Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | English | Litanies à la Vierge Noire, FP 82a

A good audience turnout for the opening of Noseda's third NSO season justifies an all-20th-century program centering on Carl Orff's popular and direct setting of medieval poems about real life and fate, but also presenting gentler works of religious reflection.

On Wednesday evening the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, conducted by Adrian Partington, presented a programme of choral music by the two musical friends Poulenc and Britten.

The Ensemble Vocalisa Variabile presented a varied programme in the Kirche St Georg, Denzlingen, featuring eight different composers whose period of activity spanned no less than six centuries. In addition to a number of fine musical high-points, it was this versatility which proved to be one of the most impressive aspects of the performance.

Paul Wittgenstein (brother of famous philosopher Ludwig) was a well-known pianist before he lost his arm in the First World War. Instead of quitting music, he perfected his left hand skills and commissioned a few composers, including Britten, Hindemith, Prokofiev and R. Strauss to write pieces for him.