Uchida, Connolly, Skelton, LPO, Jurowski, RFH review – songs of farewell

★★★★ UCHIDA, CONNOLLY, SKELTON, LPO, JUROWSKI Last words from Mozart and Mahler

Last words from Mozart and Mahler, played and sung with dignity and insight

Not all composers require the finger of mortality pointing at them to develop what becomes a late style. Charges of detachment and even indifference have been levelled at the B flat major Piano Concerto K595 which Mozart completed early in the year of his death, but Mitsuko Uchida’s playing of it on Saturday night was as refined, as weightless and translucent as her trademark silk tops.

La finta semplice, Classical Opera, QEH review - consummate musicianship stokes early Mozart

★★★★ LA FINTA SEMPLICE, CLASSICAL OPERA Consummate musicianship stokes early Mozart

At 12, he was a very clever boy rather than a genius, but style carries this comic opera

You can always be sure of impeccable casting and spirited playing as Ian Page takes his Classical Opera through Mozart year by year. Just don't expect more than the glimmer of genius to come in 1768, though. It doesn't matter in those admirable showcase programmes highlighting the young Amadeus alongside more mature voices of the year in question.

An Audience with Dame Cleo Laine, RFH review - a phenomenon at 90

CLEO LAINE (1927-2025) The unique style was absolutely there when she gave this concert at 90

Ninety minutes of bottled sunshine from a great artist and human being, plus family

Yes, she sang, with her trademark artistry from the very first notes – four numbers, including a duet with daughter Jacqui Dankworth, and all in close partnership with her consummate players, including son Alec on double bass.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard, QEH review – taking Ligeti to extremes

★★★★ PIERRE-LAURENT AIMARD, QEH Long-standing advocate keeps Ligeti fresh and vibrant

Long-standing advocate keeps Ligeti fresh and vibrant, and delivers plenty of surprises

After Pierre-Laurent Aimard’s first concert in his weekend Ligeti festival at the Southbank, an innovative programme spanning influential contemporaries and new arrangements, this second was a more canonical affair: the three books of Piano Études presented in recital.

Anna Meredith, Southbank Sinfonia, QEH review - triumphant genre-busting treat

★★★★★ ANNA MEREDITH, SOUTHBANK SINFONIA, QEH Triumphant genre-busting treat

Classical composer makes a roaring success of crossover project

I’m not sure what exactly this event was – orchestral concert, electronic dance music gig or multimedia extravaganza – but however you define it, I loved every mad minute. Anna Meredith (b 1978) is one of the most successful contemporary classical composers of her generation but revels in crossing genre divides, and this event delighted in smashing boundaries with breathtaking confidence.