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Mozart's Clarinet Concerto started out naively impetuous, quick, breathless as if on the way to an assignation

It's a game of two halves in Barcelona from Kazushi Ono and the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya.

This season, the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya (OBC) is turning its eyes towards Bach, whilst at the same time programming the usual great symphonic repertoire, as well as contemporary composers. Here, Kazushi Ono gathered a Bach concerto (transcribed for violin), a rarely-performed work by Schumann and Richard Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra.

The bonds between Kazushi Ono and the OBC musicians are slowly improving.

Bach presented in various orchestral transcriptions made for a powerful, entertaining evening in Barcelona. 

Barcelona's L'Auditori was taken on a journey of contrasts, via Parra and Prokofiev, that unsettled as much as it delighted. 

Truly sublime playing and singing from the massed forces in Barcelona's L'Auditori perfectly showcased Mahler's genius ability to evoke whole worlds.

Seamless playing and magical moments from the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya in a youthful programme meant that a slight lack of flair and grit felt even more amiss.