Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | English | Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble

The Balthasar-Neumann-Chor and Ensemble performed a deeply moving, if slightly uneven, St John Passion, setting off the Oslo Church Music Festival.

Having received excellent reviews for his Mahler, Verdi, Wagner and Shostakovich, Pablo Heras-Casado decided to programme a composer he has loved since his youth: Claudio Monteverdi. 

Almost 40 years after its première, Pina Bausch's daring reinterpretation of the myth of Orpheus still captivates audiences worldwide. This tanzoper is one of the most accomplished attempts to create a contemporary tragedy, an enthralling reflection on human boundaries and the acceptance of death.

Two years after her untimely death, the world is still celebrating of one of the most influential figures of contemporary dance – Pina Bausch.

In 2008, conductor Thomas Hengelbrock rediscovered Niobe, Regina di Tebe, written in 1687 by the Venetian-born, German-based composer Agostino Steffani. Although now little remembered, Steffani was a world-famous composer in his day and a man of many talents who became a diplomat and bishop as well as being a musician.