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Conductor Thierry Fischer steps in at short notice to conduct an early work by Messiaen, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition and Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major – a triumph for all concerned.

An evening of Russian classics at the Royal Festival Hall, where Esther Yoo joins the RPO to play Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto. 

Thierry Fischer led The Cleveland Orchestra in works of Bizet and Debussy flanking Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with Pepe Romero.

Last Friday evening’s well-planned concert mostly produced some fine playing from both the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Benjamin Grosvenor but had the occasional misfire.

Thierry Fischer and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales presented an eclectic programme, with an exciting première by Simon Holt and the many different facets of 20th century French orchestral music.

Messiaen's massive Eclairs sur l’au-delà is given a superb performance by the BBCSO under Thierry Fischer.

How strange. I was engrossed throughout the London Sinfonietta’s performance of Mauricio Kagel’s The Pieces of the Compass Rose last night, and I have no idea how to describe it. Each of the eight pieces in this remarkable cycle for “salon band” is titled after a point on the compass – and each is, essentially, an evocation of that point. Or perhaps I mean “direction”, or “place”.

Written for oboist Nicholas Daniel and first performed in Birmingham in 2010, there was excitement and anticipation in Perth for James MacMillan’s Oboe Concerto receiving its Scottish première.The Scottish Chamber Orchestra with soloist François Leleux gave a virtuosic performance of this thought-provoking work, conducted by Thierry Fischer.

It’s been a busy couple of months for Berlioz’s Requiem in London. First there was Sir Colin Davis’s June performance at St. Paul’s, with the reinforced London Symphony Orchestra’s brass bands arrayed around the dome. Now, on an unofficial Big Choral Weekend at the Proms there was this valedictory effort from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and their outgoing music director, Thierry Fischer.

A lengthy standing ovation followed Thierry Fischer’s final St David’s Hall concert with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, concluding his sixth season with Richard Strauss’ monumental Alpine Symphony after a refined performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 22 with pianist Angela Hewitt.

It’s quite rare nowadays to rock up to a concert having absolutely no prior knowledge of the music you’re about to hear. Ticket prices, an abundance of established concert repertoire, and an understandable reflex to ‘play it safe’ all contribute to our penchant for the known in the concert hall.

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.

A rare sunny afternoon in Cardiff Bay was the ideal setting for this afternoon’s concert: an all-French programme in the intimate surroundings of the Wales Millennium Centre’s Hoddinott Hall.Having long been overshadowed by the Rite of Spring (which received its premiere two weeks later), Debussy’s ballet Jeux has been unjustly neglected.