There's a strong chance that the majority of the audience had never seen Louise Farrenc's Third Symphony before; conductor Laurence Equilbey made a strong case for repeat performances.
Continuing its interesting series “Myths and Fairytales”, the Royal Philharmonic gave colourful interpretations of the Hänsel und Gretel overture and Peer Gynt.
ETO's extracts from Rossini's serious operas at the Hackney Empire lacked spark and dynamism, but saw a fine showing from Elena Xanthoudakis and Catherine Carby.
As Valletta celebrates its title as 2018 European Capital of Culture, the Malta Philharmonic gave an enthusiastic national premiere of Strauss' Ein Heldenleben.
It's a rare treat to hear Spanish opera in London; Josep Pons and the BBC SO made a worthy case for hearing Falla’s El amor brujo and Granados’ Goyescas more often.
In an all-Russian programme, Agrest gave us a thoughtfully textured Tchaikvosky 4, while the ease with which Andrey Gugnin took on Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto was a delight.
The Royal College of Music's first opera of the season, The Cunning Little Vixen has some excellent singing and first-class playing from the student orchestra.
Igor Levit gave a splendid account of Beethoven's Piano Concerto no. 4 in G major, and a performance of Brahms' Second Symphony was played with enthusiasm by the visiting NDR Radiophilharmonie.
Heinz Holliger conducted a fine interpretation of Schubert's Ninth, but it was Stephen Hough's performance of Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1 that really made the evening.
A decent cast was unable to redeem a fundamentally dull opera that lacks the psycholgical complexity and tension of both the original Graham novel and its famous Hitchcock adaptation.
A questionable performance of Schumann's Violin Concerto was redeemed by lively interpretations of Beethoven's Third Symphony and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.
Issues that cropped up in the first run of Mitchell's production have been ironed out. In the hands of a strong cast, a chilling interpretation of Donizetti's masterpiece.
Like Sibelius, Florent Schmitt was another composer of great longevity. This concert saw an opportunity to hear his Symphony No. 2 paired with Sibelius' Symphony No. 3, with two piano pieces by Ravel and Franck in the middle.
Bernard Haitink always provides intelligent symphonic readings and in his interpretation of Brahms' Third, he brought a lifetime of experience to the piece.
The latest revival of Jonathan Miller's The Barber of Seville has everything you could want; strong direction, a strong orchestral performance, and a cast that's universally strong. No close shaves there!
In its opening concert of the season, the Philharmonia gave two of Sibelius' symphonies with two modern pieces by a pair of Iceland's finest young composers, which made for rewarding listening.
Ian Page's new ensemble kicked off with a feisty performance of Mozart's Symphony No. 29 and Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra with two splendid arias sung by Louise Alder.
In an all-Mendelssohn programme, Pablo Heras-Casado led the orchestra in detailed and original interpretations, with a strong performance from soloist Isabelle Faust.
