The Latest Breaking News from Elgar

He launched a thousand memes as the beleaguered Tory MP in The Thick of It, and starred in the original production of Les Misérables. Now the actor is making not-so-sweet music in the Alan Bennett-scripted film The Choral. But there are plenty of things he draws the line at …

At four million words he beats Pepys, but the daily jottings of a judgmental don fail to transcend his rather stuffy millieu

As 2024’s festival comes to a close, readers tell us about their favourite performances of the eight-week season that saw 90 concerts in the Royal Albert Hall and beyond, all live on BBC Radio 3

In a startling, authoritative performance of Elgar’s demanding masterpiece, the Norwegian violinist and Robin Ticciati are utterly convincing

These performances are as fine as any currently available on disc, and a testament to the deep musical relationship that Mark Elder’s has built over 24 years as director of the Hallé

Paul McCreesh’s historically informed performance of the composer’s greatest choral work has many gains but ultimately never really catches fire

A warhorse work from Rachmaninov and endlessly shifting combinations from Elgar showcased the Royal Philharmonic’s current form

In an essay on Kenneth Branagh, screenwriter Scott Frank recalls meeting the future star and director of his screenplay Dead Again (1991) and wondering “why the guy would want to direct a loopy, film noir thriller like mine?”

The violinist gave a masterly performance of Elgar’s violin concerto, well matched by a responsive Sakari Oramo. Judith Weir’s nature-filled Begin Afresh, receiving its premiere, was evocative and full of ideas