Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | English | Saleem Ashkar

Having previously been Assistant Conductor at The Hallé, André de Ridder returned to a bitterly cold Manchester to conduct a fascinating programme, culminating a beautifully autumnal account of Brahms’ Symphony no.4.The Brahms was by far the most successful of the evening’s works.

“Cinderella” and “ballet” might ordinarily suggest glockenspiel-topped delicacy; not in Prokofiev’s case. His ballet Cinderella, and the selection from it chosen by the RSNO, contains great variety. The Introduction’s darkness hints at the exploitation and neglect which are to be vanquished by love and happiness.

In anticipation of Nicolaj Znaider’s London conducting debut with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), I had been pondering about which solo violinists have made successful transitions to a conductor. The most obvious name would be Menuhin, although he was perhaps more a great musician than a technically great conductor.

If you watch one of Alfred Hitchcock's better movies (The Birds and The Man Who Knew Too Much are good examples), the timing and pace has a strange effect. The first half hour passes pleasantly enough: you meet the characters, and nothing too much happens. An hour in, and the action is running at break-neck pace, your pulse is racing, and your brain is straining to keep up.