Find classical music concert reviews

The Pavel Haas musicians teased out the fast-shifting colours with aching beauty.

Korngold's Violin Concerto from Simone Lamsma is delivered with extraordinary deftness and depth, while Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances thrill under Yan Pascal Tortelier and the Pittsburgh Symphony.

Jane Archibald gave possibly the most dazzling account of Cunegonde's music that I’ve heard. 

The Scottish Ensemble with guitarist Sean Shibe perform a thoughtful programme of ancient and modern Christmas-themed music in a candlelit St John’s Kirk.

Two world premieres from Mark Bowden and Colin Matthews breath life into the Southbank's Queen Elizabeth Hall.

The Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich recently struck a perfect balance of emotive and restraint in music by Brahms, Bartók and Saint-Saëns.

Dorothea Röschmann has a soaring silvery line when needed (she is a famous Marschallin).

Vivica Genaux enjoys huge success in a Melbourne concert of Baroque delights, the first venture of Sydney's Pinchgut Opera Company outside its home turf.

RLPO debutante Kahchun Wong makes a distinctive first impression in a programme of iconic works from the 20th century.

Rouvali's role with the Phiharmoniaas Principal Guest Conductor may prove to be one of the most exciting musical relationships in London, based on their remarkable performance of Eine Alpensinfonie that headlined an all-Strauss programme.

Theodor Currentzis and his musicAeterna bring blistering detail and revelatory playing to Wunderhorn-period Mahler, but it ultimately proves short on warmth. 

Pappano never put a foot wrong as he dug precious beauties from beneath his fingers.

Alena Baeva gets under the skin of Tchaikovsky's concerto in this outstanding concert. 

Enigmatic and uncanny piano music from Schubert in an intense recital at the Royal Festival Hall. 

A fresh take on timeless classics keeps the interest high in this concert featuring cellist Julian Schwarz and conductor JoAnn Falletta leading the Virginia Symphony Orchestra.

In Germany, the Christmas Oratorio is performed with the same frequency during the holiday season as Messiah in English-speaking countries. In Boston, the BSO gives its first performance!

Fury, passion and loss from Martyn Brabbins and the BBCSO in an all-British programme. 

A gloriously romantic performance by Lars Vogt and Royal Northern Sinfonia of Brahms' First Piano Concerto, complemented by Beethoven and Schumann.

Chen plays a fine solo part in Bruch and delights with his encore; Orozco-Estrada and the LPO provide some good moments but fall short of their best form.

In the second instalment of his Strauss and Shostakovich exploration, Payare directs the Ulster Orchestra in two hugely contrasting works premiered in times of conflict.

Tinney delivers an intelligent, sensitive account of Beethoven's Piano concerto no. 5 while German conductor Alber stresses speed over subltety in Beethoven's Seventh Symphony.

The LSO served up a lively programme of genre-defying UK premières at the Barbican. 

John Adams returned to Cleveland to lead two of his own works – including the local première of Scheherazade.2 – framing Copland’s Quiet City and Appalachian Spring.

Long Yu certainly didn’t rest on his laurels as he powered through Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, while Jian Wang introduced subtlety and deftness in the Rococo Variations.

Lamsma is not a household name here in America but her deep sense of commitment may well make her one.

Jennifer Higdon's blue cathedral holds its own alongside more familiar American pieces by Adams and Barber plus the “New World” Symphony.

Andrés Orozco-Estrada and the LPO offer an eclectic and unusual mix of works which, despite commendable playing, never quite added up to a satisfying whole.

Alexander Shelley conducts a folksong-infused programme of Kodály and Bartók, with Mariam Batsashvili performing Liszt. 

Setting aside a disappointing first movement of the Eroica, the Berlin Staatskapelle under Barenboim deliver another polished and persuasive performance in their third Sydney concert.

Costanzo supposed to be the unifying factor of the performance, but he wasn’t always able to surpass the numerous distractions. 

The Berlin Staatskapelle begins their three-concert Sydney series with a thrilling account of Brahms's first two symphonies in Sydney. 

Some 15 minutes long, in a slow-fast-slow form, Le Tombeau de Napoléon wraps a taxing solo part for tenor trombone in a dramatically compelling and sonically thrilling orchestral canvas.

The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra mark the Bernstein centenary with a performance of Chichester Psalms in Chichester Cathedral itself. 

Nearly a century after his birth, Weinberg's final completed symphony is given its UK premiere by the CBSO and Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla.

Awkard programming but fine musicianship from the Nash Ensemble and Christine Rice as part of its 'German Romantics' series.

A mixed evening, where Mozart's concerto lacked melancholy and Debussy's Faune inspired neither curiosity nor otherworldliness.

Fine orchestral sound and outstanding solo singing from Sarah Connolly and Steve Davislim aren't enough to compensate for poor balance and timing in Beethoven's great choral work.

In an all Tchaikovsky programme, Ray Chen delivers a cracking account of the Violin Concerto while Stutzmann brings out all the drama of his Fifth Symphony.

Almost twenty years after her first Vivaldi album, Cecilia Bartoli revisits the composer in her latest recording and touring project. 

The soul of the composer seems very much alive in her touch, particularly in his most retrospective moments.

Drive and energy in Andris Nelsons' pairing of the Fourth and Fifth Symphonies highlights their similarities rather than their differences. 

A pair of A minor sonatas demonstrate the composer's evolution over his lifetime; the Wanderer Fantasy shows the pianist's mastery of phrasing.

Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances were a treat and Simon Trpčeski was characteristically glistening in Shostakovich, but the surprise package turned out to be a rarely heard work by Kabeláč.

Mark Elder and the LPO's performance of Puccini's Le Willis proved interesting and frustrating in equal measure, rescued by a star performance from Ermonela Jaho.

Conductor Donald Runnicles and pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard deliver a highly expressive performance with pieces by Elgar, Mozart and Strauss. 

Royal Northern Sinfonia welcomed their new chamber pianist in residence, Alisdair Beatson, with some brilliantly imaginative programming.

A pair of masterpieces in the Australian Chamber Orchestra's latest programme, in typically thought-provoking interpretations. 

Deeply moving and often terrifyingly dark, Gergiev and the Mariinsky took us on a devastating ride towards the abyss which eventually left me grabbing for a rope.

Robin Ticciati and the DSO bring a strong sense of purpose to Rachmaninov's Second Symphony and Christian Tetzlaff explores the extremes of Beethoven's Violin Concerto. 

The Ulster Orchestra present a programme of classical elegance and sunshine; Rustioni is joined by Francesca Dego in an exceptionally sophisticated performance of Mozart’s Violin Concerto no. 3.