Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Helena Juntunen

The traditional end of year performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony took on extra significance in this, his 250th anniversary year. 

BBCSSO with Thomas Dausgaard, the Lund Male Choir and soloists gave a thrilling performance of Sibelius’ Kullervo with Finnish folk musicians joining the forces.

Le 11 juin 2015, sous la baguette de Vladimir Ashkenazy, cinq œuvres de Sibelius étaient au programme du Philharmonia Orchestra, dont la Symphonie n°2. Une exploration originale de la musique du finlandais, soutenue par une interprétation travaillée et réfléchie.

The 82-strong Philharmonia Orchestra, under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy, ruled the roost at one of the highlights of Bristol’s 2014-15 classical music season.

Continuing with Sibelius, the Sydney Symphony presented another Finnish epic in their latest concert, this time Sibelius’ Kullervo Symphony. However, first of all we were treated to a Ravel masterpiece, his Piano Concerto in D for the left hand.This concerto was commissioned by the pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who had lost his right arm in World War I.

My first encounter with the Finnish partnership of Helena Juntunen and her accompanist Eveliina Kytömäki was as participants in the 2007 Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. Back then, I noted how accomplished Helena Juntunen was as a recitalist, whilst Eveliina Kytömäki was an idiomatic and sympathetic pianist who brought out the feeling in all she played.

The last of this season’s Proms Choral Sundays featured one of the most complex of all choral works, Beethoven’s massive Missa Solemnis, written around the time of his 9th symphony. Sir Colin Davis likened performing it to “Failing to reach the top of Mount Everest”, and Sara Mohr-Pietsch (in her excellent Proms Plus talk) mentioned the description of “the most famous work you have never heard”.

Inmitten von szenischer Langeweile und enttäuschenden Gesangsleistungen verhindern nur die Grazer Philharmoniker unter Roland Kluttig am Premierenabend ein Totaldebakel.

La Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia con su director titular Dima Slobodeniouk en el podio ofreció un concierto con obras de Alma y Gustav Mahler para abrir la temporada.