Instrument: Vocal Ensemble

Royal Northern Sinfonia’s performance of Sir James Macmillan’s St Luke Passion had moments of high drama, but one crucial element of the piece was mostly missing. 

A rare performance of Stockhausen’s Stimmung, a key work in the development of contemporary vocal music, proves it still has resonance 50 years on from its première.

The Spanish director offers a controversial angle but tones it down to focus on dark psychology rather than spectacle in his staging of Schrecker's hothouse opera.

The Scottish Ensemble is joined by I Fagiolini in a Winter Chorale linking ancient and modern music for Advent and Christmas. 

I Fagiolini's very interesting programme of music by Monteverdi and his contemporaries pulls together a wide range of works, but somehow lacks an ensemble feel. 

All credit to the Barbican for showcasing Stimmung and Cosmic Pulses.

Rattle conducts Janáček's glorious score with unerring skill and barely concealed adoration, but is let down by his regular collaborator's muddy vision.