The Scottish Ensemble review – singular sounds from an ever-adventurous string orchestra
A contemporary piece by David Fennessy is framed by JS Bach and Arvo Pärt in a show characterised by uncanny sounds and ghostly chorales
Why are national anthems almost always orchestral?
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts
Behemoth! review – Pedro Pascal classical music drama hits all the wrong notes
The actor stumbles through Tony Gilroy’s forgettable film marred by stylistic gimmicks
Parsifal review – bunkers, CCTV and fembots in elusive vision of Wagner’s mystical masterpiece
Evgeny Titov’s brutal and powerful new staging of Wagner’s final opera explains as little as possible. Christian Gerhaher is a compelling and wild-eyed Amfortas and Jakub Hrůša and the Royal Opera’s orchestra are superb
Geneva Lewis: Barber, Zorn, Glass album review – virtuosity and warmth
The young New Zealand violinist has chosen an all-American programme for her label debut, and impresses with works by Barber, Zorn and Glass
Beth Taylor: The Deeps Have Music album review – seamless legato and a gift for storytelling
The Scottish mezzo-soprano makes this programme of sea-themed songs gleam and shimmer. Her account of Elgar’s Sea Pictures holds its own against classic accounts by Janet Baker and Sarah Connolly.
Start spreading the news… New York’s opera giveaway shows UK politicians how to be brave
New York’s mayor Mamdani is putting his political capital behind one of our greatest art forms with his pledge of Opera for All – and 70,000 free tickets to prove it
Paraorchestra; Sinfonietta/Jonny Greenwood review – Reich’s kaleidoscopic music bursts into life
Paraorchestra’s immersive performance of Music for 18 Musicians was immaculate and exhilarating; London Sinfonietta and the Radiohead guitarist’s vibrant tribute to the almost 90-year-old composer followed
LPO/Edward Gardner review – Britten’s pacifist War Requiem lands with a bitterness and snarling irony
Three fine soloists were joined by the excellent Tiffin Boys’ and Girls’ Choirs alongside the London Philharmonic Choir and the London Symphony Chorus whose pianissimo singing left us with a much-needed glimpse of hope
Hallé/Wong review – MacMillan’s new symphony centres a great concert hall’s birthday celebrations
James MacMillan’s sixth symphony proved an intricate, intriguing and forward-looking work. It was well paired with Stephen Hough’s exuberant ‘Emperor’ piano concerto and a Liszt rarity
Honegger: Jeanne d’Arc au Bûcher album review – faultless recording of an eclectic masterpiece
Honegger’s multifaceted 1935 composition about the French saint is brought to life in spine-tingling detail by Lukáš Vasilek, actors and musicians
My dad was a monster! Sara Karloff on reviving Frankenstein, 95 years on
Boris Karloff’s daughter and composer Michael Shapiro, whose musical score for the 1931 film is finally coming to London, talk about how it became a much-loved classic
‘I never choose the cautious option’: Royal Opera’s Jakub Hrůša on collaboration, control and conducting Wagner
One year into the role, the Royal Opera’s music director is taking on the challenge of Parsifal, and, next season, the Ring Cycle. I’m here, and I am courageous says the conductor
Himari: Debut album review – teenage prodigy’s playing has depth and feeling
The programme feels a little safe but the 15-year-old Japanese violinist impresses in her debut recording of works by Wieniawski, Chopin, Godowsky and Sibelius
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at 80 review – birthday celebration champions bold creativity
Julia Fischer, Pablo Ferrández and Jan Lisiecki brought poetry and virtuosity to Beethoven’s Triple Concerto tour de force and there was vision and cohesion in Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben; Errollyn Wallen’s energetic Flare opened a special evening