A sparkling if challenging first half of Haydn and Schnittke, splendidly delivered by the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, but with shortcomings in the conductor's approach to Tchaikovsky's largest symphonic score.
The hottest opera ticket in London this season sees Jonas Kaufmann and Anna Netrebko reunited on the Royal Opera House's stage for the first time since 2008. It was worth the wait.
Pekka Kuusisto’s direction of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra is playful, creative and joyous in a mixed programme from Biber to Bartók, Haydn to Messiaen wrapped round with Ravel.
Pure jouissance from that musical multitasker extraordinaire Barbara Hannigan in an evening of contrasting delights with the London Symphony Orchestra.
One of Teatro San Carlo’s most cherished productions of recent years, with an excellent cast of singers and a director who steered at his ease into the libretto’s erratic changes of mood and atmosphere.
This Swanlake is a continued homage to classical female beauty and the awe-inspiring dancing that women are capable of. The swans' collective mourning at Siegfried’s betrayal and its consequences as well as their collective disapproval are palpable.
The pairing of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony with the Violin Concerto of Brahms felt conspicuously like a calling card from an orchestra that sees itself as a contender for wider recognition, on this showing with good reason.
Jan Latham-Koenig conducting the Flanders Symphony Orchestra reveals the drama and Romantic heart in Mendelssohn's Third Symphony, while Filippo Gorini chooses a classical approach to Beethoven.
Paul Jacobs was soloist in Bernd Richard Deutsch’s Okeanos, which made a strong impression. Haydn’s Symphony No. 34 in D minor and Tchaikovsky’s indestructible Symphony No. 5 filled out this outstanding program.
Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall was plunged into luscious sunshine with music from across the Tropics. The first half was filled with the sounds of Latin America before a nautical Arabian tour.
Simon McBurney's production of The Magic Flute continues to delight and this revival benefits from a strong cast, led by the superb Lucy Crowe as Pamina.
Under guest director Lorenza Borrani a subdued ACO offers a programme of arrangements of Prokofiev and Beethoven sandwiching a new work by Dobrinka Tabakova.
Under the artistic leadership of ballerina extraordinaire Diana Vishneva, Context, a showcase of Russian contemporary choreography, sees it UK premiere at London Sadler's Wells.
Edward Gardner clearly has a thing for the Czechs. A month after he made his Royal Opera main-stage debut with Janáček's Katya Kabanova, here he was with the Filarmonica della Scala to conduct a strongly Czech programme.
In this era that venerates the contemporary, it’s rewarding to see the classics faring so well, and San Francisco Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty is a winner for all.
Peter Konwitschny's production strips away much of the religious symbolism, presenting the difference between Jews and Christians as little more than the dyed colour of their hands.
Marking a century after Vaslav Nijinsky’s last solo performance, Marco Goecke’s ballet gives a new dynamic to the name and story of the legendary Polish-born Russian dancer.
Pennsylvania Ballet kicks off the season with its first Giselle since Angel Corella took over the artistic directorship five years ago. A cast dominated by soloists and corps more than did it justice.
Stefano Mazzonis di Pralafera's staging for Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège is stolid in direction, but Speranza Scappucci breathes life into Verdi's drama from the pit.
In Kaija Saariaho's clarinet concerto D'om le vrai sens, with Kari Kriikku as soloist, and Mahler's Symphony no. 7, masterfully conducted by Ilan Volkov, the RTÉ NSO enchant the audience in Dublin.
