Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Violin Concerto no. 1 in D major, Op.19

Violinist Ilya Gringolts and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Ilan Volkov make song the focus in a concert that moved from the saccharine to the sublime.

After a six-month break to address persistent injuries, the bravura violinist appears in one of her signature pieces: Prokofiev's Violin Concerto no. 1.

Janine Jansen joins the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for Prokofiev in a brilliantly conceived programme ending with Bartók’s ebullient Concerto for Orchestra. 

A grab-bag of musical goodies from Bach to the present day showcases the virtuosity of the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Chooi brothers.

Hilary Hahn plays one of her signature works and is announced as the 2024 recipient of the Avery Fisher Prize. 

Janine Jansen’s exquisite reading of Prokofiev's First Violin Concerto leaves the Belgian audience on a high.

A showcase of works from the past century by Clyne, Prokofiev, Stravinsky and Barber allow the Hong Kong Sinfonietta to shine under Ken Lam's baton at Hong Kong's City Hall. 

Hahn balanced tranquility and ferocity in Prokofiev's First Violin Concerto, and conductor Gemma New drew out an especially nuanced reading of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony.

Hahn’s practically faultless rendering also offered a most pleasing freshness and joy of spontaneity.

Tugan Sokhiev's debut with the New York Philharmonic was not an unqualified success. 

Stéphane Denève leads The Philadelphia Orchestra through transcendent Strauss and apocalyptic Ravel.

The Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich recently nestled a performance by the gifted American violinist Hilary Hahn into its programme of works by Janáček, Prokofiev and Dvořák.

James Ehnes, a violinist of remarkable elegance, was outstanding in Prokofiev's First Concerto infusing richness to the long, introspective melodic lines.

His gestures might not be the most elegant, but Vladimir Askenazy has a deep understanding of the music he choses to conduct.

Alina Ibragimova plays with skill but insufficient sound to fill the Royal Albert Hall; Vladimir Jurowski and the LPO blow the roof off with Shostakovich's account of the Revolution of 1905.

Neeme Järvi’s authoritative CSO appearance was grounded by two major scores of Sibelius, preceded by a Prokofiev violin concerto with Vadim Gluzman and a rarely heard work of Glazunov.

After Knussen's Flourish with Fireworks, a program of mighty works from the early 20th century find Spano and the ASO on superb form.

In this all-Prokofiev concert James Ehnes was a refined, precise soloist in the Violin Concerto no. 1.

 Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra gave a searching examination of Prokofiev's first three symphonies and the Violin Concerto no. 1, each half showing us the contrast between light and shade, airiness and density.

All works and stars Eastern European at this evening's performance at the Kennedy. 

Joshua Weilerstein conducts the RLPO in music by Rouse, Prokofiev and Berlioz. 

Seamless playing and magical moments from the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya in a youthful programme meant that a slight lack of flair and grit felt even more amiss.

The second evening of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Gergiev Festival offered an interesting programme dynamically conducted by the Russian master. The theme this year was The Great War. 

Susanna Mälkki and the RSNO offer the best company on Mussorgsky's virtual visual gallery adventure, while Jack Liebeck shines in Prokofiev. 

Though museums have long been host to musical events, a partnership between the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal with conductor Kent Nagano and Musée des Beaux-arts de Montréal brought art to the concert hall this Wednesday evening.

Alan Gilbert’s last few seasons at the New York Philharmonic have featured an opera in June. While previous efforts have featured elaborate staging, this year’s installment, Luigi Dallapiccola’s Il prigioniero, was performed in concert. For this particular work, which was written for radio broadcast, this seems only appropriate.

One of the most well-known pieces of the twentieth-century classical repertoire is of course Igor Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring.

Jiří Bělohlávek, who was indisposed for his first scheduled Proms performance this year (in his final season as Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra), was back on the podium to conduct a Slavic-themed programme on Wednesday night. There were many elements of the concert which I enjoyed, especially the grandiose and colourful arrangement of Smetana’s String Quartet no.

To paraphrase Richard Strauss’ advice to young conductors: “If you think the brass are playing too soft, ask them to play softer.” Manfred Honeck, music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony, clearly thinks that the brass can never play loudly enough.

This late-season concert in the intimate BBC Hoddinott Hall was Thomas Søndergård’s first as Principal Conductor Designate of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, following his appointment to the role this week. The concert featured three pieces all looking to the future, in some way: Sibelius’ En Saga, a Prokofiev Violin Concerto and Dvořák’s New World Symphony.

This evening’s programme showed us two aspects of Prokofiev’s output – his serious concert works for the stage and on the other hand his more populist music composed for film. Both were highly exciting, colourful works, and both typical of Prokofiev in different ways.The First Violin Concerto was a curious mixture of the ethereal and rustic.

Après une première partie peu convaincante dans Prokofiev, la Filarmonica della Scala et Riccardo Chailly ont réservé une extraordinaire interprétation de la symphonie de Tchaïkovski.

La violoniste néerlandaise délivre une interprétation d'anthologie du Premier Concerto de Prokofiev, idéalement accompagnée par un Orchestre de Paris en grande forme sous la direction de Mikhaïl Pletnev.

Neben Prokofjews Erstem Violinkonzert glitzerte das Orchestre National de France unter Lionel Bringuier in Debussy und Rimsky-Korsakow.

Das BRSO beschert den Zuhörern im Herkulessaal ein spektakuläres Programm aus Werken von Rossini, Prokofiev und Beethoven.

Mit einem österreichisch-ungarischen und russischen Programm überzeugt das RSO Wien einmal wieder im Wiener Konzerthaus.