It was good to hear James Rodgers again, after his years studying in the United States.  He provided a generous recital of an interesting variety of works, accompanies by his girlfriend, an excellent pianist.  His spoken introductions were informal and succinct. The Tosti songs proved that Rodgers has become an very accomplished singer.  But both he and the accompanist had not taken sufficiently into account the size and acoustics of... read more

Niccolo Paganini's Op.1, the set of 24 Caprices for solo violin, remains the ultimate test of virtuosity for a violinist - these pieces explore almost every aspect of violin technique, and remain a unique example of performance art which has subsequently continued to inspire both composers and performers. Robert Schumann described Paganini's effect upon the musical world as "the turning point in the history of virtuosity", and  the greatest... read more