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Philip Glass and Christopher Hampton's operatic version of Kafka’s The Trial captures the essence of the book and this production does justice to the opera and its origin

The Czech orchesta and Daniel Raiskin bring Janáček from Ostrava, along with evergreen Bruch and a noisy Shostakovich Tenth Symphony. 

Fleur Barron delivers a searing Kindertotenlieder in the Czech Philharmonic's mini-survey of the Germanic Romantic repertoire under Semyon Bychkov. 

Never has Brecht and Weill’s satire on the inhumanity of man to man been render with such utter darkness; Simon O’Neill heads up a superb cast.

Seong-Jin Cho continues his Artist Portrait series with the LSO by performing Chopin's poetic Second Piano Concerto. 

Brautigam bridged Wilms and Beethoven at the fortepiano, while Farrenc’s First Symphony added symphonic breadth, all shaped by the assured playing of the Kölner Akademie under Michael Alexander Willens.

Many world class performances to enjoy in this 20th edition of the annual Ballet Icons Gala.

The French director’s much-travelled production arrives at the Teatro di San Carlo, displaying a precise balance between word, gesture and voice. 

A deeply psychological version of the fairytale, Jean-Christophe Maillot's Cendrillon provides ample opportunities for the whole cast to delve into their characters and rise to the technical challenges.

At the start of an ambitious cross-country tour, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is transcendent at Atlanta's historic Fox Theatre.

The Polish National Opera's first staging of Strauss' massive fairy tale feels like a bold statement of intent.

Sir Peter Wright’s Giselle was given a well-deserved, thunderous ovation on opening night. A near perfect rendition of the ballet from all quarters of the Company was deeply satisfying.

Works by Crumb, Ruggles, Barber and Gershwin offer four distinct ideas of what American music can sound like in Barbara Hannigan’s explorative Cleveland Orchestra program.

A lovely production of Giselle by the increasingly good and ever-growing Atlanta Ballet.

Alexander Shelley tackles Schumann’s sprawling Das Paradies und die Peri with conviction, shaping real momentum and drama, even if balance issues and Thomas Moore’s cloying libretto sometimes distract.

After a six-month break to address persistent injuries, the bravura violinist appears in one of her signature pieces: Prokofiev's Violin Concerto no. 1.

The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra offers up a double-serving of Tchaikovsky, with Hannu Lintu and Daniel Lozakovich, alongside the world premiere of Sauli Zinovjev's First Symphony.

Benjamin Britten’s dark masterpiece Peter Grimes returns triumphantly to Opera North, conducted by Gary Walker and revived by Karolina Sofulak and Tim Claydon.

Forwards? Backwards? Upside down? All three at once? From Machaut to Pärt, Ensemble 360 considers the relationship between musical structures and varieties of mathematical pattern.

Theatre of Dreams is a sumptuous smorgasbord of dance theatre rich in visual imagery and lingering in one’s imagination indefinitely.

In a day of music among friends, superstar pianist Seong-Jin Cho displays his mettle in two demanding programmes of chamber music.

Bach concertos on a modern Steinway prove a mixed blessing, but the Singapore Symphony's Schumann impresses under Hungarian conductor Gábor Takács-Nagy. 

Tenor Ed Lyon fulfils a long-held ambition to sing Monteverdi's Eighth Book of Madrigals, conducted by his former teacher, Laurence Cummings at Milton Court.

From Jakub Józef Orliński’s youthful radiance to Sandrine Piau’s sovereign mastery, this performance revives Baroque ecstasy through razor-sharp orchestration, muscular playing and inventive embellishments of unparalleled emotional depth.

Ludovic Morlot conducts the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra in three classics from the Romantic era: Berlioz, Chopin and Schumann. 

On the final leg of their North American tour, the Budapest Festival Orchestra’s Mahler proves a a transformative experience within the intimate setting of Toronto’s Koerner Hall. 

Sláva Daubnerová's contemporary treatment of the Ring opener at the Prague National Theatre is socially ambitious but artistically disappointing.

Sweet Mambo was one of those rare evenings that felt very special, unique in the sense of watching history revisited in the present day.

Roman Mejia and a raft of soloist debuts galvanized Peter Martins' Sleeping Beauty. An elegant production with some incidental messiness and the structural liability of a princess' dependence on a kiss.

Alexandra Dovgan plays piano concertos by Clara and Robert Schumann at the Konzerthaus, but it's the Kammerorchester Basel's performance of a forgotten symphony which most impresses. 

Another cast debuts in Glen Tetley's Pierrot Lunaire and shows us that, more than 60 years on, it's every bit as watchable as when it premiered.

The Royal Ballet marks the centenary of the birth of Glen Tetley with a revival of his greatest work, Pierrot Lunaire, not seen at the Royal Ballet and Opera for nearly 20 years.

The Dutch National Ballet helped shake off those winter blues with a mixed programme that highlighted ballet’s love affair with Latin rhythms and movement.

Global chaos has not deterred Cuba's Malpaso Dance from bringing two world premieres, one home-grown, and a Martha Graham debut to New York City – incredibly, with all-live-music accompaniment. 

On their European tour, the Toronto Symphony calls in at the Wiener Konzerthaus for a diverse program conducted by Gustavo Gimeno.

Despite the presence of Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto on the bill, it is a gripping performance of Samuel Barber's First Symphony that steals this Usher Hall Sunday matinee. 

With a trio of excellent performances, Balanchine's sassy Rubies proves the hit as Jewels – a relatively recent acquisition – returns to the Wiener Staatsballett. 

An afternoon that belongs to the exuberant partnership of the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, the Brighton Festival Chorus and the spirit of music-making everywhere. 

If Prokofiev’s original intention in his Second Piano Concerto was shock and awe, Yuja Wang gives exactly the right performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

A visually captivating production, Marit Moum Aune’s Hedda Gabler celebrates Norway’s literary giant through a process of innovation by collaboration, bringing with it superlative and memorable central performances.

New York City Ballet presents a very entertaining quadruple bill which includes Alexei Ratmansky’s latest work, The Naked King, showing off the company’s comic talents.

Elisabeth Brauß excels in Ravel with the BBC Philharmonic and brings and unexpected encore. 

Lahav Shani offers fresh perspectives on Debussy, Mozart and Schoenberg, favouring structural clarity and youthful energy over traditional late-Romantic weight and atmospheric suggestion.

After a performance of Magnus Lindberg’s First Violin Concerto by Lisa Batiashvili at the Barbican, Stravinsky’s Perséphone stands the test of time. 

English National Opera's revival of Phelim McDermott’s popular production is a blend of spectacle with some first-class singing, with Lucy Crowe emphasising her Mozartian credentials. 

Concertmaster David Kim performs Tchaikovsky's ever-popular Violin Concerto, and conductor Rafael Payare revisits Falla's El amor brujo.

Joined by violinist Maxim Vengerov, the Hungarian orchestra, under Music Director Iván Fischer, is in top form in a program of three highly contrasting pieces. 

Kornél Mundruczó brings the characters to life in Janáček’s drama of eternal youth; the brilliance of Dennis Russell Davies and the Orchestre National de Lille come close to overwhelming the proceedings.

Schubert and Saint-Saëns provide an elegant first half before a change of tone and pace with Bruckner's Sixth Symphony.