Philip Cobb’s bluesy inflections turned the dear old Barbican Hall into the coolest nightspot in the capital; they might as well have lowered the lights and served cocktails.
From the moment Ehnes trilled the G major Op.96 into existence, he and Armstrong achieved the musical transparency that results from using fortepianos with leather hammers and gut strings, and only with great care and commitment when using modern instruments.
The Amicus Orchestra conducted by Robert Baxter with Tobias Ringborg as violin soloist brought a touch of sunshine to Glasgow’s West End Festival with popular Humperdinck, Bruch and Dvořák.
Müpa's Ring sees all-round musical excellence for a third night in row, which will be remembered more than the various distracting miscues in the staging.
There are multiple ways of approaching Bach's Mass in B minor, from the one-to-a-part advocated by Joshua Rifkin to a more conventional large choral approach, and everything in between.
The UK stage debut of Offenbach’s neglected Fantasio reveals a musical sizzler, but directorially it needs a more sympathetic touch than Garsington musters.
Deutsche Oper Berlin presents Verdi’s old-age masterpiece in Kriegenburg’s production, which still fails to convince. A much more satisfying cast seals a successful musical production.
The Met Orchestra’s closing performance of the season saw Yannick Nézet-Séguin lead the ensemble in Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder with Elīna Garanča and an arresting Bruckner's Seventh Symphony.
Handel's oratorio Susanna is often considered to be less than consistently dramatic and this performance in the Halle Handel Festival did little to dispel that view.
The Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra led by Robert Mealy, with soprano Emőke Baráth and dancers Caroline Copeland and Pierre-François Dollé, showcase Rameau's vitality and originality.
Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria is given the Pinchgut treatment, with an abstract staging complementing historically informed music-making under Erin Helyard.
Mahler 2 must be mother’s milk for the CBSO Chorus, though they sang with affecting passion from their soft, seated entry to towering last peroration of the Resurrection hymn.
The Kuss Quartet played the full cycle of Beethoven string quartets in five concerts. With the legendary "Paganini set" of four Stradivarius instruments, these turned out to be special days.
Perhaps ABT's disclaimer in the program notes should have simply said: "When you watch Le Corsaire, prepare to be both offended and entertained. We hope you'll be more entertained than offended."
Deutsche Oper Berlin's revival of Manon Lescaut achieves a rare theatrical success; a witty and visually stunning production combined with thrilling music making in the pit with Sir Simon Rattle leading the orchestra and singers with emotional urgency.
Comic opera can fall flat, but if The Grange Festival's new production of Verdi's final masterpiece is a total delight, with a strong concept and a strong cast. This is country-house opera at its best.
A great performance of a nearly-forgotten 18th-century oratorio in Salzburg celebrates the castrati’s “Heavenly Voices”, the theme of the Whitsun festival.
Michieletto presents an engaging new production where magic and reality reflect each other through a mirror, and humans are exposed in all their vulnerability.
Cellist Sol Gabetta founded the Solsberg Festival to make music with like-minded people in a historically significant space and arranges programmes by, and with, select musicians.
Lloyd-Evans' new production of Mozart's classic might be traditional, but there's no lack of astuteness in his direction of his characters. Problems in the pit hinder an otherwise strong musical performance.
