Performer: Tabea Zimmermann

Stepping in for Kirill Petrenko, Daniel Harding conducts the Berlin Phil's “army of generals” in an unfussy Bruckner Four, while Tabea Zimmermann plays Schnittke's Viola Concerto.

In a patchwork assembly of German Romantic and French impressionistic works, the chief interest in the Budapest Festival Orchestra's latest programme was the appearance of star violist Tabea Zimmermann in pieces by Schumann and Kurtág.

Issues with technical filming couldn't mar the artistry of a great set of musicians as they tackled Brahms' String Sextets.

In a world for which Neharo't Neharo't had suddenly become painfully relevant once again: the man lamenting his love in the gentle ending could have been lamenting the Kurds.

The New World Symphony's Viola Visions kicked off Wednesday night with a concert of music that spanned three centuries and gave full voice to the splendor of the instrument

I often think you can tell the quality of an orchestra by looking at the back desks of its string sections, and the players on the fringes of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic play with as much vigour as those at the front; their joy in the music is both visible and audible. The result is a strong and complex string sound, well blended, but with a coolness you don’t get from most German orchestras.

Taking its theme from Beethoven's Diabelli Variations, Bonn's Beethoven Week focused on classical variations in a wide-ranging festival programme. 

We caught up with renowned violist Tabea Zimmermann to talk about the Beethoven-Woche, her approach to teaching, and what keeps her going after over 30 years in the limelight.