Performer: Claron McFadden

Inspired by Annie Ernaux’s The Years, Philip Venables’ new opera widens the canvas to take in the whole of Europe’s postwar generation. 

Though ambitious and occasionally arresting, this revised and expanded take on the Purcell classic suffers from subtraction by addition.

Soprano Claron McFadden's pellucid voice tremendously contributed to the structural and sonic richness of Widmann's Versuch über die Fuge.

Overshadowed by its Hanseatic cousin Hamburg, Antwerp recently celebrated the opening of its own new concert hall. In his Symphony no. 2, Wim Henderickx tested the hall's capabilities with a multi-media extravaganza.

Always with an eye for the unusual, The Hebrides Ensemble surpassed themselves brilliantly with a lively programme of Amerian influenced music, including Elvis on bassoon.

Martijn Padding's opera Laika is let down by its libretto, which illustrates that though authors may write successful novels, this doesn’t necessarily imply they can also produce good theatre texts.