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Contemplation and reflection should ideally form a counterpoint to jollity and merry-making in the festive season: an object-lesson from Sir Simon Rattle and his supporting forces.

With a powerful but not world-beating team of soloists, Gardner and the LPO tackle Schoenberg's sprawling cantata with aplomb – except for one near-catastrophic misstep.

The massed ranks of the LSO, the London Symphony and CBSO Choruses, Dame Sarah Connolly and Louise Alder gather for a staggering Mahler 2 at the BBC Proms. 

Sir Antonio Pappano and the LSO offer a riveting account of Il prigioniero, an idiosyncratic 20th-century opera. 

 It is rare for the LSO to take a literal and metaphorical back seat at one of their own concerts, but they supplied every instrumental need in Haydn's joyous oratorio. 

True to himself, Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO offered a mouth-watering programme of contrasts. The first half pointing clearly to the modern world worked better than the backward glance at a great Romantic symphony.

Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO open their 2021-22 season with an eclectic mix of British music that sees the orchestra at its most lustrous. 

With fabulous solo singing from Pavol Breslik and Elsa Dreisig, Beethoven's only oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives turns out to be a gem. Sadly, the Berg Violin Concerto misses the mark.

At once visceral and disciplined, Roth drew scintillating playing from each section, none more so than the woodwind.

Tilson Thomas has form with Berlioz: the full forces of the LSO and London Symphony Chorus built up to a noble blaze

John Luther Adams piece unfolds with the patience and weight of the geological time, leaving a powerful mark.

Walton's Belshazzar's Feast crowns a dynamic, daring programme from Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra. 

Messrs Rattle and Sellars bewitch the Barbican audience with a sumptuous rendition of Janáček's magnum opus. 

Plenty of mustard with Ives' beguiling Americana and intelligent Beethoven from Kirill Gerstein.

The LSO Futures season presented a programme of alternately effective, un-engaging and overpowering music at the Barbican.

An evening of three Italian opera composers on the concert platform, crowned with a glowing performance of Puccini's rarely heard Messa di Gloria.

Leading five choirs, fine soloists and a glowing Netherlands Philharmonic, conductor Marc Albrecht emphasised the human struggle in a highly dramatic performance of Mahler’s mammoth eighth symphony.

Dance, jazz and Latin rhythms were all present in this programme, which rolled back the years to Rattle's early years. 

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

It’s always a heart-warming sight to see so many young people at the Barbican as members of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain shared the stage with equal composure as the London Symphony Chorus and string players from the LSO.

There was a tingle to this concert, as if musicians and audience alike saw clearly for the first time what riches lie ahead.

Neither Simon Rattle nor Magdalena Kožena could resist a tendency to add sentiment.

Thomas Søndergård’s final performance as chief of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales sees them pull off Mahler 8 in style.

With this performance of Mahler's 'Resurrection' symphony, Bychkov has shown himself to be one of the composer's most interesting interpreters

Sir Simon Rattle’s resurrection of a Hollywood extravaganza, the Genesis Suite, entertains at the Barbican. 

Cast and choir snaked and kicked their legs through the aisles of the hall – picking up audience members along the way – leading to a riotous on-stage dance.

The LSO’s pedigree in Berlioz is second to none so La Damnation de Faust acted as the perfect showcase in its “This is Rattle” festival. 

A taste of the future with Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO.

Nietzsche's Midnight Song is the stillest piece of music in all Mahler, and Treviño’s poise and Larsson’s rich voice cast a powerful and profound spell.

The latent complexities of Nobuo Uematsu's video game music come to the fore with this orchestral makeover by the LSO. 

Bernard Haitink and LSO forces explore contrasting aspects of two late works by Bruckner.

Alain Altinoglu, conducting with a mixture of histrionic flourishes and balletic flair, leads a fiery account of Ravel's ballet. 

Not much to set the heart racing in two works of German Romanticism performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Fabio Luisi.

Simon Rattle leads the LSO and a fine chorus and cast of soloists in Ligeti's masterpiece: surreal, madcap but touching the sublime.

John Adams' Christmas oratorio sees some fine performances, but was ultimately found wanting.

Gianandrea Noseda leads a fiery account of Verdi's “opera in ecclesiastical garb” to open the LSO's new season.

The combined forces of various LSO and Guildhall ensembles come together in an evening that was, in turns, poignant and thrilling to perform Peter Maxwell Davies's last work. 

Harding's brisk, unsentimental reading proves only intermittently successful, but is redeemed by excellent singing.

Simon Rattle and the combined forces of the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus dazzled in a large-scale rendition of Haydn's oratorio that retained the speed, dexterity and precision of a period-instrument performance. 

Daniel Harding's love for Schumann's genre-defying work brought some strong playing from the LSO and deeply moving singing from his soloists and chorus.

A roster of star performers and a sprinkling of maestro magic turn this semi-staged concert into a memorable event. Shame about the big ideas.

The music of John Foulds and Olivier Messiaen and their shared interest in Hindu philosophy and the music of India created an exciting and life-affirming programme for Prom 38

The LSO, led by Edward Gardner, delivered a moving and profound performance of Haydn's Creation despite the acoustic challenges of St Paul's. 

Bernard Haitink and the LSO in fine form for an all-Beethoven programme, but the 'Glorious Ninth' fails to impress.

Sunday night's concert saw the LSO on top form, however their partnerships with Christian Tetzlaff and LSO Chorus on either side of the interval produced mixed results. 

The benefits of opera in concert are felt in Manchester with the BBC Philharmonic, with a performance of Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio. 

At very short notice David Hill stepped in to conduct an all-French programme with the London Symphony Orchestra where serenity, elegance and passion were all beautifully communicated.

Triumphant Mahler from Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker, strong performances from Kate Royal and Magdalena Kožená, and total commitment and energy from the London Symphony Chorus and the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus.