David Karlin

A fascinating account of a real-world cyber attack attempt: no fancy tech, just plain old appeal to greed.

Chilling out to L’Arpeggiata’s Terra Firma. I’d forgotten how much I adore folk music when it’s played to this quality.

Has anyone else had a problem with scam calls from a US 415 number ringing on an iPhone when Do not disturb is set?

In the event, last night’s Tosca wasn’t perfect, but the new production is very solid and Netrebko was truly exceptional. bachtrack.com/review-tosca...

Not entirely surprised that there are anti-Netrebko protests outside Covent Garden tonight.

You always know to expect the unexpected with Pekka Kuusisto... bachtrack.com/review-bbc-p...

I'm steadily hearing more news about how horrific the current botnet wave is... And even our small web business is in the eye of the storm. bachtrack.com/feature-swam...

It’s Eugene Onagin, folks. I’d be really disappointed if it didn’t!! @operahollandpark.bsky.social

I do love Mahler 3 deeply. And even in the unpromising acoustic of the Royal Albert Hall, Bancroft and BBCNOW did a great job of it. bachtrack.com/review-bbc-n...

Glyndebourne's season opens with Rossini’s Barber of Seville Annabel Arden's production provides joyous comedy, with vocal and orchestral performances of the very finest.

I have been known to feel guilty about reviewing revivals of often performed, fairly lightweight operas. Not this one, which was entertainment I’d recommend to anyone. bachtrack.com/review-barbe...

The evening sun flooding into the Opéra Bastille foyer for the first interval of Il Trittico. Asmik knocking it out of the park as expected, but the real revelation was Misha Kiria’s Gianni Schicchi.

It's St George's day! England isn't exactly unique in having chosen George as its patron saint (check the list on Wikipedia), but it was still a good excuse to put together a playlist of opera in English - which deserves a far better rap than it usually gets. bachtrack.com/playlist-top...

Time for fairytale madness at the gorgeous Théâtre Athénée-Jouvet

Row 5 for the Bach Mass in B minor at the Philharmonie de Paris. I’m struggling to control my excitement. @philharmonie.bsky.social

Le programme du festival La Chaise-Dieu n’est pas encore en ligne, donc pour le découvrir, il suffit de retrouver les WC au restaurant Anicia, tout près de Montparnasse. Et d’ailleurs, c’est un magnifique resto !

Ravi que ce concert t’a fait tant de plaisir !

In reception at De Doelen in Rotterdam. My goodness, what a lineup that was!

Caesar’s Gallic Wars at home: Norma in Toulouse Although Karine Deshayes role change from Adalgisa to Norma is a work in progress, Luciano Ganci and Roberto Scandiuzzi shine in a staging charged with mythic symbolism.

My first ever visit to Toulouse revealed that it's really rather a lovely city. And its history makes it clearly the right place to see Norma (just don't mention Alésia...) bachtrack.com/review-norma...

This is the Place du Capitole in Toulouse, filling up with a demonstration against culture cuts (there’s a council meeting today).

Christof Loy's understated Werther at the TCE Massenet's take on Goethe's blockbuster novella of unrequited love and suicide is handled with great subtlety by Christof Loy and Marc Leroy-Calatayud. Benjamin Bernheim and Marina Viotti lead a starr...

This was really rather good, as long as you didn't mind spending the whole opera looking at characters in front of a largely blank wall. Massenet just sounds better when pretty much the whole cast are native French speakers!
bachtrack.com/review-masse...

Springtime in Paris: the bakeries of Belleville When people think about Paris, the top things they think about are the landmarks (the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and so on), the great public buildings (the Louvre, the Opera),  and the…

First blog post of our extended stay in Paris. It had to be baking-related... polything.com/2025/03/22/s...

In Lyon, the recipe for making perfect bread. I particularly like the”longue conversation “.

Hi Randy: I did reply! I’ve just forwarded it again

The Château de Chenonceau really has to be a contender for the title of “world’s most beautiful castle”.

For the first opera trip of our extended Paris stay, the Place de la Bastille gave us this beautiful sunset

Mail me on davidkarlin@gmail.com

…are we allowed to consider Gerald Finley as an honorary Brit for these purposes?

Black comedy of the highest order: Festen at The Royal Opera Mark-Anthony Turnage's operatic adaptation of Thomas Vinterberg's tale of abuse provides rich entertainment even as it shocks.

I really didn’t think Festen would be even better than the movie - but it was! (And Richard Jones found space for his cherished flock wallpaper ) bachtrack.com/review-feste...

It’s not quite the pink bras of Anna Nicole, but Covent Garden has been suitably decked out for Festen.