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The American countertenor David ­Daniels has developed a ­reputation and a repertoire far beyond the ­specialised world of the baroque that most of his colleagues administer to. In his Wigmore recital, he spent half his ­programme singing music from the 19th and early-20th centuries, a time when the countertenor voice was rarely ­encountered outside the confines of ­cathedral choirs.

In many ways, Daniels has justified his move beyond early-music purism with ease. His tone has always appealed because of its warmth and beauty, more like a mid-scale female mezzo in quality than others of its type, and devoid of any hint of the dreaded hoot. The only minor blemishes occurred when Daniels reached down to his lowest notes and the vocal registers did not quite match.

His good diction was a valuable asset throughout, including in an opening Brahms group that benefited, as did the entire programme, from the dynamic and deep-toned pianism of Martin Katz, one of the finest accompanists around today. A clutch of fragrant songs by the minor French master Reynaldo Hahn also showed how well this sophisticated salon repertoire suits Daniels’s basic set of tonal colours. Read the rest of this entry »

Joseph Haydn, generally a composer of unpredictable and complex moods, put on his sunniest demeanor in Davies Symphony Hall on Thursday afternoon, as Herbert Blomstedt led the San Francisco Symphony in an enjoyable but sometimes frustrating account of his Cello Concerto No. 1.

The soloist was Joshua Roman, a cellist of extraordinary technical and musical gifts. His Symphony debut, in fact, was so striking in so many ways that it left a listener eager for something more.

Roman, who was appointed principal cellist of the Seattle Symphony at 22 and left two years later to pursue a solo career, coaxes sounds of remarkable beauty from his instrument. The expansive four-note chord that opens the solo part of the concerto instantly set a tone of warmth and vigor, and throughout the first movement, Roman deployed a light touch to produce a graceful, elegant melodic strain. Read the rest of this entry »

Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas” is packed from start to finish with music of unearthly beauty, wit and grace. Yet a good performance always seems to drive toward the opera’s final moments (cocaine detox treatment and cocaine detox kit for people), when the abandoned Carthaginian queen goes sorrowfully but serenely to her death.

Thursday’s performance in Herbst Theatre by Nicholas McGegan and the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra was no exception. Mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, making her first appearance with the period ensemble, sang Dido eloquently and with a masterful command of style.

None of it, though, compared with the depth and directness of the final lament, “When I am laid in Earth.” Here Graham mustered all of her tonal splendor and dramatic focus to provide an arresting picture of a woman - and queen - at the end of her tether.

Melodic phrases began in silence and made their presence felt gradually, in a slow upwelling of emotion. The final cry, “Remember me,” was delivered with a controlled fervor that tallied with Dido’s overarching stateliness, and McGegan brought tenderness to the elegiac final measures, with their aching, bittersweet harmonies.

The rest of the performance captured a similar air of probing tragedy. As Aeneas (a comparatively minor role, despite the work’s title), baritone William Berger combined robust tone and impeccable diction for a persuasively heroic portrait.
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African artists have always been particularly open to outside influences, but this concert was remarkable both for the extraordinary array of styles and the skill with which they were blended together.

Richard Bona is a distinguished jazz player who has worked with the likes of Pat Metheny and Joe Zawinul, but here the Cameroonian bassist was out to show that jazz and blues are just part of his range. He and his band constantly changed direction, from African songs to funk, flamenco, Brazilian and Caribbean influences, mixed in with quirky demonstrations of his musicianship that veered towards good-humoured cabaret. This musical kaleidoscope was held together by light bass runs that provided the foundation for guitar, keyboard and horn solos from his impressive band. Bona’s gently exquisite vocal work was equally notable.

He looked like a pop star, sporting dreadlocks and jeans, but opened with a drifting song dominated by his high, delicate voice, before showing off the band’s dynamic range with a switch to jazz funk. From then on, the changes kept coming, from the mellow African tune M’Bemba Mama to the excursion into brassy Indian styles on Shiva Mantra, and a dazzling display of musicianship and technology in which he sampled his own solo vocals, adding layers of overdubs.
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Rihanna has admitted she reunited with Chris Brown after he assaulted her in February but changed her mind when she realised she was setting a bad example to her fans.

Rihanna admits she was “wrong” to go back to Chris Brown after he assaulted her.

The ‘Umbrella’ singer - who was left battered and bruised after her ex-boyfriend attacked her in February at a pre-Grammys party - says she had convinced herself it wouldn’t happen again and wanted to give their relationship another go.

She told US TV show ‘Good Morning America’: “I was so far in love, so unconditional that I went back. It’s humiliating to say this happened. To accept that? It’s a traumatising experience.

“I stayed. I even went back after he beat me, which was wrong. But again … I’m a human being, and people put me on a very unrealistic pedestal. And all these expectations, I’m not perfect. Also it’s pretty natural for that to be the first reaction. … It’s completely normal to go back. You start lying to yourself. The minute the physical wounds go away you want this thing to go away. This is a memory you don’t want to have ever again.”

Meanwhile, Chris blames his lack of anger management on the attack but still couldn’t believe he had assaulted her.
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