En direct, Vidéo: Rechercher des critiques de musique classique, opéra et ballet | Impromptu en la bémol majeur, D.935 no. 2

An emotional night in London as Bernard Haitink says farewell to London with grand and searching performances of Bruckner and Beethoven, with the distinguished Emanuel Ax in tow.

Andrey Boreyko’s Blossom Music Center program included Beethoven’s “Emperor” concerto with Francesco Piemontesi and a rare but convincing performance of Zemlinsky’s Die Seejungfrau.

Francesco Piemontesi delivered with enthusiasm a programme of intensely warm Bach, colourful Debussy and turbulent Rachmaninov. 

Jakub Hrůša returned to Cleveland to conduct a rarity by Kabeláč and a warhorse by Shostakovich while joining forces with Emanuel Ax for an interlude of Stravinsky.

Radu Lupu präsentierte ein reines Schubert-Programm wie erwartet in einer gereiften, abgeklärten, subtilen Interpretation: Lupus Stil beeindruckte trotz kleiner Unzulänglichkeiten.

The aesthetic delights of the Vienna Philharmonic fail to enliven its Beethoven.

Radu Lupu ließ einst verlauten, nur die Komponisten zu spielen, die zu ihm passten, beziehungsweise die, die ihn am meisten mögen. Diese Worte werfen noch heute Licht auf seine Konzerte. So auch auf den Abend, den er im Pierre-Boulez-Saal gab. 

One of Japan’s leading orchestras, the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, turned in performances of two warhorses as different as night and day: Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto, curiously understated, and Brahms' Fourth Symphony, surging with power and passion.

One of music’s first “rock stars”, Franz Liszt created the piano recital: performing without a score, turning the piano sideways – so audiences could admire his profile – striding on and off the platform between numbers.

In the first half of the 19th century, the piano was still very much a developing instrument, and the composers were often pushing its limits both mechanically and sonically.