Events 2017
January
11/1 Nottingham: Royal Concert Hall, 7.30
Discovering Music: Shostakovich Symphony No 8
With Nicholas Collin and BBC Philharmonic
14/1 BBC Radio 3: Record Review
Building a Library: Beethoven’s String Quartet Op 127
22/1 London: Royal Festival Hall. 6.00
Pre-concert talk: Bruckner Symphony No 9
26/1 New York: Aspect Foundation for Music & Arts, 7.30
Concert-Lecture on Romantic Vienna
February
5/2 London: LSO St Luke’s
LSO Discovery Day: Carl Nielsen
17/2 Bristol Concert Hall, 7.30
Concert-Lecture: Rimsky-Korsakov
22/2 London: Royal Festival Hall, 6.15
Talk: Belief and Beyond Belief, ‘Memory of an Angel’ – Berg & Shostakovich
March
19/3 Glasgow: City Halls, 2.00
Discovering Music: The music of Rued Langgaard
With Thomas Dausgaard and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
April
26/4 London: Royal Festival Hall, 6.15
Talk: Belief & Beyond Belief, ‘Heaven and Earth’ – Mahler’s Eighth Symphony and the German tradition
May
1/5 Oxford: Oxford May Music
Lecture (TBA)
9/5 Bristol: Colton Hall, 7.30
Concert-Lecture: Shostakovich
10/5 Birmingham: Symphony Hall, 7.30
Pre-concert talk: Vaughan Williams & Bax
11/5-12/5 Worcester – Malvern
Conducted Elgar Walks, for The Musical Brain
Audience Feedback
SJ conveys knowledge and passion in fascinating language
Just heard the riveting 90 minutes of Stephen Johnson on Ravel. I’m not a pianist, but SJ made me see Ravel as a major piano technician, as an innovator, as a genius. All credit to Johnson’s persuasive and utterly unpretentious manner, analytic skills, and sheer quietly infectious enthusiasm without histrionics or self-promotion. Some lovely playing too by Cedric Tiberghien of Gaspard de la Nuit in particular.
Marvellous knowledge, fluency, musicianship, vocabulary, enthusiasm, generosity…
SJ really knows his stuff and everything he puts together is immaculately researched and INTERESTING. Very much “Old School” Radio 3 and thank goodness he is still around…
Gives insight into literature as well
Hermes – it is funny you should say that about getting SJ presenting the Proms, because the very same thought went through my mind too. He’s articulate, he knows concert protocol (no gushing interjections from him a millisecond after the conductor puts down his arms,) and umm… he isn’t bad on the eyes either.
Compelling
May I second the praise for Stephen Johnson, a terrific asset for R3 and an object lesson in modest and self-effacing presentation skills underpinned by a first rate understanding and love of his subject.