Prom 42: Tchaikovsky – The Nutcracker; Iolanta @ Royal Albert Hall, London

by Dominic McHugh

Welsh National Opera made a rare but welcome appearance at the Proms with a double bill of works by Tchaikovsky: excerpts from his last ballet...

Prom 36: Bruckner – Symphony No 6; Unsuk Chin, Weber @ Royal Albert Hall, London

by Ben Hogwood

At this stage of the season The Proms begin to welcome visitors from overseas, and this concert with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester of Berlin offered the...

Prom 35: Elgar – Enigma Variations; Coleridge-Taylor – Violin Concerto; Sta...

by Ben Hogwood

To my eyes it often seems that the BBC Concert Orchestra get a raw deal compared to their counterparts in the organisation, looked down on...

Prom 30: Sibelius – Symphony No 5; Tchaikovsky, Mahler @ Royal Albert Hall, London

by Ben Hogwood

It was to be the stuff of dreams. NeemeJarvi was sadly not well enough to conduct hisGothenburg forces at the Albert Hall, soresponsibility fell to...

Prom 26: Berio: Coro; Weill: Kleine Dreigroschenmusik @ Royal Albert Hall, London

by Ben Hogwood

This late night Prom marked what would have been Luciano Berio’s 80th birthday, with Coro an auspicious choice to celebrate the occasion. However the work...

Prom 23: Berlioz – Roméo et Juliette @ Royal Albert Hall, London

by Dominic McHugh

Berlioz remains one of the most unjustly neglected of composers of all time,which is extraordinary considering his contribution to the development ofmusic in the nineteenth...

Prom 16: Musorgsky – Pictures At An Exhibition; Dutilleux, Ravel and Stravinsky @...

by Ben Hogwood

Simon Rattle may no longer be in charge of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, but his replacement Sakari Oramo has ensured his hard work...

Prom 15: Stravinsky – The Fairy’s Kiss; Detlev Glanert, Knussen and Liadov ...

by Ben Hogwood

This Prom had a distinctly ‘school night’ feel to it. Whether that was due to the sadly ill Oliver Knussen or the unusual programme, the...

Prom 13: Elgar – The Dream of Gerontius @ Royal Albert Hall, London

by Ben Hogwood

Elgar’s setting of John Henry Newman’s text The Dream Of Gerontius struggled to make an impact at its barely rehearsed premiere. Indeed Elgar went as...

Prom 6: Nielsen: Symphony no. 4; Rachmaninov and Thea Musgrave @ Royal Albert Hall, London

by Ben Hogwood

I’d wager this is going to be one of the more testing Proms seasons of the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s 75 years, as they perform each...

Prom 1: Tippett – A Child Of Our Time; Elgar, Mendelssohn and Berlioz @ Royal Alb...

by Ben Hogwood

Sir Michael Tippett’s oratorio A Child Of Our Time may date from 1941, but its relevance to the first Prom of this new season could...

John Williams – Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith OST

by Ben Hogwood

Not only does Revenge Of The Sith mark the final instalment of George Lucas’ Star Wars epic, it also signs off an extraordinary body of...

Bloch – Violin Sonatas

by Ben Hogwood

Ernest Bloch was always most comfortable when writing for stringed instruments, and none more so than the violin. His concerto of 1938 was written for...

Steve Reich – Three Tales

by Ben Hogwood

Three Tales is a collaboration between contemporary composer Steve Reich and his wife, the videographer Beryl Korot. Together they have produced a powerful, poignant and...

Sebastian Comberti, Maggie Cole – Mozartiana

by Ben Hogwood

Cello Classics is maturing into a very interesting label, not content to focus on the core repertoire but putting together excellent anthologies such as their...