Compelling Respighi and Bartók, disappointing Brahms from Ono and the OBC

Mozart's Clarinet Concerto started out naively impetuous, quick, breathless as if on the way to an assignation

Alex Ollé focuses in the princess's trauma to provide a back story for Puccini’s problematic last opera; Eri Nakamura captivates the New National Theatre audience.

This season, the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya (OBC) is turning its eyes towards Bach, whilst at the same time programming the usual great symphonic repertoire, as well as contemporary composers. Here, Kazushi Ono gathered a Bach concerto (transcribed for violin), a rarely-performed work by Schumann and Richard Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra.

The bonds between Kazushi Ono and the OBC musicians are slowly improving.

Bach presented in various orchestral transcriptions made for a powerful, entertaining evening in Barcelona. 

Barcelona's L'Auditori was taken on a journey of contrasts, via Parra and Prokofiev, that unsettled as much as it delighted.