Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | La Valse, for orchestra

A generous evening of heavyweight works with the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Fabien Gabel.

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Vasiliy Petrenko make a guest visit to Sage Gateshead, bringing their contributions by Ravel and Rachmaninov to this year's concert theme of Dance.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic's last week of its classical music season at the Hollywood Bowl began with romantic French music under an almost full moon played the sexy Seattle way.

Playing in a premier Western venue with violin virtuoso Gil Shaham, the Eastern orchestra seems not quite ready for prime time.

Kristine Opolais joins the Boston Symphony Orchestra for Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky in its season-closing concert. 

The Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and Kent Nagano give terrific performances of Debussy, Prokofiev and Stravinsky as they embark on their American tour. 

Under venerable music director Zubin Mehta, the Israel Philharmonic makes a welcome return to Chicago.

Prom 29 had a distinctly French flavour, with themes of dance and birdsong running through the programme in a glittering performance of music by Mozart, Ravel, Messiaen and Stravinsky.

A five star evening with Sakari Oramo and the BBCSO in 1920s masterpieces.

The RSNO, with Gilbert Varga and Daniel Müller-Schott, paint a quintessentially French picture. Would it have been welcome at the Salon?

There’s always a reason to celebrate Sibelius. The addition of French works to San Diego Symphony’s offerings this weekend provided a panoply of tastes to the musical palate. 

This was a concert that provided the opportunity for so many individual musicians to shine and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s shone brightly, showcasing its truly amazing talent. 

Franz Welser-Möst, with brand new contract signed through to 2022, leads elegant performances of Beethoven’s Sixth and Ravel’s Alborada del gracioso, Valses nobles et sentimentales and La Valse.

The Concertgebouworkest's series based on 'the sublime' continues with an eclectic programme of Ockeghem, Ligeti, Varèse and Ravel at the Concertgebouw. 

Thierry Fischer and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales presented an eclectic programme, with an exciting première by Simon Holt and the many different facets of 20th century French orchestral music.

Stephen Hough lays bare the myth that Saint-Saëns was a conservative in an electrifying performance of the “Egyptian” piano concerto with the RPO.

It was the golden jubilee of Saint-Säens as a concert pianist, and in celebration he performed his crowning glory, the Piano Concerto no. 5 in F, “Egyptian”, which he composed while on tour in Luxor, incorporating exotic Middle Eastern melodies and rhythms.

In An Attitude to French Culture the Polish composer Witold Lutosławski remarked “I am aware that of the two traditions that initiated 20th-century music, that is, Schoenberg and Debussy, it is the latter that I feel prevails in my own compositional work”.

In an interview with Charlie Rose a couple of years ago, Sir Simon Rattle made the startling comment that conductors only become “competent” after they turn 60.

The Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester is one of the finest youth orchestras in the world. Bringing together young musicians from all over Europe, from Portugal to Russia, it is a model of international co-operation.

The spectacle in Downtown Los Angeles last Thursday night was certainly a sight to see: crowded parking spaces, swarms of people making their way to Disney Hall, and traffic swirling along Grand Avenue and its adjoining streets. Was it a rock band that awaited listeners on the stage at Disney Hall on Thursday night? Not quite.

The holiday season in New York can be a bit maddening, an unrelenting assault to the senses amid the crush of humanity present throughout the city. Luckily, then, the Philharmonic provided an evening’s respite with powerful and largely understated works by Haydn, Schubert, and Ravel. After Haydn’s Symphony no.

Following the Philadelphia Orchestra’s stellar performance at last night’s Prom, Chief Conductor Charles Dutoit presented a second violinist with a bouquet of flowers. This unusual gesture, he explained, was a fond farewell to a man who has played in the orchestra for 50 years. During the past half-century, that violinist must have played last night’s pieces many times.

When recession strikes, Stravinsky’s your man! Nothing is wasted and everything is convertible. The fact that his world and style had changed beyond recognition between beginning his opera, Le Chant du Rossignol in 1908 and finishing it in 1914 – three epoch-changing ballets later – did not seem to faze him.

I confess to having known little about the Seoul Philharmonic before this evening's concert. However I did know something of tonight's conductor, Myung-Whung Chung, having seen him conduct one of his other orchestras, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France last month at the Proms in London. He is a wonderful musician who coaxes the music out of his players.

Vive la France! Last night’s Philharmonia concert was a very Gallic affair; a celebration of French music conducted by the French conductor Stéphane Denève. Fauré’s Pelléas et Mélisande, Debussy’s La Mer and Ravel’s La Valse were all written between 1898 and 1920.

London’s Wigmore Hall, famous for its elegant concert hall and outstanding acoustics, has become synonymous with exceptional piano music. Having played host to a number of celebrated performers and composers, from Arthur Rubinstein to Saint-Saëns, Benjamin Britten to Joshua Bell, Wigmore Hall also ushers in today’s latest classical stars.One such star is Boris Giltburg.

Pianists Charles Owen and Katya Apekisheva presented a lively recital programme in what might be better described as ‘an orchestral concert for two pianos’; such was the range of sounds the two were able to conjure from their instruments.Milhaud’s Scaramouche Suite was a frothy, joyful opener, as one might expect from a member of ‘Les Six’ in a work based on theatrical music.

Ouverture du Festival Russe à l'Auditorium de Lyon. Tchaïkovski et Ravel décortiqués en finesse par des interprètes inspirés.

Le format « Happy Hour » de l’ONCT reprenait ce samedi autour de la figure de Maurice Ravel et de Johann Strauss.

C'est une bulle d'oxygène, un espace d'humanité, de liberté, un enthousiasme contagieux, grisant, incandescent. Ce sont les Dissonances qui autour d'un programme Ravel nous laissent entendre une nouvelle manière de faire de la musique en orchestre.

Il ne faut pas avoir peur du vide pour se lancer ainsi, à corps perdu, dans l’arène géante du Royal Albert Hall, surtout avec une première partie, Desenne et Villa-Lobos, si peu consistante. Sauvés par Ravel… La musique, Dudamel la fait à l’esbroufe, poussant le Simon Bolivar à ses limites de puissance et de vélocité.

18 Jahre sind vergangen, seit das Boston Symphony Orchestra das letzte Mal in München gastierte. Nun präsentiert unter der Leitung von Chefdirigent Andris Nelsons ein außergewöhnlich farbenreiches Programm.

Pour un des derniers concerts de la saison, l’ONCT affichait un programme entièrement français et s’attachait à la filiation entre Maurice Ravel et Henri Dutilleux.

Cuando el director lleva la contraria al compositor: Gatti saca la cuarta sinfonía de Tchaikovsky del lado oscuro

L’Orchestre de la Tonhalle de Zurich danse Stravinski et Ravel sous la baguette de Lionel Bringuier