Live, Video: Kritiken zu klassischen Konzerten, Opern, Ballett und Tanz finden | Royal Academy of Music: Duke's Hall

Students from the Royal Academy of Music and Tokyo Geidai join forces for an expedition through Beethoven's Eroica Symphony.

Christoph von Dohnányi was awarded an honorary doctorate at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and to celebrate he led some of the Academy's students in a performance of Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony.

Somewhere between a concert and a scientific experiment, tonight’s Tales from Babel at the Royal Academy of Music was a fascinating study into the way we process text and language. Having been given a response handset when we entered the room, the first half of the concert was a rendition of a work by Christopher Fox which gave the concert it’s name; Tales from Babel.

Before this chamber performance of Bruckner’s Second Symphony, Trevor Pinnock gave a short introductory talk, pointing out that, before the days of ubiquitous recording, music was always heard live, and chamber arrangements were an important aspect of disseminating music.

Since moving to London in September, I’ve remained highly impressed and encouraged by the capital’s concert attendance levels. I’ve grown up with constant Doomsday prophesies of the imminent demise of Classical music – I think everyone has, actually.

For a composer of such undeniable genius and widespread popularity, it is strange that there aren’t too many opportunities to hear J.S. Bach’s cantatas performed live in concert.