Performer: Klaus Mäkelä

Batiashvili’s account of the Tchaikovsky concerto confirms why she remains one of the most compelling violinists of her generation.

Jean-Yves Thibaudet’s astonishing technical prowess in Saint-Saëns’ Fifth Piano Concerto entrances Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. 

How is the classical music world changing? Looking back on a dizzying year, we pay particular attention to performers’ international connectedness. Documenting more than 30,000 events, Bachtrack’s statistics provide valuable insight into an unstable world.

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.

This May, the world’s leading orchestras and soloists gather in Amsterdam for a grand celebration of all things Mahler – a city the composer described as his “second musical homeland”.