Mark Valencia 🇪🇺 🇺🇦
@markvalencia.bsky.social
Critic for Opera, Bachtrack and Musical America. Essex man, Francophile, grandfather, passionately pro-EU. Reducing my presence here. It's been a disappointment.
Heading to Manchester shortly to see Angel's Bone, ENO's new production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera by Du Yun and Royce Vavrek. I'll be reviewing it for Musical America.
There is no better site than @bachtrack.com for comprehensive world coverage of classical music. It's the leader in its field and I feel privileged to make small contributions to it. Still free to use, btw.
Bachtrack@bachtrack.com · 4mo agoSpellbinding Neruda Songs from Joyce DiDonato and Edward Gardner with the @chicagosymphony.bsky.social ✍️ Graham Meyer bachtrack.com/review-gardn...
Back to the ROH tonight for the first revival of Peter Grimes in Deborah Warner's production. Allan Clayton leads a powerful cast so I'll be cheering the underdog. Reviewing for Opera.
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I've fallen in love with snooker again. #WuYize is an extraordinary player. And how gracious, generous and articulate #ShaunMurphy was in defeat. Awe-inspiring entertainment.
Good morning! This evening I'll be at Wilton's Musical Hall ('Les Bouffes de l'Est') to hear Julian Bliss play Finzi's Clarinet Concerto with the new Chromatica Orchestra. A beautiful programme at a favourite venue. Reviewing for @bachtrack.com
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13 years in from his terrific ENO performances, Ed Gardner returns to Wozzeck this evening in the company of the LPO and a monumental cast headed by Stéphane Degout. I'll be reviewing it for Opera.
Tonight I'll be at the QEH @southbankcentre.bsky.social for... well, it's a bit complicated. I'll let the OAE explain. Reviewing for @bachtrack.com
22 operas next season at The Royal Opera inc. 10 new productions. Let's not forget how lucky we are to have them. Time was we had 2 London houses producing that amount of work, but since the disgraced Arts Council England took its axe to ENO the latter can only offer tiny bites of competition.
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Early start for the last night of the 2026 @festivalpaques.bsky.social . The final concert concludes the residency of Lahav Shani and the Munich PO. Brahms 4 + the ubiquitous Renaud Capuçon playing Shostakovich VC1. Reviews of all six concerts I've attended will appear soon on Musical America.
What a thoughtless and discriminatory presentation. Wearying for most people and near-blinding for anyone with early stage cataracts or floaters, issues that would concern a fair proportion of the audience I should think.
Do you have sensitive eyes? I only glimpsed the odd moment here & there at the @festivalpaques.bsky.social. Had to avert my eyes the rest of the time. Here are Capuçon & Argerich with the front lights up. The 5 searchlights hammered us uninterrupted. Rage, rage against the frying of the light.
After last night's staggeringly wonderful concert, tonight Martha Argerich & Lahav Shani return for more, joined this time by Aix Easter Festival's artistic director Renaud Capuçon in chamber music by Mozart, Debussy and Schumann. Wild horses wouldn't keep me away. @festivalpaques.bsky.social
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Reading between lots of lines, I suspect that I'm not alone in finding Michael Frayn's fêted play Copenhagen about as gripping as watching porridge cool. I haven't seen it since the 1st run but I vividly recall enduring it with a glum prayer of 'Excite me, why don't you'. All very mind-wandery.
Tonight's dinner in Aix will be pasta with cream and girolles. I adore girolles. The weather here is extraordinary. A whisky and a novel on the balcony at 6.45 pm and it's still sunny at a balmy 20°. Best bit of the day.
Tonight: the first of 6 concerts at this year's Aix Easter Festival that I'm covering for Musical America. A Brahms evening: Renaud and Gautier Capuçon play the double concerto with the Lausanne CO, followed by the early First Serenade. Wall to wall Provence sunshine too. I took this yesterday.
Evisceration of Trump on French TV in the early evening news magazine 5/5. Intelligent, damning, unanswerable, no holds barred. Since I've given up on UK TV news, I don't know whether anything as vituperative as the analysis here makes it into our own news bulletins. But I doubt it.
Just arrived in Provence for three glorious weeks in my favourite place on earth. I'll be reviewing six concerts at the @festivalpaques.bsky.social (Easter Aix) for Musical America. I'll also be living the life of Riley.
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It is a curious story. I have it written in faded ink... Yes it's Turn of the Screw day at the Royal Opera. Down in the depths of the Linbury, ghosts are stirring. I'll be there to review them for Opera. Malo, everyone.
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Tonight at the RFH Robin Ticciati and the @lporchestra.bsky.social join forces that are Scandinavian from start to Finnish in Sibelius (Kullervo) and Wennäkoski (a WP). I'll be reviewing for Musical America.
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My review of a delightful chamber concert by the Aurora Orchestra Principal Players at King's Place last Thursday. Now published by @bachtrack.com bachtrack.com/22/296/view/...
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He also has a far cooler name than I have.
Moto Perpetuo@motoperpetuo.bsky.social · 5mo agoSantiago Cañón-Valencia is emerging as one of the most distinctive cellists of his generation, combining technical command with a broad artistic vision that spans performance, composition, and new music. Read more at moto-perpetuo.com/santiago-can...
Why are we rewarding Donald Trump with a state visit from our King? His illegal war is driving up costs for British families and he is belittling our country and insulting our troops. Cancel the visit.