Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Violin Concerto in E major, BWV1042

The Oxford Philharmonic offers uninspiring renditions Bach and Mendelssohn, highlighting both the strengths and weaknesses of the orchestra under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach. 

In Chan Yoong-Han and Kong Zhao Hui, the performances of Bach’s two solo violin concertos were in good and steady hands. 

As part of their swing through some of America’s top concert halls, Isabelle Faust joined Les Violons du Roy to bring Bach and Handel to Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Yannick leads Philadelphia Orchestra on spiritual journey throug Bruckner's Eighth Symphony. 

Isabelle Faust joined the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin in finely honed performances of Bach violin concertos and a rarely performed version of an orchestral suite.

Vilde Frang galvanises the English Chamber Orchestra, with the slow movement of Bach's E major violin concerto proving the highlight of the evening.

Interleaving Bach violin concertos with Haydn symphonies, the ACO give an energetic performance in the Sydney Opera House, with highlight solos from Richard Tognetti and Helena Rathbone.

Alina Ibragimova with the Scottish Ensemble perform exuberant early teenage Mendelssohn, deeply spiritual Pärt and Vasks, politically lethal Hartmann and utterly thrilling Bach.

Meditations from the Bach family on the human condition in "Cantatas for the soul" performed by the Dunedin Consort in Ta Giezu Church at the Valletta International Baroque Festival.

The Baroque credentials of St John's Smith Square were thoroughly endorsed in a beautifully proportioned concert by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment directed by the doyenne of British Baroque violinists, Rachel Podger.

Jeanette Sorrell and her Cleveland Baroque band Apollo’s Fire are renowned for their inventive programming and “A Night at Bach’s Coffeehouse”, with guest soloist Alina Ibragimova, deftly offered a balanced musical diet. 

A hit in its hometown, Apollo's Fire is making believers on the festival circuit both in the US and abroad this summer.

In Amsterdam, Joshua Bell led his Academy of St Martin in the Fields on an adventurous, crowd-pleasing journey that demonstrated his ensemble’s versatility.

A pleasant program of reliably joyful pieces, conducted by a true master.

Laurence Cummings and Royal Northern Sinfonia round off their week of Bach concerts at Sage Gateshead with joyful orchestral music, and Bach's miniature comic opera.

In a rare appearance outside London in the UK, world-renowned Russian violinist Viktoria Mullova, harpsichordist Ottavio Dantone and the Italian ensemble Accademia Bizantina took to the stage at St George’s Bristol to perform four Baroque concertos by J.S. Bach.

Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra’s “Bach to the Future” promised to be a highlight of their season this year. This orchestra has repeatedly shown its mettle in 20th-century repertoire and had taken part in an absolutely stunning B minor Mass last year. And how appropriate to have a young Scotsman conducting Mendelssohn’s “Scottish” Symphony.

What a lovely way to round off a weekend, with some feel-good favourites from one of the world’s finest early music ensembles. Currently in their silver jubilee season, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra actually began to emerge a couple of years earlier than their official 1987 launch.

Frans Brüggen led the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century in what proved to be a monumental afternoon of music. Ever true to the spirit of its namesake, this ensemble has dedicated itself since 1981 to the practical execution of works from the Baroque era. This particular program showcased works spanning a 25-year range, from Bach’s Orchestral Suite no.

There is something delightfully non-prescriptive about the word “ensemble”, admitting of many combinations of performers and types of music. It was this notion of flexibility that came to the fore in Friday night’s concert in the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh.

If you love Bach – and who doesn’t? – Birmingham was the place to be this weekend, for a delicious series of concerts, lectures and discoveries at the Town Hall and Symphony Hall under the heading ‘Bach: A Beautiful Mind’.

Artiste en résidence au festival L'Offrande musicale, Renaud Capuçon a offert une belle prestation de chef-violoniste, bien secondé par le jeune altiste Paul Zientara et l'ONCT en petit effectif.

 Au Festival de Gstaad, Hilary Hahn est éblouissante dans les concertos de Bach. Mais le reste du programme déçoit.

El reconocido solista, junto a su igualmente virtuosa pareja brillaron a la par que la orquesta chilena en una colaboración equilibrada, y una oferta musical contundente.

An diesem Abend leitete der britische Dirigent, Cellist und Cembalist Jonathan Cohen das Orchestra La Scintilla im Opernhaus Zürich. Am Programm stand nur Bach – jedoch war es nichts weniger als eintönig. 

S’il est bien un reproche qu’on ne saurait formuler à l’égard de David Grimal, c’est de manquer d’ambition. A l’affût de tous les répertoires, fidèle à une approche démocratique de la musique, expansif sans pour autant céder à l’étalage …  

Une promenade musicale mettant en lumière les filiations musicales d'une grande dynastie de musiciens, entre héritage et modernité, école allemande et italienne, baroque et prémices du Romantisme.