Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Ein Heldenleben (A Hero's Life), Op.40

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Music Director Designate juxtaposes his Finnish countryman's music on their shared national epic, the Kalevala, with the heroic life limned in the tone poem of Richard Strauss.

Ken-David Masur opens his final season in Milwaukee with Ravel’s one-handed wonder and Strauss’ musical autobiography.

Till Eulenspiegel and Ein Heldenleben frame Lisa Batiashvili playing Mozart's "Turkish" concerto. 

Alpesh Chauhan conducts the BBC Philharmonic in a striking programme of 20th- and 21st-century works including the UK premiere of Anna Clyne's The Moment. 

Christian Thielemann conducts bracing accounts of Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony and Strauss' Ein Heldenleben in the Concertgebouw's fabled acoustic. 

Hans Graf leads a compelling Ein Heldenleben in Singapore, with young soloists shining in Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante.

Franz Welser-Möst leads The Cleveland Orchestra in three stylistically distinct works, all of which put to test the orchestra’s new concertmaster, David Radzynski.

Lahav Shani gives the players of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra their moment to shine in Strauss' demanding Ein Heldenleben. 

Zubin Mehta conducts a trio of Strauss tone poems as the Australian World Orchestra arrives back in Sydney. 

Yuja Wang lives up to her superstar status in Liszt and a couple of operatic encores, while the Oslo Philharmonic show icy clarity in Sibelius and orchestral colour aplenty in Strauss.

A visit to London from Nelsons is always an occasion. The first of two programmes dedicated to Strauss demonstrated why the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig is among the best in the world.

Former Principal Guest Conductor Stéphane Denève leads an electrifying Ein Heldenleben in The Philadelphia Orchestra's Sunday concert.

Some of Kozhukhin's trills were as rattling thunder – but there was much delicacy and poetry on offer in the many lyrical episodes.

Coupling a rare but underwhelming concerto by Max Bruch with Strauss's polychrome orchestral showpiece, the program with Semyon Bychkov and the sisters Labèque accentuated superlative musicianship.

In the last program at home before an international tour, Franz Welser-Möst led The Cleveland Orchestra in an imposing performance of Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben, prefaced by works of Schubert and Webern.

Mariss Jansons and the BRSO offer defining performances of two of Richard Strauss' greatest works.

Evocative Smyth and impressively detailed Strauss from Tausk, and warm Dvořák with soulful playing from Daniel Müller-Schott.

In yet another intriguing programming maneuver, Seattle Symphony music director Ludovic Morlot devoted this weekend’s performances to the subject of heroism.

As Valletta celebrates its title as 2018 European Capital of Culture, the Malta Philharmonic gave an enthusiastic national premiere of Strauss' Ein Heldenleben.

An anniversary gala concert with historic references worth the hype.

Tonal finesse, graceful articulation and magical simplicity mattered more than anything else in Yefim Bronfman's version of Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto.

Semyon Bychkov, the Berliner Philharmoniker and Gautier Capuçon present an outstanding programme exploring the different sides of musical heroism

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performed new(ish) music straight from its own bloodline (René Staar) under the direction of Maestro Franz Welser-Möst alongside works by Schubert, R. Strauss, and, inevitably, Strauss II in their first concert of 2017 at Carnegie Hall.

With Richard Strauss’s epic symphonic poem and Benedetti performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, the CBSO had major expectations to fulfil. 

Oramo and the BBCSO were dynamic in the UK première of Brett Dean's thought-provoking suite and provided a solid account of Richard Strauss' Ein Heldenleben.

Mezzo-soprano Marie-Nicole Lemieux made her Cleveland Orchestra debut in a passionate performance of Chausson’s Poème de l’amour et de la mer.

Jonathan Nott, Johannes Moser, and the CSO portray a traditional program in particularly evocative fashion

The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra began its latest London residency with an impressive concert of Strauss and Mozart.

A stunning work by Esa-Pekka Salonen, a dream landscape by Karol Szymanowski and a monumental tone poem by Richard Strauss recently made for a rich offering in Zurich.

Last night’s concert at the Royal Festival Hall brought together three of the biggest names in classical music, performing two works that are somewhat more mid range in popularity within the repertoire.

This was a clever and enjoyable concert built around anniversaries – Panufnik at 100 and Richard Strauss at the grand old age of 150. Despite the two composers being miles apart in approach and style the structures of their two pieces, a single movement building to central climax, were revealed as being similar.

Released from the pit of the opera house, the Staatskapelle Berlin deliver a thrilling performances of Strauss's Heldenleben, led by Daniel Barenboim with soloist Anna Netrebko soloist in the Four Last Songs.

An exciting programme, although not without flaws, kicked off the Oslo Philharmonic's new season.

Prom 39 at the Royal Albert Hall presented a highly unique programme spanning 250 years of classical music, with Rameau, Rands, Mozart and Strauss who all celebrate a milestone this year.

Angels, Emperors and Heroes - Emanuel Ax continues his Sydney Beethoven cycle in style. 

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra led by Peter Oundjian performed at Montreal’s Maison Symphonique in a well-executed and altogether comfortable programme which nonetheless failed to challenge any notion of orchestral status-quo.

Christoph von Dohnányi yields to the Romanticism of Ein Heldenleben after a delicate, ornate rendering of Beethoven's Piano Concerto no.1 from Martin Helmchen.

An excellent orchestra and a rather grab-bag program officially opened the 2013 Musikfest Berlin last night. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and its music director, Manfred Honeck, are currently on a European tour, and the audience at the Philharmonie rewarded their long trek with abundant applause, necessitating two encores.

The Bergen Philharmonic opened their concert very aptly, with a piece by an English composer that evoked their homeland. Delius took regular holidays in Norway and an early meeting with Grieg had helped Delius on his way to becoming a serious composer. 

It is said that whilst developing a successful career as a violinist, the young Emmanuel Krivine was advised by the distinguished conductor Karl Böhm to further pursue his passion for conducting. Thankfully, Krivine took heed of such advice, or we would not today have what is undoubtedly one of Europe’s finest conductors.

Can two composers have so much, yet so little in common? Or be such accommodating, yet such uncomfortable bedfellows? The SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg with their principal conductor François-Xavier Roth addressed these questions in exhilarating style, in a “turn-of-the-century time capsule” which thrilled and enchanted upon its opening.

We can never really know why Schubert left his Eighth Symphony unfinished, but that shouldn't stop us from playing such a wonderful piece of music. With its deathly still opening, turbulent central section and gentle slow movement, this symphony is one of Schubert's finest and most frequently performed works.

Klaus Mäkelä y la Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra de Ámsterdam deslumbran al Auditorio Nacional de Música con un repertorio heroico.

La création belge de Eco… del vuoto de la compositrice Annelies Van Parys a ouvert de fort belle manière la saison nouvelle, mais le reste de la soirée fut moins enthousiasmant.

Dans un programme Wagner-Strauss, la phalange de la Grande Boutique et le chef italien ont été aussi héroïques et virtuoses qu'émouvants.

Le chef finlandais dirige ses troupes avec talent mais se laisse aussi griser par la dimension spectaculaire d'Une vie de héros. Concerto inégal avec Daniil Trifonov, belle création française d'Anna Thorvaldsdottir.

Dans Reger et Strauss, les Berliner Philharmoniker et leur directeur musical montrent quelle implacable et impeccable machine orchestrale ils sont capables d'incarner.

Die Berliner Philharmoniker starten mit Max Reger und Richard Strauss in eine heldenreiche neue Saison.

Santtu-Matias Rouvali s'épanouit complètement dans Boulanger, Sibelius ou Strauss aux côtés de l’Orchestre symphonique de Göteborg.