a continuous album playing for 44 minutes. It shows off the versatility of The KLF and simultaneously paves the way for the music of The Orb. With snatches of songs and field recordings, it changes the way you listen as you’re listening to it, putting time on hold as the mind becomes fully immersed. Naturally, it is best experienced in full: Published post no.3,001 – Monday 31 August 2026

by Ben Hogwood My favourite musician in the ambient sphere working today…Loscil finds music of rare natural purity, often evoking the stunning British Columbia coastline where he lives: VIDEO Published post no.3,000 – Sunday 30 August 2026