FREE UK SHIPPING OVER £35!The Spin Doctor Europadisc's Weekly Column
March of the Women
6th November 2024
When the history of classical music in the first quarter of the 21st century comes to be written, commentators will surely note the sudden upsurge of interest in music by women composers. Boosted by – among other things – the #MeToo movement of 2017 which sought to give abused women a voice, the increased attention has been evident both in the concert hall and in the recording studio. Creative voices long silenced by institutionalised male prejudice are at last being rediscovered, and now not a month goes past without... read more
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Plucking Brilliant: New Lute and Theorbo Recordings
29th October 2024
Most music lovers will only encounter plucked early music instruments like the lute and its deeper cousin, the theorbo, in larger venues as part of an ensemble, either accompanying a singer or in opera houses as part of a large contingent of continuo instruments in works by the like of Monteverdi, Lully or Charpentier. But to hear these remarkable instruments in more intimate surroundings – or on disc – in solo music is always a special pleasure. The artistry of lutenists and theorbists combines the ability to make the... read more
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Music Education: For the Many or the Few?
22nd October 2024
We have written before in this column about the lack of diversity of appeal in classical music, and in particular the older demographic which tends to make up both live audiences and purchasers of recordings. Many performing musicians have spoken out against funding cuts which they see as posing unprecedented dangers to the art form. Quick fixes in box-ticking such as community-based projects are often prioritised over the long-term survival of those very organisations which are best placed to deliver such ‘outreach’: ask... read more
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Leif Segerstam (1944–2024)
15th October 2024
The Finnish conductor and composer Leif Segerstam, who died last week at the age of 80, was in every sense a larger than life figure. When he first emerged on the musical scene in the 1960s, as a trained violinist and pianist as well as composer, he was (alarmingly for those who only got to know him in later years) a clean-shaven though never exactly lean youngster, but he soon took on the hirsute appearance of an archetypal Scandinavian shaman.
He was born on 2 March 1944 in Vaasa, on Finland’s west coast, into a... read more
Celebrating the Czech Philharmonic
8th October 2024
It’s a particular pleasure to be able to congratulate the Czech Philharmonic on their Gramophone award of ‘Orchestra of the Year’ in this Year of Czech Music – a year, moreover, which marks the bicentenary of Bedřich Smetana’s birth. Like Smetana, the Czech Philharmonic is central to the musical life of the Czech nation, although its origins are more recent. It can trace its origins back to 4 January 1896, when musicians from Prague’s National Theatre – a focal point in the Czech nation-building project – gave a concert... read more
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