Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Vaughan Williams

In these difficult times a reduced audience witnessed a concert of music that didn’t exactly offer much solace, but which possessed a powerful sense of loss and foreboding that seemed entirely timely. 

Attempts at crowd-pleasing go awry in music by Vaughan Williams and Gary Carpenter, while John Foulds escapes unscathed.

An exquisite evening of British 20th-century choral music from Tenebrae under Nigel Short at the Sydney Festival, with outstanding renditions of the music of Parry, Bingham and Stanford.

A performance Vaughan Williams' Job to truly cherish, with Manze using all his experience to produce a mature and thrilling account of this masterpiece.

Urioste’s marvellous playing wedded gleaming tone to sure technique in The Lark Ascending.

Making its London debut, the BSFO and Jan Latham-Koenig make an impression in both British and Russian classics. 

Warmly affectionate Vaughan Williams contrasting with angular and psychologically charged Wood, followed by an emotional performance of Elgar's The Music Makers.

A fascinating new companion piece to Elgar's Enigma Variations, from 14 contemporary composers, in celebration of Martyn Brabbins' 60th birthday, performed with enthusiasm by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

On the cusp of the Summer Solstice, Sir Simon Rattle, the LSO and suitable orchestral reinforcements celebrate the heritage of folk music and the attractions of rusticity.

The pairing of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Riders to the Sea with Rene Orth’sEmpty the House worked perfectly and did absolute justice to these two despair-filled operas.

James Ehnes was an ideal soloist in Walton's Violin Concerto, well partnered by John Wilson and the BBC Philharmonic, with atmospheric Bax and a powerful Vaughan Williams 4.

Vaughan Williams' Fifth Symphony is given a great performance by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Cadogan Hall. 

Sir Mark Elder conducts The Hallé in Berlioz, Saint-Saëns with Stephen Hough and Vaughan Williams

John Harbison's Second Symphony takes the listener from Dawn to Darkness, while Vaughan Williams' Fifth offers “the similitude of a dream” in Boston. 

The early music ensemble peppered its diverse program with the rollicking play A Christmas Messe. While not all arrangements worked well, expertise and emotion made for a pleasurably unique performance.

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

Marin Alsop and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment lead a searing account of Brahms' German Requiem and Vaughan Williams. 

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. 

English choral classics from 100 years ago, contrasted with a confident and effective new piece by Laura Mvula, all given strong performances by the BBC Singers and Sakari Oramo.

Edinburgh Fringe’s late-night candlelit atmosphere: a packed St Patrick’s for a lovely Fauré Requiem from St Andrew Camerata and beautiful and haunting The Last Exit for soprano and clarinet at Old St Paul’s.

Thea Musgrave’s pictorial writing sits well next to an exhilarating Vaughan Williams Sea Symphony. 

The perfect invitation to daydream on a hot afternoon. 

An imaginative pairing of London symphonies find the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in good form. 

Even if Hubert Parry was overshadowed by Holst and Vaughan Williams, this was a splendid concert of British music. 

Marking the centenary of the end of the First World War, Anna Meredith and 59 Productions' work proves a powerful, often surprisingly upbeat, commission.

Ralph Vaughan Williams' towering A Sea Symphony and the orchestra of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet capped off the Oslo opera season in a singularly loud fashion. 

Andrew Manze conducted the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in two English choral pieces; Stephen Hough brought a fitting conclusion to his Beethoven concerto cycle as artist-in-residence. 

Bergen Philharmonic’s programme of Grieg’s Piano Concerto and Gubaidulina’s violin concerto Offertorium offered fascinating insight into the relationship between orchestra and soloist.

Julius Drake, Krzysztof Chorzelski and Mark Padmore contributed their notable gifts of piano, viola and voice respectively in a very special, often heartfelt fundraising evening for two music education charities. 

Hallé guest conductor Cristian Măcelaru provided excellent direction in a selection of classic repertoire.

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra also have a winner in a radiant Vaughan Williams Symphony no. 5.

The Ulster Orchestra and Rosanne Philippens dazzle in Vaughan Williams and Sibelius under the baton of Jac van Steen.

Runnicles presents a concert weighted towards a splendid second half.

Marking his debut with the NDR Elbphilharmonieorchester, Andrew Manze nails his colours to the mast with Purcell and Vaughan Williams as well as accompanying Alban Gerhardt in Walton.

The Planets and Sinfonia antartica could be the Cav and Pag of British music.

A delectable programme from Barry Wordsworth and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with pieces by Elgar and Vaughan Williams and a rare chance to hear John Ireland’s eclectic Piano Concerto.

Sparks flew as two British music giants, Vaughan Williams and Birtwistle, collided at the Barbican.

A striking performance of The Planets had people humming their favourite bits on their way out of the hall, but the real winner was Vaughan Williams’ neglected valedictory symphony.

A concert programme that includes both Holst and Vaughan Williams is as right as strawberries and cream at Wimbledon. 

This week’s subscription concerts of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra featured only British music that was composed in the last century; three very different works in terms of compositional approach and musical language.

Sir Andrew Davis also led superb performances of Delius’ Brigg Fair and Strauss’ Don Quixote, with Mark Kosower and Wesley Collins as soloists.

A pleasant afternoon's entertainment with grand sweeps and some beautiful singing by Roderick Williams.

Conductor Michael Francis and pianist Benjamin Grosvenor have an auspicious debut with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Kancheli, Martinů and Vaughan Williams – all of whom have at various times been misunderstood or ignored – featured in this bold programme from Vladamir Jurowski and the LPO.

Music from Vaughan Williams is contrasted with two pieces from Dobrinka Tabakova  in The Scottish Ensemble’s candlelit concert, Ascent. Senior NYOS strings swell the ranks to produce a reflective evening of richness and warmth.

Breaking up is hard to do. If his First Symphony is anything to go by, William Walton took it particularly badly.

A moving first half of Vaughan Williams and Tchaikovsky and a mysterious Shostakovich 15 in the second half. Andreas Brantelid's superlative musicianship wowed.

The summer’s extreme heat and lack of rain have created drought conditions in Atlanta. As fate would have it, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra this week programmed two works drenched with water, albeit of the salty variety.

Benjamin Northey and Andrea Lam team up with the MSO for a festive evening of Vaughan Williams, Chopin and Holst.