Venue: Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg

At the Elbphilharmonie, Joana Mallwitz treats Mahler's Fifth as an argument to be won, and she knows exactly how it will end.

From Berg’s crystalline intimacy to Dionysian Mahler, Teodor Currentzis and Utopia defy orchestral tradition with standing musicians, spatial acoustics and an emotional intensity that breathes new life into the concert life.

In Hamburg, Kazuki Yamada and the CBSO navigate the thorny brilliance of Walton’s First Symphony, proving that ‘difficult’ music can offer an evening’s most profound human connection.