En direct, Vidéo: Rechercher des critiques de musique classique, opéra et ballet | Olli Mustonen

Olli Mustonen’s playing never permits a passive response. One can enthusiastically nod or one can profusely object, but the listener is asked to take a side and react.

The Finnish composer/pianist's refined and idiosyncratic musical style makes for a great collaboration with the ACO solo string players.

The Royal Northern Sinfonia and Olli Mustonen push Shostakovich to the brink of insanity, and suprise with Mozart's 'Coronation' Concerto.

On Friday evening, the first snow cast its veil over my hometown. Despite the frost, Olli Mustonen’s concert at the Turku Concert Hall got people on the move.

As a pianist, Mustonen failed to deliver as would have been hoped, though as a conductor his rapport with the orchestra bore delightful results.

Saturday saw the BBC Symphony Orchestra open their 2013/14 season with an evening of firsts. Not only was this Sakari Oramo’s first Barbican season concert as Chief Conductor, but the programme placed a première by leading “spectral” composer Tristan Murail alongside Shostakovich’s First Piano Concerto and Mahler’s First Symphony.

Rachmaninov’s symphonic poem The Isle of the Dead is an intense piece of music. Inspired by a painting by Böcklin, Rachmaninov tells us of the journey to the underworld. The first moments of the piece are crucial to any performance, and Valery Gergiev lead the Rotterdam Philharmonic into a heavy and emotionally laden rendition.

The LSO presented two lengthy, challenging works in this evening’s concert dedicated to the late Maurice Murphy, former principal trumpeter. No doubt Murphy would have been proud of the orchestra’s efforts on this occasion, with the brass section particularly excelling themselves in the Mahler.