Rebecca Franks
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rebeccafranks.bsky.social
Rebecca Franks
@rebeccafranks.bsky.social
1.2K followers 970 following 160 posts
Writer | Journalist | Classical music critic @thetimes.com

Finishing that novel… @BathSpaUni @TheGEAcademy

Sign up: http://wordsonmusic.substack.com
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Reposted by Rebecca Franks
electronicpanopticon.com
When are these organizations going to be held accountable? The problem is ALWAYS the enablers; in this case, it is systemic organizational tolerance that begins with the conservatories.

The classical music scene is a cesspool of misogyny and racism.

Read Elayne Jones' Little Lady With a Big Drum.
October 24, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Franks
rimaanabtawi.bsky.social
“I am talking about the experience of misogyny and sexism. Across the 30 or so operas I have directed, I have never had a working process free of sexism.”
October 24, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Franks
keithkothman.bsky.social
It's not a shock that a genre with so much sexism and misogyny would lead to working environments with sexism and misogyny, but having had furniture thrown at you as a woman director is still jarring
October 24, 2025 at 1:00 PM
rebeccafranks.bsky.social
Katie Mitchell: ‘I’m retiring from opera because of the misogyny’.

www.thetimes.com/article/9d2c...
Katie Mitchell: ‘I’m retiring from opera because of the misogyny’
After 30 years, the distinguished director is bowing out. She talks about feeling unsafe, being screamed at — and having furniture thrown at her
www.thetimes.com
October 24, 2025 at 11:51 AM
rebeccafranks.bsky.social
Can a concert cure my insomnia? I went along to Max Richter’s overnight Sleep concert to find out.

www.thetimes.com/article/a760...
Can a concert cure my insomnia?
Max Richter’s eight-hour lullaby Sleep marked its 10th anniversary with a giant sleepover. Rebecca Franks packed her pyjamas and snuggled down for the night
www.thetimes.com
September 8, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Franks
larkingrumple.bsky.social
Super Alexandre Kantorow interview by @rebeccafranks.bsky.social in today's Times. He really is a fabulous pianist and the prospect of his Saint-Saëns 5 at the BBC Proms this weekend is something to relish: www.thetimes.com/culture/clas...
Alexandre Kantorow — from damp Olympic hero to Proms piano star
The French star dubbed ‘Liszt reincarnated’ played a Steinway in the rain for the Paris Games. He talks about the Proms, being mentored by the banned conductor Valery Gergiev — and his love of Marmite
www.thetimes.com
July 21, 2025 at 5:55 PM
rebeccafranks.bsky.social
Sibelius, Strauss and the summer solstice at the Aldeburgh Festival:
www.thetimes.com/article/0a9c...
Aldeburgh Festival review — magical Strauss and five-star Sibelius
Tenor Allan Clayton was superlative in Britten and Sakari Oramo conducted a sensational performance of Sibelius Fifth in concerts that you can stream from home
www.thetimes.com
June 24, 2025 at 9:17 PM
rebeccafranks.bsky.social
Absurd and satirical: Wahnfried gets its UK premiere at Longborough. My review for @thetimes.com here:

www.thetimes.com/article/594d...
Wahnfried review — the Wagner family feud in a Succession-style drama
This high-energy UK premiere at the Longborough Festival picks over the legacy of Richard Wagner with a mix of acerbic satire, absurdist theatre and harrowing history
www.thetimes.com
May 29, 2025 at 8:02 AM
rebeccafranks.bsky.social
Travelling very slowly by train to Manchester for work and trying to pretend I’m in #Raceacrosstheworld to make it less frustrating
May 10, 2025 at 4:59 PM
rebeccafranks.bsky.social
The other side of Elgar or, as the print version puts it, Behind the tache! Some thoughts on Elgar for @thetimes.com today

www.thetimes.com/culture/clas...
Elgar is the soundtrack to VE Day celebrations — this is his story
Land of Hope and Glory is almost an unofficial national anthem, but there was much more to the composer than his flair for pageantry and pomposity
www.thetimes.com
May 4, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Franks
neilfisher81.bsky.social
"For balletgoers the evening will be a chance to hear a monumental, ravishing score liberated from the opera house pit"
www.thetimes.com/article/8fcf...
Forget Bolero — this is the Ravel masterpiece you need to see
To mark the French composer’s 150th anniversary, London Philharmonic is reviving Daphnis and Chloé — this time with added acrobats
www.thetimes.com
April 21, 2025 at 9:46 AM
rebeccafranks.bsky.social
Lang Lang was in town last week - and I’m glad I got to hear him play:

www.thetimes.com/article/e594...
Lang Lang review — exhilaration and exaggeration from the great showman
The adored pianist offered thrills aplenty even if the flourishes sometimes got in the way of more considered musical ideas
www.thetimes.com
April 19, 2025 at 2:21 PM
rebeccafranks.bsky.social
Lang Lang was in town last week - and I’m glad I got to hear him play:

www.thetimes.com/article/e594...
Lang Lang review — exhilaration and exaggeration from the great showman
The adored pianist offered thrills aplenty even if the flourishes sometimes got in the way of more considered musical ideas
www.thetimes.com
April 19, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Franks
chienakano.bsky.social
Swoon...💖
I've been looking forward to this weekend's Ólafsson concert at the @wigmore-hall.org.uk for months now. I'm happy to hear him play absolutely anything, but the Goldberg Variations is always such a treat!

Just what the doctor ordered for my post-book fairs recovery programme.
April 9, 2025 at 1:28 PM
rebeccafranks.bsky.social
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for Vikingur Olafsson’s Bach last night: www.thetimes.com/article/7e9b...
Vikingur Olafsson review — a stunning five-star piano marathon
After a last-minute programme change from late Beethoven to JS Bach’s Goldberg Variations, the superstar Icelandic pianist delivered a breathtaking performance
www.thetimes.com
April 9, 2025 at 12:21 PM
rebeccafranks.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/wordsonm...
Image from Words on Music Substack
March 7, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Franks
larkingrumple.bsky.social
This is a lovely read. In @thetimes.com, @rebeccafranks.bsky.social meets Mao Fujita: www.thetimes.com/magazines/cu...
Classical music’s new stars: how young pianists are taking over the world
A new generation is attracting millions online and selling out concert halls. What makes Mao Fujita, Yunchan Lim and more so special?
www.thetimes.com
March 2, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Franks
naomiaklein.bsky.social
These folks have never *ever* believed in freedom of speech, or freedom of any kind but the freedom to amass levels of wealth that are cataclysmic to organized society.

Cancel your subscription and make a donation to kick-ass independent journalism of your choice.
willoremus.com Will Oremus @willoremus.com · Feb 26
Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos just emailed the paper's staff to announce a "change coming to our opinion pages."
I shared this note with the Washington Post team this morning: I’m writing to let you know about a change coming to our opinion pages. We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets. We’ll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others. There was a time when a newspaper, especially one that was a local monopoly, might have seen it as a service to bring to the reader’s doorstep every morning a broad-based opinion section that sought to cover all views. Today, the internet does that job. I am of America and for America, and proud to be so. Our country did not get here by being typical. And a big part of America’s success has been freedom in the economic realm and everywhere else. Freedom is ethical — it minimizes coercion — and practical — it drives creativity, invention, and prosperity. I offered David Shipley, whom I greatly admire, the opportunity to lead this new chapter. I suggested to him that if the answer wasn’t “hell yes,” then it had to be “no.” After careful consideration, David decided to step away. This is a significant shift, it won’t be easy, and it will require 100% commitment — I respect his decision. We’ll be searching for a new Opinion Editor to own this new direction. I’m confident that free markets and personal liberties are right for America. I also believe these viewpoints are underserved in the current market of ideas and news opinion. I’m excited for us together to fill that void. Jeff
February 26, 2025 at 6:15 PM
rebeccafranks.bsky.social
A new piano concerto missing the most important ingredient:

www.thetimes.com/article/d6ad...
BBC NOW/Hoving review — an orchestra out of control
Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade’s new piano concerto was a disappointment, with the orchestra drowning out the piano, while the conductor Emilia Hoving gave a broad brushstrokes performance of Grace Williams’s...
www.thetimes.com
February 26, 2025 at 1:07 PM
rebeccafranks.bsky.social
⭐️⭐️ for a new piece inspired by the Barbican (also, I wish I had worn sunglasses to combat the in-your-face lighting)

www.thetimes.com/article/dc9f...
BBCSO/Sheen review — once the novelty wore off, this was boringly static
The turntablist and composer Shiva Feshareki’s new piece, performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, felt short on gripping musical ideas
www.thetimes.com
February 26, 2025 at 1:06 PM
rebeccafranks.bsky.social
Really helpful note on the to-do list I emailed myself last night: ‘plus there was something else though now I have forgotten it’.
February 21, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Reposted by Rebecca Franks
hwfmorris.bsky.social
A report on an orchestra that vanished for @londonermag.bsky.social

www.the-londoner.co.uk/london-chamb...
A London orchestra played music for 100 years. Then it vanished
A tale of angry musicians, unpaid bills and a mystery about what really went wrong
www.the-londoner.co.uk
February 13, 2025 at 3:15 PM
rebeccafranks.bsky.social
This is the best advice and has taken me ages to learn!
joannechocolat.bsky.social Joanne Harris @joannechocolat.bsky.social · Feb 2
Unsolicited writing advice, no. #177:
Be realistic in setting your goals. Small, achievable writing goals (eg 300 words a day, rather than 3000: ) are best for keeping you motivated - and remember, even 300 words a day adds up to a first draft within a year...
February 2, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Reposted by Rebecca Franks
lbflyawayhome.bsky.social
Today is Candlemas- which must be the best name in the calendar.
Candlemas - a celebration of the return of light

Artist: Gerald Witcomb
A very peaceful scene of a perfectly still body of water at dawn. The scene is a study of pale salmon-pink and grey and the misty sun is reflected in the grey water
February 2, 2025 at 8:21 AM
rebeccafranks.bsky.social
Another huge blow for music and the arts in Wales, and for music as a university subject in the UK.

‘Ancient history, modern languages and translation, music, nursing, and religion and theology subjects will be dropped and some schools will be merged.’

t.co/WrW4ECtD5C
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/education/cardiff-university-job-cuts-400-30882168?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3M4crlwhDCaijxDqP3SVLXmmMg37iX3momA3t35d43sfB3G2eHyURBov4_aem_pi8jkjMdne60h5Uk5_BxGQ#zp...
t.co
January 28, 2025 at 5:54 PM