Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Symphony no. 101 in D major "The Clock"

After decades as a period instrument revolutionary, the 87-year old conductor bows out with “Dr Haydn's London Academy”, an entertaining recreation of concert-going in the 1790s.

The ever consummate conductor delivers a trio of stylistically contrasting works by Haydn, Beethoven and Nielsen with a single trait in common: obdurate perfectionism.

Elisabeth Lenoskaja's ability to execute a perfect phrase lights up a fine performance by the Polish Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra.

Maria João Pires plays Beethoven Piano Concerto No.2 with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and Adám Fischer. Haydn and Mozart top up a Viennese evening.

Who better to direct an all-Haydn programme than Adam Fischer? Co-founder of the Haydn Festival, he also founded the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, who recorded the composer’s entire symphonic output in Haydn Hall of the Esterházy Palace, Eisenstadt, Haydn’s former place of employment.

Josep Pons strode purposefully onto the Barbican stage to conduct the BBC Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Haydn’s “Clock” Symphony. The first movement opened by way of an Adagio laden with a suitable sense of portent, the layers of writing for the strings being clearly articulated to bring this out.

Antonini weiß, wie man auch auf heutigen Instrumenten die relevanten Komponenten der originalen Klangwelt wiederaufleben lassen kann, und das Tonhalle-Orchester ist das ideale Werkzeug dafür.

L’Orchestre de Chambre de Genève captivé par le hautbois d’Alexei Ogrintchouk, aura vécu une exaltation passionante qui ne durera malheureusement que le temps d’une danse Martinienne et Marcellesque ! Subsistent de nombreux points positifs qui donnent beaucoup d’espoir au renouveau de cet orchestre. 

Pour la dernière soirée du Spitalfields Music Summer Festival, programme Haydn/J.C. Bach/Mozart/Haendel à Shoreditch Church, par le City of London Sinfonia et le chœur Polyphony dirigés par Stephen Layton : une clôture de festival réussie.