Venue: Royal Albert Hall, Londres

A unique marriage of production and performance space provides a spactacle synonymous withe spirit of Christmas 

Competent if underwhelming Handel from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Maxim Emelyanchev.

For three decades, Acosta has given his audiences performances of pure pleasure. As someone who had to work against the odds to reach the top, he became one of those rare classical ballet dancers whose brilliance and incredible technical achievements, wrapped up with convincing characterisation and humble charisma, have set stages alight around the world.

Jonathan Cohen leads a sensitive performance by Arcangelo, with a line-up of five outstanding lyrical voices. 

Britten's profoundly pacifist work is given a calm reading by Peter Oundjian and the RSNO: soprano Erin Wall, the RSNO Junior Chorus and the wind players provide the high spots of the evening.

Antoine Tamestit takes a peripatetic approach to Byron's brooding hero, while Joyce DiDonato dies – twice – as Cleopatra and Dido. 

Another Bernstein concerto-in-all-but-name followed by Shostakovich, this time with the Boston Symphony flexing their muscles. 

The Berliners' second concert comprised the core repertoire for which they are famous, Beethoven and Strauss. Under the dynamic baton of their incoming Principal, Kirill Petrenko, these warhorses were made fresh again.