Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Dame Imogen Cooper

In our Covid-infested world, quality music making is still possible, as demonstrated by Imogen Cooper and her Aurora Orchestra friends. 

Ben Gernon conducted the BBC Philharmonic in Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall in colourful Stravinsky and soulful Tchaikovsky, while Cooper encapsulated this in Mozart.

Imogen Cooper shone in Aurora's serious and fulsome performances of Mozart.

A programme of late Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert explores music at the limits.

Imogen Cooper joined the Sydney Symphony for a performance of Beethoven's Second Piano Concerto. 

Kings Place's "Cello Unwrapped" series is a major, year-long celebration of the instrument. It consists of a no fewer than 51 events spread throughout the year, with everything from films to sessions on buying – and even making – instruments.

Broad tempi and a measured steer from Bernard Haitink led to a concert somewhat lacking in vigour and energy.

Imogen Cooper's exquisite musicality and thoughtful programming made for a wonderful, pensive performance in Sydney's City Recital Hall.

The Cleveland Orchestra celebrates CPE Bach's 300th birthday, along with works by Vaňhal, Beethoven and Haydn in performances of utmost clarity.

Both a grand and intimate programme from Imogen Cooper, centred around the music of Robert Schumann. 

It was by coincidence that Tuesday’s Oxford Lieder Festival concert fell on Johann Mayrhofer’s 226th birthday. The Austrian poet was second only to Goethe in the number of texts chosen by Schubert, and the programme was a selection of the composer’s settings from 1817-1824. The lieder chosen for the recital fell under two themes: songs based upon classical myth, and those inspired by nature.

Schubert cycles are in the air: earlier this month pianist James Lisney’s wide-ranging ‘Schubertreise’ series reached its journey’s end at London’s Purcell Room, and on Saturday evening Imogen Cooper concluded her own survey of Schubert’s piano sonatas with a performance of the last three sonatas to a packed, attentive and highly appreciative Wigmore Hall audience.

Daniel Barenboim was onto something earlier this Proms season when he spoke of the “communion” between the Royal Albert Hall audience and the performers: there is a sense of deep, serious, joyous concentration at the Proms that more than compensates for the disappointing acoustic.

Anyone craving an antidote to the Wagner marathon at the Proms could look no further than the third in the Proms Chamber Music series at Cadogan Hall.

Iván Fischer conducted the Budapest Festival Orchestra in impassioned performances of Dohnányi, Beethoven and Brahms to an appreciative, if criminally small, audience in Manchester.More than any other Music Director one could think of, Fischer has a large claim to the BFO being his orchestra. Since founding the orchestra in 1983, he has been its only chief and has guided it to wide acclaim.

Symphonic evocations of ancient Rome and 1950s Los Angeles filled the Royal Albert Hall last night, with John Adams conducting a combined orchestra of students from London's Royal Academy of Music and New York's Juilliard School. Between these pieces, by Respighi and Adams himself, the players were joined by pianist Imogen Cooper for Ravel's G major concerto.

At first glance, Beethoven isn’t an obvious composer to match up with Ravel and Stravinsky, but Northern Sinfonia’s concert this evening with guest conductor Thierry Fischer did draw out a few surprising parallels.

Long recognised worldwide as a player of virtuosity and poise, it’s hard to pigeon-hole British pianist Imogen Cooper, though she has undoubtedly made her mark with her interpretations of classical repertoire (her ‘Schubert Live’ recordings have received much critical acclaim).

The intimate setting of the Wigmore Hall provided the ideal platform for mezzo-soprano Christianne Stotijn’s sensitive performance of songs by Faure, Chausson and Schumann. Her voice flowed apparently effortlessly through this varied repertoire, connecting powerfully with the audience.

Après un concerto pour piano de Mozart un peu décevant malgré l'interprétation très juste d'Imogen Cooper, le BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra donne une lecture exaltante de la neuvième symphonie de Bruckner, sous la baguette de Thomas Dausgaard.