Performer: Sir Simon Rattle

Robert Carsen's new production of Janáček’s The Excursions of Mr Brouček for the Staatsoper Unter den Linden scores a well-deserved success thanks to a stellar – or rather, lunar – conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.

A deeply satisfying performance of Vaughan Williams' Fifth Symphony crowns an excellent evening of English repertoire at the Barbican. 

High contrasts of light and darkness make a special event in Boulez, Benjamin and Brahms at the Barbican. 

With a focus on Shostakovich, and many prestigious guest orchestras from around Europe, this year’s BBC Proms confirms orchestral music can make a big public statement.

Born in Christopol in 1931, Gubaidulina’s intensely spiritual music marked her out as the most important Russian composer of the contemporary period.