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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Reviewed Gerd Schaller's new Bruckner 9 for the October issue of Gramophone. This features the third version of his performing edition of the finale. I'm not convinced it's better than the second one, but the excellence of the performance of the first three movements makes this well worth hearing.

The cover of the new recording of Bruckner's Symphony 9 conducted by Gerd Schaller with his performing version of the incomplete finale, released on the Profil label.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Regent's Park in the early autumn. My favourite of the major London parks.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

At last, the third and final box of Bernard Haitink's recordings for Decca and Philips. Recordings made between 1963 and 1997 and issued on 31 CDs. 😊

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Do people really want to buy Christmas products when the landscape is still parched from summer and the items expire in October?

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

The view from Horizon 22 towards the Barbican Centre, with Hampstead Heath in the background. Excellent visibility today.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

The view from Horizon 22 towards St Paul's Cathedral and the West End.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Visited Horizon 22 in the City of London today. At 254 metres, it's the highest observation deck in the UK and the 2nd highest in Western Europe after the Eiffel Tour.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

The shortlist for the Gramophone Awards 2026 is now available, along with a special edition containing the original reviews of all 66 recordings on the list (no paywall): reader.exacteditions.com/issues/15805...

The cover of the digital magazine published by Gramophone containing reviews of the 66 recordings shortlisted for the 2026 Gramophone Awards.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Latest list of classical boxes due for release (number of discs in brackets): Adni/Warner (17) Maazel/Warner (20) Muti/Decca (37) Ohlsson/Hyperion (16) Ozawa/Universal (238)* K Richter/DG (19) K Richter/Warner (18) Walter/Warner (20) *Includes all recordings from all labels. Previously Japan only.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Watched "Goldfinger" (1964) after a gap of many years. I thought most of it would be familiar, but there was a lot I had forgotten. An excellent film on many levels, despite some sexism that hasn't aged very well.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Reviewed Gerd Schaller's new recording of Bruckner 3 for this month's Gramophone magazine. Surprisingly, given his extensive Bruckner discography, this is Schaller's first recording the original 1873 version, as well as the 1876 Adagio.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

The September issue of Gramophone has my review of Barenboim's recordings with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (37 CDs). I found the Strauss, Tchaikovsky and Wagner rather uneven but the set is worth it for the excellent performances of the many 20th century works.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

The solar eclipse at its peak in London a short while ago, with 91% of the Sun covered by the Moon. (Photographed with my phone and some eclipse glasses.)

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

The solar eclipse at its peak in London a short while ago, with 91% of the Sun covered by the Moon. (Photographed with my phone and some eclipse glasses.)

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Tonight's ongoing solar eclipse projected onto a wall using binoculars.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which was completed in 1805 and carries the Llangollen Canal for a length of 300 metres over the River Dee. One of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in north Wales.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

I'm not sure I've seen a steeper gradient sign than this one in Harlech.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Castell Harlech, built by Edward I between 1282 and 1289 and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Even here on the normally rainy west coast of Wales, the grass is now yellow and threadbare.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

A visit to Portmeirion in north Wales in its centenary year. It's also 60 years ago next month that filming for The Prisoner started here - that's No 6's house on the bottom left.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

The view from the 50th storey observation deck at 8 Bishopsgate, looking towards the BT Tower and the British Museum.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

View of London from the free observation deck at 8 Bishopsgate, 50 floors above street level.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

The new Zubin Mehta box has arrived! This one features everything he recorded for Decca that wasn't included in the excellent Los Angeles Philharmonic box. 57 CDs in total recorded between 1965 and 2013, including Mahler 2, Schmidt 4 and Puccini's Turandot. 😊

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

When I was younger, I was thrilled if the temperature in London went above 25C. These days, I get excited if it goes below 30C. It's still that now, which is crazy given that it's past 9pm.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Can't stop watching this performance of the Prelude and Liebestod from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde performed by Waltraud Meier with Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. Enormously powerful and infinitely moving. Just wonderful. youtube.com/watch?v=n4bq...

youtube.com

Wagner: Tristan and Isolde – Prelude and Liebestod | Waltraud Meier, Daniel Barenboim & WEDO

YouTube video by DW Classical Music

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Finished watching season 1 of "The Eternaut" on Netflix, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi series filmed and set in Argentina. Found it superbly made and absolutely gripping. Can't wait for season 2.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

This month's Gramophone has my review of Bernard Haitink's recordings with the LPO. There are some gems here, but overall the earlier box of Concertgebouw recordings is a much more rewarding listen.

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Mr. Symphonist @deeplyclassical.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

"What did you say?" "HAPPY #NewReleaseFriday!" "What's new this week?" "Strauss's Alpine Symphony from Ed Gardner, Andrew Manze in Bruckner 7, and two modern Czech masters." "Two modern Czech masters?" "YES! YOU AND ME!" "Oh yes, now I remember!" ▶️ open.qobuz.com/playlist/513...

Album cover. Ondřej Kukal: Symphony No. 1 (With Glockenspiel) & Jiří Teml: The Labyrinth of Memory
Czech Philharmonic, Jakub Hrůša (Kukal); Czech Philharmonic, Tomáš Netopil (Teml)
Animal Music ANI 150

https://interlude.hk/two-czech-symphonic-works/

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

New to the collection: Daniel Barenboim's recordings with the Chicago Symphony Orchestral for EMI/Warner, made between 1970 and 2001.

A box set of recordings by Daniel Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra released by Warner on 37 CDs.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Now listening to Der Schmied von Marienburg, Siegfried Wagner's 12th opera, premiered in 1920. It features some absolutely ravishing music, especially in Act 2. Siegfried Wagner, son of Richard Wagner and grandson of Franz Liszt, born on this day in 1869.

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Frank Conniff @frankconniff.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

A terrific actor, an essential part of one of the greatest TV shows ever, and from what I’m hearing, a really good dude. Rest in Peace, Anthony Head.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Watched "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" (1974) again. Superbly plotted, directed and acted, not to mention the excellent New York subway setting. Crime thrillers don't get much better than this.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Now listening to songs by Rubbra for piano and harp. I've loved the symphonies for years, but these songs are new to me and are a revelation.

An album of songs by the British classical composer Edmund Rubbra released on the Chandos label.

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Love Your Classical Music Geek @loveinner.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

#NowSpinning David Diamond’s Symphony No.3. The Diamond series is a very appealing corner of the Naxos American Classics series. Immediately bracing and approachable, this work demands to be heard.

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Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Deeply pathetic that BBC is reporting this as a Reform power struggle rather than explaining that Reform's policies would require deporting people -including pensioners - who have lived and worked here legally for decades. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Yusuf in clash with Jenrick over Reform's deportation policy

Reform's home affairs chief has publicly disagreed with its Treasury spokesman over what party policy is.

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Love Your Classical Music Geek @loveinner.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

#NowSpinning Next in the big Abbado box is his LSO recording of Berg’s Lulu Suite. And a curious surprise came when I looked at the recording data. 1970, Anvil Studios in Denham, just outside London. You’ll all remember what else was recorded there. Same orchestra 7 years later.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

The temperature just reached 34.8C in Kew Gardens. That's an absolutely incredible figure for London in May.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

I recently interviewed Nathalie Stutzmann for Gramophone about performing Bruckner in Atlanta. It was fascinating to hear about an orchestra that had never recorded the composer's music before.

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Moto Perpetuo @motoperpetuo.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Brian Large, the pioneering British television director who helped shape the visual language of opera and classical music broadcasting, has died at 87. Read more at moto-perpetuo.com/brian-large-...

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Londoners enjoying Hyde Park on this unusually warm Sunday evening.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Couldn't resist getting another set of the Shostakovich symphonies for the collection. 😊

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Joshua Kosman @joshuakosman.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

BREAKING: Elim Chan has been named as the first female music director of the San Francisco Symphony. She takes over with the 2027-28 season, succeeding Esa-Pekka Salonen. RTWT www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

sfchronicle.com

San Francisco Symphony names Elim Chan as its first female music director

The Hong Kong-born conductor will succeed Esa-Pekka Salonen as music director, becoming the first woman to lead the orchestra in its 115-year history.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Dartmoor ponies on the moors they have roamed for four millennia.

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Christian Hoskins @aquilanebula.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

View of the Kingsbridge Estuary from Salcombe, Devon.

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