Kate Rockstrom
Kate Rockstrom regularly reviews classical music for Readings. She also performs as a flautist, as well as writing about music and books.
Review — 3 Mar 2023
Luigi Boccherini: The Six Symphonies, Op. 35 by Marc Destrube
I love a composer with a big idea. In 1775 the Spanish prince Don Luis de Borbon found himself exiled to a back corner of Spain after a failed attempt…
Review — 30 Jan 2023
Tom Henry: Light in Dark – Works for Solo Piano
For contemporary composers, the creative tension of wanting to express yourself through music often involves a constant push and pull between the traditional and the modern. Tom Henry is not…
Review — 30 Jan 2023
Light and Darkness – CPE Bach: Flute Sonatas
When you are a poor composer in the 1700s and a king takes a shine to your style, you immediately start writing pieces that will appeal to him. And when…
Review — 30 Jan 2023
To Listen, To Sing – Ngarra-Burria: First Peoples Composers
I have been a fan of Ensemble Offspring for the entirety of my working life. I love that their mission is to program, create and educate about contemporary classical music…
Review — 2 Nov 2022
Mieczysław Weinberg: Symphonies Nos 3 & 7, Flute Concerto No 1
‘Conducting is about sharing music.’ So says Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, principal conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Well known in European musical circles, her conducting style has been described…
Review — 2 Nov 2022
Origins: Works for Recorder by Lucie Horsch
Move over jazz flute, there’s a new player in town – jazz recorder! Honestly, if you had described the premise of this album to me, I probably would have politely…
Review — 2 Nov 2022
Lewis Spratlan: Invasion – Music and Art for Ukraine
With its discordant thumps, Invasion is not an easy listen and nor should it be. Written in response to the invasion of Ukraine, this album has been curated by pianist…
Review — 31 Jul 2022
Christoph W. Gluck: Don Juan and Semiramis
Long-time readers of this column will know exactly who Jordi Savall is. The Spanish conductor, composer and viol player has been revolutionising early music performance since the 1970s. What is…
Review — 31 Aug 2022
William Barton: Heartland
A child picks up an instrument, an uncle teaches him, and a mother weaves the stories in and around the music. When the child turns 17 years old, he performs…
Review — 19 Sep 2022
Stuart Greenbaum: A Trillion Miles of Darkness
Stuart Greenbaum has been on fire recently, with two other albums of his compositions making it into this column in the past 24 months. A Trillion Miles of Darkness is…
