Performer: Alisa Kolosova

A promising cast on paper is scuppered by a banal, monotonous production and uninspired conducting.

This year’s NTR ZaterdagMatinee concert series in Amsterdam kicked off with a Boris Godunov that left nothing to be desired.

The use in the score of ancient musical instruments is what differentiates this work: pifferi, a lute, a “viola pomposa” give this work a distinctive flavour.

Edo de Waart opted frequently for slow, steady tempi that robbed the music of a lot of its inner vitality.

The finale was the dramatic and musical high of the night, when both Ana María Martínez and Mariusz Kwiecień let themselves cut loose, laying waste to the bare stage.

In the penultimate concert of the 2016 Proms, Marin Alsop drew together some impressive forces for Verdi's Requiem, led by the remarkable soprano Tamara Wilson.