Joyful, showy Bernstein at Cadogan Hall

Part of Brussels' Ars Musica festival, the concert also included a fun world premiere by Claire-Mélanie Sinnhuber, and the riveting Streaming Arhythmia by Anna Thorvaldsdottir.

****1

Magnificent Rachmaninov tribute from Lugansky and Denève in Ghent

Marc Haegeman, 4th April

Nocturne may not be your dreamlike, moonlit summer night stroll, but quite a grim-visaged journey, threateningly dark with the occasional shaft of light piercing through in powerful, sonorous tutti.

*****

Luminous Beethoven and impetuous Connesson in Bruges

Marc Haegeman, 1st March

Denève and the Brussels Philharmonic launched into Guillaume Connesson’s Flammenschrift with enough excitement and energy to illuminate the whole city.

***11

An unfussy, memorable War Requiem from Noseda

Nicolas Nguyen, 11th October

Gianandrea Noseda conducts the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Netherlands Radio Choir and an ideal team of soloists in a memorable performance of Britten's War Requiem.

****1

Fiery, formidable Boris Godunov at the Concertgebouw

Jenny Camilleri, 8th September

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

*****

More reviews...

Benjamin Poore

Benjamin Poore is a writer and critic. His book on psychoanalysis and literature is forthcoming in 2019. He has previously written about literature and culture for the Independent, the Times Literary Supplement, and Times Higher Education. In his spare time he tries to sing Schubert; he has a very patient teacher.