Instrument: French horn

Forget those po-faced tenors of yore; this is joyous music and Allan Clayton was just the man to deliver it.

The Berlin Philharmonic, reunited with its former chief conductor Sir Simon Rattle, framed Britten’s Serenade, commandingly sung by tenor Andrew Staples, with two complementary sets of orchestral variations.

Works by Weber and Schumann allowed the BSO soloists the opportunity to shine in this latest video stream. 

The impressive Amsterdam Sinfonietta showed lucidity and depth in Britten and Shostakovich, with tenor Ilker Arcayürek and horn player Felix Klieser adding much to the quality.

Editor Ben Willis almost convinced me that two grown men could fit inside grandfather clocks

JoAnn Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic's string players present intense Shostakovich and luminous Arensky in memorable performances.

Contrasting Gounod, Mozart and Ravel works were combined into an exhilarating package of technical virtuosity and musical finesse.