Sala: Kreuzkirche, Dresden

Der 80-jährige Peter Schreier dirigiert in seinem Geburtstagskonzert ein Monumentalwerk - Teil eines Spendenmarathons zur Finanzierung der Orgel im neuen Dresdner Kulturpalast.

Simone Young and the Dresdner Philharmonie make a formidable partnership. The orchestra play with such a wonderful sound, especially in the wind and brass sections, and the range of colours they conjure is incredible. And Young clearly revels in the orchestra’s technical facility, but still always bringing something extra, and never taking away from what the orchestra can do for themselves.

J.S. Bach didn’t write an opera, but if he had, it’d probably be the best opera in the world. Fortunately for us, he wrote the next best thing, his Mattäus-Passion, a work of such dramatic power, that even in the concert or church settings in which it is usually performed, its highly emotional narrative thread is still captivating.