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Well defined performances of Monteverdi madrigals are sung with I Fagiolini’s customary ease and involvement. 

A tasting menu of string quartet movements interspersed with readings made for an absorbing afternoon. 

A remarkable recital of outstanding sensitivity and intellectual rigour where Paul Lewis made Schubert sing and dance, although not without a few disconcerting shadows.

Sir Peter Wright’s production returns to Birmingham Royal Ballet after an absence of five years, with Céline Gittens and Brandon Lawrence sharing great chemistry. 

English National Ballet tours its outgoing artistic director's revision of Petipa's Raymonda, but it's Glazunov who proves the real winner. 

Even given a routine revival, McVicar's staging has much to recommend it, returning the opera to its literary roots. 

An evening of unfailing interest that flagged up the wonders of both David Owen Norris and Lawrence Power in variable performances of classic scores by Vaughan Williams. 

Three works of different character were given strong, largely persuasive readings by this acclaimed Piano Trio, and impressed with their assurance and commitment.

Sir Peter Wright's version of The Sleeping Beauty has stood the test of time, though this opening night of the tour in Southampton didn't always convince that the work has a place of adoration in the company’s heart.

Playing of fearsome technique with fearless regard to the music's demands made for an impressive recital. 

The cavernous Mayflower pit eats singers for breakfast and only Natalya Romaniw’s full-blooded Tatyana escaped its jaws unmarked

This was an unmissable evening in which Prokofiev’s formidable “War” sonatas were given a rare and unforgettable outing – all three at a single sitting.  

David Bintley's 2010 Birmingham Royal Ballet version of Cinderella is the antithesis to Ashton. Instead of pantomime, he offers pure fairy tale every magical step of the way.

Mitsuko Uchida’s love of Mozart and Schumann was given vivid expression in the first of a series of recitals in Britain and Germany – but it was Mozart that won the evening here. 

Mixed performances from this well-known ensemble, but overall fine playing that showcased the genius of Haydn and beauty of Frank Bridge.

This was one of those absorbing discovery type recital programmes where links between the composers were both in and between the music. 

A daring programme, with more than enough technical challenges which produced exciting, if uneven performances.  

Core repertoire from across nearly two centuries formed the basis of a recital programme that forged a link from Bach to Ravel.

Death lurks around every corner in Rudolf Nureyev’s Romeo and Juliet, created for English National Ballet (then named London Festival Ballet) back in 1977 and energetically revived here.

Schubert’s last three piano sonatas, published posthumously in 1839, were brought to new life with thrilling intensity and a sense of authority by one of Britain’s most self-effacing recitalists.

An impressive debut at the Turner Sims from this young Italian pianist brings new insights to Schubert, Scriabin and Ravel in compelling performances. 

Adrian Chandler and La Serenissima showcase dramatic Vivaldi motets in a lively programme of lesser known Pietà music. 

Haydn, Mozart and Brahms provided the perfect menu for the Turner Sims Sunday afternoon tea-time concert given by the Vienna Piano Trio.

The Schubert Ensemble's good-in-parts performance of Schumann, Schubert and John Woolwich.

From the very first bars of Brahms’ Intermezzi Simon Trpčeski thrilled the audience at Southampton's Turner Sims in a performance of Brahms, Ravel and Poulenc.

Treliński’s de-romanticizing of the plot of Puccini's Manon Lescaut makes for a compelling piece of theatre… it’s just not Manon. 

Birmingham Contemporary Music Group is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season, and as it does so it is marking the anniversary of Benjamin Britten’s birth. BCMG is touring a programme of Britten’s early compositions, the second stop of which was at Turner Sims in Southampton.John Woolrich, BCMG Artist-in-Association, was introduced as a “master programmer” by the Turner Sims representative.

35 years and many revivals after it was first seen, the late Joachim Herz’s version of Madam Butterfly (“Madama” spelt without the “a” here) is still going. For WNO’s themed series of “Free Spirits”, Caroline Chaney took on the revival director’s mantle. The result was a reliable production lacking in originality but not in warmth.

Today it is thought that J.S. Bach’s chamber and ensemble music, including the four Orchestral Suites, date from his time in Leipzig from the 1720s onwards. When all the Orchestral Suites (BWV1066–1069) are put together, their inventive and varied nature is evident. The suites make great use of all ensemble instruments and incorporate a range of structures, as well as internal forms and dances.

Music fans love to get the whole picture. We consume box-sets, bootlegs, alternate takes, and artist interviews – all in the name of completeness. Some people say a good CD library should have at least three Eroicas and five Fifths to be complete, while music magazines might recommend more. Of course, live music venues have their own shot at completeness when they schedule a “cycle”.

The Wihan Quartet was formed in 1985 in Czechoslovakia. Since then they have developed an impressive international career, often visiting the UK and being broadcast on its airwaves. Among their achievements is a published recording of Dvořák’s String Quartet no. 11, and it was this recording, not their continued and celebrated presence in the UK, that first brought them to my attention.

The Borodin String Quartet has been playing serious, heavyweight programmes since 1945, making it the quartet world’s most senior ensemble, and giving it a global reputation for high technical standards and musicianship.