A young cellist from Luxemburg makes his mark at the outset of a very promising career and takes victory at the 2022 George Enescu Cello Competition in Bucharest.
“Jealous lover kills local slut” might be the tabloid headline, but Bizet's Carmen is much more than that, especially in this visually stunning new production in Hamburg, directed by Herbert Fritsch.
Conducting the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, the Latvian Andris Poga reveals a surer hand in Shostakovich's final symphonic statement than in the partnering of Nina Stemme in Wagner, where her big voice often missed the essential intimacy.
Opening the new season, Alan Gilbert and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester send out a clear message in Mahler's Second Symphony, both lyrically shaped and dramatically inflected.
Should perfection be an end in itself? Franz Welser-Möst and his Clevelanders demonstrate in works by Wolfgang Rihm and Schubert why they may have no technical weaknesses, but still leave something to be desired.
In the first of two appearances to close the Elbphilharmonie's summer festival, Franz Welser-Möst and his doughty Clevelanders don't stint on discipline and power in Berg and Bruckner, but leave the listener emotionally short-changed.
Zubin Mehta, Siobhan Stagg and the players of the AWO were on top of their game in works by Webern, Debussy and Brahms, where the connections were as potent as the contrasts.
Thomas Dausgaard and his Scottish players probe beneath the surface in symphonies by Sibelius and Nielsen, while Jan Lisiecki seeks out maximum contrasts in a Beethoven concerto.
What did Alice actually find on this occasion? A contemporary piece by Caroline Shaw, Mendelssohn's most popular concerto and the ultimate journey back to childhood and beyond in Mahler's Fourth Symphony.
Jordan de Souza conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra fails to set our reviewer's heart racing, but the young Swedish violinist John Dalene most certainly does.
It is always good to hear the command of the viola that Lawrence Power demonstrates, but a one-dimensional approach to a Bruckner symphony short-changes the composer.
In a programme of Lutosławski, Richard Strauss and Tchaikovsky conducted by Paavo Järvi, there are no weak links in the playing of the EFO and Stefan Dohr’s versatility on the horn is once again on display.
As an experience, this was quite something, with the music almost secondary and emotions carrying the day. The term minimalist could only be used to describe the rhythmic patterns.
Aspiring young conductors literally have to face the music in a second half showcasing their skills, while their teachers kick off proceedings with chamber music presentations of Estonian composers.
Neeme Järvi celebrates his 80th birthday in style, together with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and his daughter Maarika, in works by Mozart, Gluck and Dvořák.
Valeriy Sokolov explores the loneliness of the long-distance runner in Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, while the formidable artistic partnership of Nicholas Collon and Aurora Orchestra come up trumps in Shostakovich's Ninth Symphony.
Expect the unexpected when Sir Simon Rattle conducts the LSO. There will always be something that works, and sharpens your musical sensibilities, and something that doesn't. Ligeti, Wagner and Jolas vie for attention with Brahms.
Alpesh Chauhan and the BBC SO assay Bruckner's final symphonic statement, while Stephen Hough once more demonstrates his affinity for a Romantic composer like Rachmaninov.
The LSO’s Conductor Laureate, Michael Tilson Thomas, takes his time over Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, while Lukás Vondráček seeks out the extremes in Liszt’s First Piano Concerto.
