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At the Elbphilharmonie, Joana Mallwitz treats Mahler's Fifth as an argument to be won, and she knows exactly how it will end.

From Berg’s crystalline intimacy to Dionysian Mahler, Teodor Currentzis and Utopia defy orchestral tradition with standing musicians, spatial acoustics and an emotional intensity that breathes new life into the concert life.

Christoph Marthaler’s staging of Monteverdi’s Poppea for the Royal Danish Opera is a study in boredom. 

Director Tobias Kratzer engineers a haunting pasticcio of Schumann, Bartók and Zemlinsky, tracing the domestic sphere’s shift from romantic surrender to the blood-soaked secrets of a century-spanning house.

Davide Livermore’s high-octane production transforms Handel into a lavish blockbuster. While the superstars shine, the relentless entertainment-first approach often sacrifices musical refinement and dramatic logic for Netflix-style spectacle.

In Hamburg, Kazuki Yamada and the CBSO navigate the thorny brilliance of Walton’s First Symphony, proving that ‘difficult’ music can offer an evening’s most profound human connection.

Anne-Sophie Mutter’s commanding presence meet the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s exceptional adaptability, yielding a concert that balances tradition-steeped authority with modern transparency, rhythmic vitality and the orchestra’s own electrifying spontaneity.

Jean Rondeau’s anniversary tribute to Louis Couperin reveals a refined but inward-looking aesthetic – beautifully controlled, yet ultimately lacking the rhetorical energy, physicality, and communicative spark essential to this music.

Guth’s Semele turns myth into a contemporary domestic drama, where desire becomes obsession and illusion consumes reality. Handel’s music remains the true engine, driven by a thrilling, physically intense ensemble.

A last-minute programme change doubles Batiashvili’s Tchaikovsky at the Elbphilharmonie, but repetition is transformed into fresh revelation. 

Amid snowbound Hamburg, Joshua Bell leads the Academy of St Martin in the Fields with warmth and lyricism, though Brahms’ concerto reveals limits, while Schumann’s symphony fully blossoms.

Cavalli’s Messa concertata and Venetian polychoral masterpieces shine in Berlin’s Philharmonie, with a heartfelt, immersive New Year’s experience of ritual grandeur and warmth.

Ensemble Masques brings French Baroque to life at the Elbphilharmonie, with Olivier Fortin’s radiant harpsichord, spirited strings and vivid interplay revealing the expressive richness of Couperin, Rameau, Forqueray and Corrette.

Vox Luminis bring radiant Advent performances to northern Germany, filling Hamburg’s winter evening with joy, clarity and winter-firewood charm.

Dvořák’s rarely heard oratorio The Spectre’s Bride fails to ignite, leaving a performance caught uneasily between respect and restlessness. 

Ton Koopman’s Elbphilharmonie debut brings warmth, wit and stylistic brilliance to Bach’s festive cantatas, in a radiant Early Music season finale that balances ceremonial splendour with vivid, human-scale musicianship.

At the Elbphilharmonie, Klaus Mäkelä and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra deliver masterful performances, showcasing technical precision and emotional depth across a diverse programme.