Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra's Sunday matinee, which was the final concert for its outgoing Principal Conductor Sylvain Cambreling, had many French connections.
BBCSSO’s contributes to Berlioz – The Ultimate Romantic with a swaggering Waverley Overture, Dramatic Death of Cleopatra and an intriguing performance of Lélio, or what happened after Symphonie Fantastique.
The SCO delights and charms with François Leleux, Carolyn Sampson and Eleanor Hudson in a thoughtful programme of French music linking the Debussy and Berlioz anniversaries.
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.
The European Union Youth Orchestra confirms its exceptional quality in Zubel and Tchaikovsky. In Chopin, Seong-Jin Cho shows why he is a rising star of distinction.
Manfred Honeck concluded the PSO’s season – his tenth as music director – with Emanuel Ax in Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto and a spectacular traversal of Berlioz’s Te Deum.
Berlioz’s gargantuan Grande Messe des morts with the Bergen Philharmonic and Edward Gardner opened the Bergen International Festival with deafening climaxes and even more resounding silence.
Mezzo soprano Karen Cargill and the Scottish Ensemble guest-led by Matthew Truscott in a programme of music from Purcell to Stravinsky all inspired by tales from Ancient Greece.
On the last leg of their first international tour, the Orchestre Métropolitain and Yannick Nézet-Séguin fully embraced Elgar after a francophone first half of Berlioz and Saint-Saëns.
Continuing his celebration of the music of Hector Berlioz with the Seattle Symphony, Ludovic Morlot leads an enthralling performance of the epic Requiem.
Both of these works are united in their depiction of love gained and lost, and embodied Berlioz’s take on love and music, which the composer called, “the two wings of the soul”.
A typically thought-provoking production of The Trojans from Calixto Bieito combines with a thrilling musical performance to compensate for a heavily fileted version of Berlioz's magnum opus.
The Seattle Symphony, under the outstanding leadership of guest conductor Giancarlo Guerrero, overcame the absence of their maestro and gave a worthy reading of the monumental work.
The Cleveland Orchestra’s first evening of the season at the Blossom Music Center also included a performance of Beethoven’s Second Symphony that was both sparkling and appropriately dramatic.
It's typical that in the last concert in a series that has lasted seventeen years, we had a recital from a talented young singer with a growing reputation, a Rosenblatt classic.
With a Francophile programme of Berlioz, Chopin and Franck, conductor Fabien Gabel had the constant challenge of exploring the orchestra for fresh insights into each of these Romantic works.
