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Judith Weir's cryptic folk opera lacks the narrative propulsion necessary to enthral an audience, and without resolution there is no catharsis.

Star-dancing or star-gazing? A celestial occasion with Ensemble Hegiak in South-West France.

In its Chicago Symphony Orchestra debut, Bell's commission for an all-star lineup of composers boasts some virtuosic violin playing and a shared aesthetic, but not a throughline.

The TSO effectively combine new and old with a first rate performance of the enargeia suite by Emily D’Angelo, followed by a satisfying Brahms First Symphony. A fitting tribute to dedicatee Sir Andrew Davis.

During Henry Wood’s Prom years, Wednesday was Bach Night. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of his birth, the Proms revived this tradition in the final week with a couple of modern twists.

A fascinating new companion piece to Elgar's Enigma Variations, from 14 contemporary composers, in celebration of Martyn Brabbins' 60th birthday, performed with enthusiasm by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

Jordi Savall and friends take us on a journey to the Spain of Colombus.

It is not often that the nominal title of a concert would consist of simply the name of its protagonists. Yet this is exactly what happened this week when the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s programme was called with laconic brevity: Cirque de la Symphonie.

After quartets by Nielsen and Beethoven, Nordic folk song arrangements brought the first day of the 2015 City of London Festival to a festive close.

A deeply moving evening of Russian choral treasures from Nigel Short's Tenebrae.

Hyde Park's Last Night of the Proms is a marathon specatcle, with highlights from Earth Wind and Fire, Rufus Wainwright and land lubbing ensemble The Fisherman's Friends.

The Silk Road Ensemble is not one musical tradition, not one culture, but rather one single point where a multitude of cultures and musical heritages are united and combined. 

Brass chamber music may sound like an alarming oxymoron until you hear the warm sound of Onyx Brass, who brought their Tour de Brass programme to Auckland Castle as part of Durham's annual BRASS festival.

Scratch Orchestra revives for fresh performance of Cardew’s improvisation rites

A velvet-smooth bass-baritone voice, matinee idol looks and magnetic stage presence have made Erwin Schrott into one of opera’s big international stars. Last night, however, festivalgoers at Budapest’s Comedy Theatre saw him excel in a very different musical form: the Argentinian tango music whose leading composer was Astor Piazzolla.

From madrigals to modern music Chanticleer impressed with sumptuous singing in all the genres, in their National Concert Hall recital in Dublin.

Hooray for John Wilson and the magnificent musicians of his orchestra, for this programme of classics from Hollywood's golden age performed at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall.

Oxford Town Hall was certainly decked with boughs of holly for last night’s Christmas special. Featuring the twelve-piece Orchestra of St John’s and a carol-singing choir, the scene was set for a cosy evening away from the cold and drizzle outside. Maybe the best way to describe this concert is by comparing it to a festive CD.

“What is a score?” This was the question posed last night in Kings Place, Hall Two, by the effervescent ensemble who style themselves as notes inégales. Under the directorship of Peter Wiegold, six instrumentalists brought together a programme of improvisational works that responded to computer-generated scores on a large screen.

They say you should never meet your heroes. But they don’t say anything about them meeting each other, so I had very little idea of what to expect at Kings Place on Monday night when comedian Stewart Lee performed John Cage. In the event, this was a hugely enjoyable short recital, though I do wonder if it wasn’t a bit funnier than should really be expected from a Cage gig.

Last week, I was lucky enough to visit St. Petersburg to hear two concerts featuring winning pieces from the newly-launched St. Romanos Melodos I International Composers Competition. The aim of this competition is to revive ‘the spiritual and musical traditions founded in pre-revolution Russia’, and it was a fascinating window for me into a very different musical culture.

I went to this concert primarily so as to be able to hear Frederick Stocken’s new work, Archangels. The performance of that work was preceded by the Choir of St Mary’s Woodford singing sixteenth century church music, conducted by Mr Stocken.