Classical Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams Mantegna
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An album from Albion Records is always something to look forward to, and I often find myself pondering why this should be so. Perhaps it's because the label represents a different age while simultaneously offering a refreshing twist on familiar territory. This latest release explores the hymn tunes of Ralph Vaughan Williams—who else?—as realised by other composers in a delightful variety of forms.
Classical Music: I Have Lived And Loved Vaughan Williams And Friends
The album's title comes from the final song, discovered only after the composer's 1958 death: "I have trod the upward and the downward slope; I have endured and done in days before; I have longed for all, and bid farewell to hope; and I have lived and loved, and closed the door."
Albums: Sam Ryder Heartland
Lyrically, Heartland mines territory many pass over: self-doubt, forgiveness, emotional weight, and the aftershocks of fame. But he doesn’t do it with heavy hands. White Lies and Suffer In Silence, explore the distance between what we show and what we feel.
Classical Music: Bliss: Miracle in the Gorbals; Metamorphic Variations
This is a release of genuine importance, one that demands the attention of anyone with a serious interest in twentieth-century British music. Arthur Bliss, a composer whose reputation has long rested somewhat uneasily in the shadow of his contemporaries, emerges here in vivid new light through two works that demonstrate the full range of his compositional powers.
Albums: Sigrid There’s Always More That I Could Say
While Sigrid’s earlier work leaned heavily into euphoric pop bangers, this third studio album showcases an artist at peace with both her triumphs and vulnerabilities. It’s a record that feels like a deep breath after years of running at full speed — intimate, grown-up, yet still shimmering with that Norwegian spark that first made her a household name.
The National Youth Orchestra Celebration Of Orchestral Music For Teenage Musicians
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The National Youth Orchestra (NYO) is proud to embark on NYO Unite, a series of free orchestral events bringing together 1,000 teenagers from across the NYO community. Taking place in six locations across the UK during the October half-term and early November, NYO Unite will visit Lancaster on 25th October and Barnsley on 27 October.
Gordon Cree Saltaire Sunday 9th November 2.30pm
Gordon Cree brings a rare blend of Scottish virtuosity, theatrical flair, and heartfelt musicality to the Wurlitzer stage in the next Wurlitzer organ concert at the Victoria Hall, Saltaire, on Sunday 9th November at 2.30pm. Born in Ayrshire in 1977, he was admitted at just 16 to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, graduating with a Bachelor of Music by age 20.
Duruflé And Mozart At Halifax Minster
Halifax Chamber Choir will be performing the Requiem by Maurice Durufle and the Coronation Mass by Mozart at Halifax Minster, Causeway, Halifax HX1 1QL on Saturday 15th November at 7.30pm. Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem, Op.
The Brit Fest Reveals 2026 Line Up
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The Brit Fest has revealed its full 2026 line-up, promising another year of live music, community spirit, and British pride when it returns to Ashley Hall Showground, Altrincham, from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th July 2026.
Opera North’s La bohème
The much-loved Phyllida Lloyd production of Puccini's La bohème returns to the stage with Opera North under Revival Director James Hurley. In freezing Paris we meet penniless poet Rodolfo. One night, his neighbour, the seamstress Mimì, knocks on the door of his garret, looking to relight her extinguished candle.
Classical Music: A Year at Birmingham Cathedral
The joy of being able to eavesdrop on our cathedral choirs around the country is a privilege that Regent allows us through its 'A Year at...' series, where the excellent recording team drops in at a cathedral to record the mainstay repertoire that a choir performs throughout the liturgical year.
This recent release takes us to Birmingham, England's second-largest metropolis, which is home to one of the country's smaller cathedrals – the wonderful baroque church of St Philip located in its heart.
Classical Music: TREE – The Hermes Experiment
Delphian's steadfast commitment to championing contemporary composers deserves considerable praise. By boldly venturing into new musical territory, the label provides a vital platform for experimental works and innovative techniques that often possess a genuinely compelling force. This repertoire may not be familiar ground for all listeners, yet there's much to be gained from approaching these pieces with an open mind and curious ear.
Albums: Say She She – Cut and Rewind
If you are looking for an album that has a nod to the future and a step in the past that brings disco and funk together, you will not be disappointed with this new recording.
Classical Music: Doppelgänger
Particularly striking is Helmut Deutsch's solo performance of the Andante sostenuto from Schubert's B-flat major Piano Sonata, D 960. This interlude provides a moment of profound tranquillity, the audience and dancers frozen in concentrated attention. The production's final song, Der Doppelgänger, from which the album takes its title, emerges as hauntingly compelling, the accumulated loneliness and dislocation finding devastating expressio
Albums: Rianne Downey The Consequence Of Love
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From the bouncy opening of Good In Goodbye, Rianne Downey makes it clear: she’s not just singing songs, she’s painting emotional landscapes. Her voice — alternately delicate and full-throated — carries both intimacy and ambition. In moments of restraint she’s wholly gripping; when she soars, it’s effortless and true
Harrogate Welcomes Classical Music Superstar Nicola Benedetti
One of the world’s greatest classical musicians, Nicola Benedetti, is heading to North Yorkshire for a special performance at Harrogate’s Royal Hall later this year, when she will kick off Harrogate International Festivals’ 60th anniversary celebrations.
Three-Year Peak In The Percentage Of People In Y&H That Want To Enjoy Orchestral Music In The Concert Hall
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Over the last three years, there has been a significant upturn in the percentage of people in Yorkshire and the Humber that say they would be interested in attending a concert that featured orchestral music - 89%, up from 72% in 2022 - according to new research from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO).
New Opera Raises Timely Questions On AI
A brand-new radical opera aims to address the biggest existential question of our times by drawing on lessons from Yorkshire’s revolutionary past. The acclaimed Yorkshire composer Ben Crick was inspired by true stories from the Industrial Revolution in 1812 to draw striking parallels with the current AI revolution in The Last Machine Breaker, An Opera on Luddites, AI and Revolution.
£5 Ticket Offer Opens Doors To World-Class Classical Music In Sunderland
Sunderland residents can enjoy the sound of a full orchestra for the price of a pint thanks to a new £5 ticket offer launched by The Fire Station.
Albums: James Morrison – Fight Another Day
After a six-year break, James Morrison returns with his new album, Fight Another Day, showcasing his soulful yet gravelly vocals as he tackles themes of strength, vulnerability, and hope.
Classical Music: Latin Connections
If you're already pining for those hazy, lazy days of summer—now surrendered to autumnal hues and that telltale nip in the air—then this gloriously feel-good release from Chandos will transport you straight back to warmer climes. Settle in with a glass of something pleasantly chilled and let your thoughts drift towards next year's holiday.
Albums: Bennett & Duke Violin Concertos
What an exceptional disc this is. Should you harbour any reservations about investing in an album of violin concertos by overlooked composers, cast them aside immediately. This is an outstanding release of quite extraordinary merit.
Voting Opens For 2025 Choir Of The Year's People's Choice Award
Members of the public are being urged to vote for the best singing talent from across the county as part of this year's Lancashire Choir of the Year competition.
Songs To Delight: Internationally Acclaimed Soprano, Sarah Fox, To Support In Coro Chamber Choir at Giggleswick
Cowling-based In Coro Chamber Choir are bringing a selection of new and much-loved favourites to St Alkelda's Church, Giggleswick on Friday 10th October.
Opera North's Susanna
Opera North has collaborated with Phoenix Dance on four previous opera productions. Each of these has been a delight, but this performance of Handel's Susanna has been my favourite. There's something perfectly operatic about adding another art form into an already dazzling display of orchestral music, singing, acting, costume design, set design, sound, lighting...
Sleeper's Britpop Revival
The mid-90s has had a real reinjection of energy with its resurrection over the last few years. Oasis, Blur and Pulp returned, Shed Seven topped the album charts for the first time, and Richard Ashcroft is receiving the most critical acclaim since his heyday in The Verve. However, a band that is doing the same for the iconic female-fronted acts of Britpop is Sleeper.
Albums: Janet Devlin Not My First Emotional Rodeo
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Having left the world of folk-pop to explore her true musical love, country, for her fourth studio album at the rear end of 2024, her radio fate changed. BBC Radio 2 finally noticed her lush vocals and fully engaged with her playful sound married to raw, driven lyrics, awarding her with long-overdue mainstream support.
Albums: Perrie,
Her debut solo album, Perrie, is an emotionally rich, vocally commanding introduction to who she is beyond the group. A 16-track collection that plays like a personal memoir set to music, this is an album built around her – her voice, her stories, and her vulnerability. While it certainly tips its hat to pop and R&B, at its heart lies something more intimate: insightful lyricism and a sense of emotional clarity that anchors even the most dramatic moments.
Album EP: Charlie Aky’s No Drama
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Charlie Aky’s debut No Drama EP lives up to its name in spirit, but not in emotional weight. Far from being throwaway or surface-level, the project is brutally honest, drenched in vivid detail, and delivered with a striking sense of sincerity. Every lyric feels pulled straight from lived experience, making the record as personal as it is relatable.
Albums: Jade - That’s Showbiz Baby!
Of all the former members of Little Mix, Jade Thirlwall appears to be the one who has produced the most compelling, distinctive, and successful music to date, which is confirmed on her new album, where she explores a diverse range of musical styles.