Erica Jeal

Esa-Pekka Salonen conducted an orchestra formed from students of London’s Royal Academy of Music and New York’s Juilliard School at the Royal Albert Hall. Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements was precise but somewhat restrained, while Vilde Frang brought expressive intensity and close rapport to Berg’s Violin Concerto. The orchestra found greater freedom and character in Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, with especially strong strings, winds, brass and percussion. Stravinsky’s Galop encore finally allowed the student players to perform with uninhibited energy.

The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kenneth Woods with cellist Raphael Wallfisch, presents overdue premiere recordings of John McCabe’s 2007 cello concerto Songline and 1978 Symphony No 3 alongside Symphony No 2. The review praises McCabe’s tense, searching and richly coloured soundworld, highlighting the music’s clarity despite its expansive orchestration and the performances’ vivid energy. It concludes that the late composer’s work merits a wider audience.

Mitsuko Uchida’s live Tokyo recording of Beethoven’s final three piano sonatas closely resembles her benchmark studio version while allowing more breadth and elasticity. The performance is praised for its spontaneity, dramatic contrasts, concentrated atmosphere and organically unfolding finales, particularly the Op 110 fugue, whose solemnity gives way to mystery and joyful renewal. Rather than imposing an interpretation, Uchida is said to present the music with unusual directness and clarity.

Laurent Pelly’s Glyndebourne production of Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos delivers sharp visual comedy and strong musical performances, particularly from Alina Wunderlin and the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Robin Ticciati. However, the staging loses energy and insight in the opera’s second half, while the central characters’ emotional transformations remain underdeveloped. The result is entertaining and witty but insufficiently moving.

Karim Sulayman and Sean Shibe’s recital at Wigmore Hall presented a culturally wide-ranging programme centred on their Broken Branches project, blending works from Purcell, Monteverdi, Sephardic and Arab-Andalusian traditions, and contemporary composers. The performance balanced lament and joy, highlighting Sulayman’s multilingual storytelling and Shibe’s expressive guitar solos, notably Jonathan Harvey’s Sufi Dance. Britten’s Songs from the Chinese felt comparatively self-conscious, but the overall programme was praised for its spontaneity, emotional resonance and control of silence.

Bellini’s I Puritani returns to the Royal Opera House with standout performances led by Lisette Oropesa, whose compelling portrayal of Elvira anchors Richard Jones’s visually inventive if stylistically inconsistent new staging. Riccardo Frizza’s conducting highlights the score’s orchestral richness while supporting strong vocal work from Francesco Demuro and Andrzej Filończyk. Modernized visual elements evoke an ambiguous civil war setting, and selective reinterpretations create dramatic tension, though some character adjustments prove jarring. Overall, exceptional singing and musical detail drive a successful revival of this challenging opera.

Jonathan Kuo’s debut solo album pairs Godowsky’s demanding Java Suite with Stravinsky’s Three Movements from Petrushka, showcasing his refined, unflashy approach and ability to shape complex textures into expressive, expansive phrases. The performance highlights vivid musical scenes inspired by southeast Asia and reaches an emotional peak in the portrayal of sunrise over Mount Bromo, while the Stravinsky selection, though slightly measured, remains energetic and persuasive.

The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra’s new Chandos recording showcases the refined and sensuous orchestral works of Mel Bonis, highlighting her craftsmanship and distinctive musical voice. Rumon Gamba conducts performances that bring clarity and elegance to pieces such as the Trois Femmes de Légende, which depict Ophelia, Salome and Cleopatra with vivid characterisation. Elizabeth Watts delivers two orchestral songs with finesse, notably the lively Le Chat sur le Toit. The album features a collection of brief but intricately shaped works that reveal Bonis’s skill and the enduring appeal of her rediscovered music.

A refreshed staging of Will Todd’s family opera at Opera Holland Park brings familiar Lewis Carroll characters into the main theatre with lively music, engaging performances and inventive design, though some charm is lost in the transition from its original garden setting. The production features standout vocal moments, energetic orchestral playing and effective direction, maintaining its appeal as a slick and enjoyable show.

A semi-staged performance of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande opened the Aldeburgh Festival with an atmosphere shaped by minimalist design and expressive lighting. Ryan Wigglesworth led the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in a solid and vivid interpretation, while the cast delivered strong vocal performances, notably Sophie Bevan and Jacques Imbrailo. Despite thoughtful direction by Rory Kinnear, the stripped-back concept revealed the opera’s inherent elusiveness, offering moments of beauty without fully unlocking its mysteries.

Longborough Festival Opera’s production of Handel’s Orlando is portrayed as a confident and persuasive staging that overcomes the work’s flimsy plot through strong performances and imaginative design. Beth Taylor’s portrayal of Orlando is highlighted as exceptional, supported by standout vocal work from Katie Bray, Anna Devin and Kelli-Ann Masterson. Sinéad O’Neill’s direction blends whimsy and enchantment within an atmospheric forest set, while the Academy of Ancient Music and conductor Christopher Moulds provide compelling musical support.

Lahav Shani’s final recording with the Rotterdam Philharmonic offers a fresh, unforced interpretation of Dvořák’s Symphony No 9, highlighting fluid pacing, notable woodwind solos, and a balanced mix of lightness and weight. The album also features Johan Wagenaar’s Cyrano de Bergerac, presented as an enjoyable, Strauss-inspired rarity showcasing the orchestra’s spirited playing.

A new Garsington Opera staging of Verdi’s La Traviata updates the setting to 1930s Paris and blends detailed direction with atmospheric design to create a gripping retelling. Madison Leonard delivers a nuanced and moving performance as Violetta, supported by Oleksiy Palchykov and Roland Wood. Douglas Boyd’s energetic musical direction brings fresh vitality to the score, making the production a strong start to the company’s summer season.

Colin Matthews’s four song cycles for voice and chamber ensemble are praised for their detailed, kaleidoscopic soundworld. Claire Booth and Marcus Farnsworth deliver vivid performances across works setting texts by Rilke, Blatný, Moore and Baudelaire, with Matthews’s stylistic range and precision highlighted throughout.

Wigmore Hall’s 125th anniversary gala revived elements of its 1901 inaugural programme with performances by leading artists including Thomas Adès, Louise Alder, Joseph Middleton, Alina Ibragimova and Cédric Tiberghien. The concert highlighted the hall’s historical resilience and artistic strengths, featuring works by Beethoven, Bach, Schubert and Brahms, alongside Adès’s contemporary piece. Performers delivered standout interpretations, underscoring the venue’s enduring role in chamber music and recital culture.

Brent Michael Davids’ Requiem for America receives its world premiere at the Barbican, presenting a powerful and unsettling account of the colonisation of North America and the erasure of Indigenous peoples. Using first‑hand historical sources rather than traditional liturgical text, the work weaves narration, choral writing, solo voices and Native American flute. Performances by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, its chorus, an eight‑member Native American choir and soloists highlight stories of massacres, forced marches and violent displacement. Figures such as Theodore Roosevelt and L. Frank Baum are cast in a harsh light, while the closing movement affirms Indigenous endurance with a hopeful musical resolution.

Allan Clayton’s portrayal of Peter Grimes anchors Deborah Warner’s contemporary staging, set in a struggling coastal town and marked by both realism and subtle fantasy. The production’s consistent cast across multiple cities creates a tightly unified ensemble, with strong performances from Maria Bengtsson, Bryn Terfel and Christine Rice. Jakub Hrůša conducts with urgency, intensifying the drama of Britten’s tragedy while highlighting the opera’s emotional and societal tensions.

A Royal Opera triple bill at the Linbury theatre showcased contrasting one-act works by Elizabeth Maconchy, Charlotte Bray and Elena Langer, moving from sombre lyricism to pointed tragicomedy and finally sharp, witty satire. Strong performances across the cast and effective direction and scoring highlighted the emotional and stylistic range of the pieces, with Langer’s Four Sisters emerging as the standout for its energetic music and incisive libretto.

De Profundis’s male-voice ensemble and Robert Hollingworth present precise, resonant performances of Cristóbal de Morales’s masses and magnificat, aiming to recreate the choral sound of 16th‑century Europe. The recording contrasts two L’Homme Armé mass settings and highlights the richly textured Magnificat Secundi Toni, enhanced by organ and bajón in the five-part mass.

Paul Watkins and Alessio Bax deliver a highly praised recording of Beethoven’s five cello and piano sonatas, highlighting equal partnership, technical clarity and expressive depth. Early works showcase Beethoven’s evolving approach to the instruments, the central Op 69 is rendered with balanced momentum, and the final sonatas display Watkins’s expressive strength and the duo’s refined control, resulting in an eloquent and cohesive performance.

A staging of Berg’s Wozzeck at the Royal Festival Hall combined the London Philharmonic’s intense performance under Edward Gardner with Ilya Shagalov and Nina Guseva’s striking still‑image video art, creating a heightened and visceral interpretation. Strong vocal performances and vivid visual design were praised, though the omission of Wozzeck and Marie’s child in the film was noted as a minor flaw. The production’s impact and originality were highlighted as worthy of international festival interest.

An immersive performance at the Southbank Centre’s Multitudes festival blended English pastoral music with elaborate LED-based visuals by Squidsoup. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment delivered agile interpretations of works by Vaughan Williams, Warlock and Elgar, enhanced by spatial sound effects and a dynamic lightshow that visually echoed the music. Highlights included Kati Debretzeni’s roaming violin in The Lark Ascending and vividly colored visual motifs accompanying each piece, creating a weightless, synaesthetic experience.

Critics highlight standout performances and premieres in the 2026 Proms season, ranging from baroque and early music to Berlioz’s large-scale works and new compositions by Jessie Montgomery, Thomas Adès, Caroline Shaw, and Brett Dean. Major anniversaries for Steve Reich and György Kurtág shape several concerts, while star performers such as Martha Argerich and Vilde Frang appear in featured programs. The season blends historic repertoire, contemporary works, and innovative stagings, including a semi-staged Glyndebourne transfer of Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos.

Imogen Holst’s Persephone opened a London Symphony Orchestra programme with richly coloured and expressive writing, followed by Vilde Frang’s performance of Korngold’s Violin Concerto, which highlighted both its lyricism and its underlying expressionistic qualities. Antonio Pappano led a taut, dramatic reading of Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony, culminating in a powerful and thrilling finale.