Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Strauss R.

A spirited and seamless production of Strauss’s Ariadne is aided by some excellent singing and playing at London’s premier summer opera festival.

Ariadne auf Naxos shines in an ultra-contemporary world of high net worth tantrums at Longborough Festival Opera, complete with glam rock fairies, giant string, and glorious music. 

Lise Davidsen and Sabine Devieilhe produce soprano heaven in their contrasting vocal styles. Katie Mitchell’s staging feels disappointingly familiar.

Amicus chamber orchestra celebrated its NYOS roots by inviting 25 young players to join them for their powerful 10th Anniversary concert, conducted by Catherine Larsen-Maguire with Glasgow-trained soprano Anush Hovhannisyan.

A gorgeous programme of Wagner, Strauss and Schoenberg and fragments in sextet arrangements

An affirmation of the importance of cultural values in the face of the abyss, or Richard Strauss fiddling while Europe burnt? Tim Albery's production leaves it to us to decide.

Malin Byström convinces as the Feldmarschallin with Adrian Angelico as a strong Octavian, under the baton of Alan Gilbert.

Strauss' mix of bedroom farce, comedy of manners and bittersweet musing about aging is acted and sung superbly in this revival of Richard Jones' production.

Vienna State Opera offered a solid production in which precious little gleamed.

Kaufmann’s magnificent instrument was not seen at its best in songs by Strauss, but there was pleasure from his clear artistry and the interesting orchestral pieces played by the BBCSO.

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment resurrected with 1926 silent film of Strauss' Viennese comedy – with the lost ending pieced together – and gave a commendable performance of the reduced score.

Thomas Søndergård again pairs Brahms with Strauss in excellent performances with the RSNO in Edinburgh. 

Dvořák is diminished in the wake of Bartók’s experimental zeal and Strauss’ fearless convolutions.

The Gran Teatre del Liceu’s orchestra performs challenging works by Strauss under resident conductor Josep Pons.

Stéphane Denève leads The Philadelphia Orchestra through transcendent Strauss and apocalyptic Ravel.

Opera North's Salome, conducted by Sir Richard Armstrong at Leeds Town Hall, caught the seductive frenzy of the opera.

Conceptually, the programme of descending and rising fourths offered a real treat: in practice, the musicians' skill was in danger of being lost as they attempted to recover from their opening gimmickry.

The US première of Jörg Widmann's Partita featured alongside Mozart and Strauss in Andris Nelsons' carefully chosen program.

Kirill Petrenko’s second night at Carnegie Hall packed a punch as the orchestra of the Bayerische Staatsoper delved deep into Strauss’ score, supporting an impressive cast of singers.

Rafael Payare, in his first appearance with the RPO, has musical encounters with Don Juan and Don Quixote, and a Mozart symphony provides a suitable contrast.

Elīna Garanča brings subtle sonorities to an otherwise bravura and boisterous concert by Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic.

Antony McDonald’s take on Ariadne auf Naxos, a co-production from Scottish Opera and Opera Holland Park, sparkles with wit. 

The Philadelphia Orchestra gives us convincing renditions of Bernstein, Schumann and Strauss.

If Chest is not yet the finished article, he’s damned close.

Stephen Mulligan again steps in to lead the Atlanta Symphony in exemplary performances.

Hans Neuenfels new Salome proves a strangely non-committal affair at the Staatsoper, but Thomas Guggeis conducts impressively.

"She commands the stage, she commands the notes, she commands the tension": Christine Goerke's portrayal of Elektra haunts The Met. 

With Damrau, one hears every word and her account of Strauss' Four Last Songs was memorable. 

The remarkable youth orchestra that is the Waseda Symphony from Tokyo performs a programme of western Romantic music conducted by Kazufumi Yamashita together with a knockout contemporary Japanese work.

Schubert song orchestrations with Gerald Finley are not wholly convincing, but the Berliner's virtuosity sweeps all before it in Strauss's Alpensinfonie.

With so little of worth happening onstage, this performance requires a unanimously strong set of performances from the main cast.

A majestic Mahler 4 from the Philharmonia under Lahav Shani, crowned by Chen Reiss’ wide-eyed rendition of Das himmlische Leben. 

In yet another intriguing programming maneuver, Seattle Symphony music director Ludovic Morlot devoted this weekend’s performances to the subject of heroism.

After a shaky start with Metamorphosen, the Oslo Philharmonic embodies the evening's theme of transformation by ending on a stonker of a Petruskha, via the perenially fabulous Lise Davidsen.

Deutsche Oper Berlin's Salome was a mixed blessing: a magnificent Catherine Naglestad as the heroine, with good ensemble of singers and orchestra, but a thoughtful but far-fetched psychological interpretation.

As Valletta celebrates its title as 2018 European Capital of Culture, the Malta Philharmonic gave an enthusiastic national premiere of Strauss' Ein Heldenleben.

Camilla Nylund’s rich, ample voice bloomed in the glorious setting of the sonnet, cosseted by burnished horn playing, in Strauss' unsurpassed operatic farewell to the soprano voice.

When Robert DeMaine fell ill, LA Phil got creative by rotating the soloist duties in Zimmermann’s Cello Concerto. 

A quasi-concertante setting highlights Theorin's masterful performance as Elektra, Cornelia Beskow's fragile, human Chrysothemis and Katarina Dalayman's haunting Klytaemnestra.

Henrik Nánási balances the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House to perfection, setting the stage for a memorable title role performance from Byström and a powerful Jochanaan from Michael Volle.

Ingo Kerkhof’s specious contemporary staging was only redeemed by a gruesome scalp and some marvellous playing in the pit.   

This season, the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya (OBC) is turning its eyes towards Bach, whilst at the same time programming the usual great symphonic repertoire, as well as contemporary composers. Here, Kazushi Ono gathered a Bach concerto (transcribed for violin), a rarely-performed work by Schumann and Richard Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra.

The current stage-setting of Arabella at the Wiener Staatsoper proves that “all that’s Glittenberg” is not gold.

Rattle and the LSO give hundreds of moments of individual brilliance in this most symphonic of song cycles, but with both soloists giving grounds for reservation.

An anniversary gala concert with historic references worth the hype.

German theatre director Uwe Eric Laufenberg freely incorporates some of Stanley Kubrik’s horror story concepts into his Elektra, but in ignoring both Sophocles and Strauss, is a long way from shining.  

The Wiener Staatsoper revives a beautiful production of Daphne that juxtaposes myth, dream and reality, with brilliant vocal performances by the two leads.

Two contraltos in one room is a high concentration of contraltos; except that one of them appeared in the role of conductor.

Under Andris Nelsons’ direction, the Boston Symphony Orchestra turn Strauss’ Alpine Symphony into a searching spiritual journey.

The musical riches provided notwithstanding, much was desired in the dazzling orchestral showpieces of the evening.