Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | English | Derek Welton

Under the baton of Semyon Bychkov, the Czech Philharmonic and a sprawling supporting cast lead listeners up a stairway to heaven. 

Sacred and secular, operatic and symphonic dimensions united in a thrilling climax to the London Philharmonic Orchestra's season. 

Richard Farnes returns to Opera North to conduct and Sam Brown directs a concert staging of Wagner's final opera, Parsifal. 

A strong cast and a masterclass in Wagnerian conducting from Jakub Hrůša complement David Alden’s disturbing staging.

At the Royal Albert Hall, the Philharmonia Chorus make an infernal set of demons, encouraged by that impish Lord of misrule, Vasily Petrenko. 

Kirill Petrenko launches the Berlin Philharmonic's “Golden Twenties” series with Kurt Weill's First Symphony and Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex.

An Elektra conducted like Mendelssohnian fairy music, sung not shouted, just as Strauss required.

Deutsche Oper Berlin returns in rousing style with a pared-down, open-air Rheingold on its “Parkdeck”.

Meyerbeer's tale of the Anabaptist rebellion in the 16th-century religious wars proves to be a powerful thriller, with Clémentine Margaine and Gregory Kunde leading a very strong singing cast.

Despite its enigmatic details, Bayreuth's Parsifal reaches a cathartic climax. 

Handel's oratorio Susanna is often considered to be less than consistently dramatic and this performance in the Halle Handel Festival did little to dispel that view.

Staging the story of the Italian political figure Rienzi as that of a dictator in 20th-century Germany was an inspired idea. This revival was a rare occasion to experience Wagner's early opera. 

Wagner demands vocal resilience from the large cast of singers in Das Rheingold, but Willy Decker wants strong thigh muscles as well.

Deutsche Oper Berlin's Salome was a mixed blessing: a magnificent Catherine Naglestad as the heroine, with good ensemble of singers and orchestra, but a thoughtful but far-fetched psychological interpretation.

Oliver Py's new Meyerbeer staging offers plenty of clichés, but is a solid show, backed up by a fine musical performance.

The Czech Philharmonic brings The Epic of Gilgamesh to life with audacity and flair.

Meyerbeer's little performed work is given an enthusiastic rendering, with star singing from a big cast led by Flórez, Ciofi and Jerkunica. David Alden's quality Personenregie makes up for some unconvincing setting choices.

Deutsche Oper Berlin's revival of Parsifal features a brilliant musical performances to override the production's focus on the dark side of religion.

Anna Netreboko chose to perform her first Elsa in Dresden with Christian Thielemann conducting.  It was a remarkable performance never to be forgotten.

The première of a bold new work by Luke Bedford was the highlight in a Prom concert that otherwise lacked impact and focus. 

A Child Of Our Time brought this year's Auckland Arts Festival to a magnificent finish with its message as universal as it was when first composed. 

In a diverse programme consisting of Haydn and Pärt, Stephen Layton impressed with his choir Polyphony, while the Britten Sinfonia performed a fine rendition of Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony. 

Stephen Layton leads the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in a thrillingly dramatic account of Bach's masterpiece. 

The decision to appoint the Early Opera Company and Scanner as this year’s associate artists says much about Spitalfields Music Summer Festival, an eclectic cornucopia of classical and non-classical music concerts by professional and amateur artists, bespoke tours, and family activities.

If your favourite part of opera is a soaring melody which stays in your head long after the opera is over, they don’t come much better than Un bel dì in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, in which our enraptured heroine sings of the day that her husband’s ship will reappear on the horizon. At Grange Park last night, Claire Rutter did it full justice.

They are sadly few in number, but some things in this St. John Passion I can report in mildly positive terms would include Stephen Layton’s hand-selected choir Polyphony, whose members dealt with Bach’s demanding vocal lines capably and sang in clear, idiomatic German; bass-baritone Neal Davies (a perfectly respectable if not overly engaging Christ); and Derek Welton’s robustly s

On a dark and snowy night, a packed Wigmore Hall was captivated by the Early Opera Company's offering of Handel's Messiah - compared to some, an intimate performance with a dozen instrumentalists and a choir of 8, but which suited the surroundings to perfection.