Tobias Berndt sings Dichterliebe in Freiburg

Václav Luks and his band of Baroque devotees offer a fresh take on late-period Mozart in Prague.

Brockes-Passion is becoming not quite the performing rarity it once was, and this outstanding performance at the Göttingen Handel Festival this year could hardly be bettered.

The Collegium Vocale Gent, in the hands of Philippe Herreweghe, came and conquered Madrid with a memorable performance of Bach's St John Passion.

Admittedly, it has been quite some time since I heard a St Matthew Passion in a concert hall as opposed to a church. The Concert Hall of the Danish Radio in Copenhagen is an impressive building both inside and out; it was well-filled and buzzing with excitement for a passion featuring the radio orchestra, choir as well as young and attractive international soloists.

The Lautten Compagney performed Handel's Rinaldo at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw enjoyably, though without sweeping the audience off its feet.

Die Gaechinger Cantorei aus Stuttgart deutete das Festivalmotte „Demut” auf ihre Weise. Unter Hans-Christoph Rademann hat sich das von Helmuth Rilling gegründete Ensemble stilistisch radikal verändert.