Bavouzet, BBCSO, Stasevska, Barbican review - ardent souls in mythic magic

★★★★ BAVOUZET, BBCSO, STASEVSKA, BARBICAN Vivid realisation of fantastical masterpieces by Bartók, Ravel and Janáček

Vivid realisation of fantastical masterpieces by Bartók, Ravel and Janáček

Not to be overshadowed by the adrenalin charges of the Budapest Festival Orchestra the previous evening, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and its Principal Guest Conductor Dalia Stasevska gave a supercharged triple whammy of masterpieces. They even had a pianist to match the Budapesters’ Igor Levit, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. He seemed as delighted with Stasevska and the players as they were with him; the post-performance embraces spoke volumes about communicative kindred spirits.

Biss, BBCSO, Hrůša, Barbican review - electrifying Shostakovich at a crucial time

★★★★★ BISS, BBCSO, HRUSA, BARBICAN Electrifying Shostakovich at a crucial time

The Royal Opera's next music director achieves blazing results in a rich programme

At the end of an exhausting week in which Holocaust Memorial Day struck a more urgent note than ever as fascism started tearing through the USA, parts of this concert were bound to hit hard. That they did so to the power of 100 was thanks to the extraordinary impact of Jakub Hrůša, now recognised as one of the greats by British audiences as he waits to take up the full-time reins at the Royal Opera. The BBC Symphony Orchestra burned for him in fullest focus.

BBC Singers, BBCSO, Jeannin, Barbican review - from stormy weather to blue skies

BBC SINGERS, JEANNIN, BARBICAN Uplifting centenary party for the great choral survivors

An uplifting centenary party for the great choral survivors

“Bold, ambitious, and good for the sector.” So said Charlotte Moore, the BBC chief content officer, who currently earns £468,000, in March last year as she defended plans to close the BBC Singers as part of a package of swingeing musical cuts masked – as usual – as a high-principled strategic rethink.

theartsdesk Q&A: conductor Dalia Stasevska on her new album of contemporary orchestral music

Q&A: DALIA STASEVSKA The conductor on her new album of contemporary orchestral music

Finnish-Ukrainian conductor looks to bring the music of today to new audiences

Dalia Stasevska is a persuasive advocate for new music, as presented on her new album Dalia’s Mixtape. She combines a puppyish enthusiasm with a salesman’s eloquence – beneath which sits a steely self-confidence in her own artistic vision. The Mixtape is a collaboration between Stasevska, the BBC Symphony Orchestra (of which she is Principal Guest Conductor) and Platoon, an artist-led label that is part of the Apple Music family. I visited their studios in north London last week to speak to Dalia about the project and what it means to her.

Prom 19, Rummukainen, Dandy, BBCSO, Oramo review - inward reflections and choral transcendence

★★★★ PROM 19, RUMMUKAINEN, DANDY, BBCSO, ORAMO No routine Elgar Cello Concerto between two semi-mystic rarities well worth hearing

No routine Elgar Cello Concerto between two semi-mystic rarities well worth hearing

How do you get five thousand plus people into the Albert Hall to hear two Sanskrit-based rarities by British-born composers? Simple: place the Elgar Cello Concerto in between them. Here was another daring Prom programme that totally worked, not least since cellist Senja Rummukainen, compatriot of the BBC Symphony Orchestra much-loved Finnish chief conductor Sakari Oramo, proved as sensitive as him and his players to the elusive core of what's surprisingly become a popular classic.

First Night of the Proms, BBCSO, Chan review - from the sublime to the mischievously meticulous

★★★ FIRST NIGHT OF THE PROMS, BBCSO, CHAN From sublime to mischievously meticulous

Exhilarating start to the Proms with Isata Kanneh-Mason's performance as highlight

The first night of the BBC’s 2024 Proms season was illuminated by the blazing brilliance of Isata Kanneh-Mason’s performance of Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto and the world premiere of Ben Nobuto’s witty video-game-inspired Hallelujah Sim. Hong Kong born conductor Elim Chan presided over a vibrant, joyful evening in which apparent crowd-pleasers like Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony were balanced by pieces that ranged from the sublime to the mischievously meticulous.

Remembering conductor Andrew Davis (1944-2024)

ANDREW DAVIS 1944-2024 A roster of greats remember a true Mensch among conductors

Fellow conductors, singers, instrumentalists and administrators recall a true Mensch

As a human being of immense warmth, humour and erudition, Andrew Davis made it all too easy to forget what towering, incandescent performances he inspired. Now is a good time to recall those properly to mind, to listen to his huge discography, and to assess his proper place among the top conductors – again, as one of such versatility and range that, to adapt what Danny Meyer writes below, he might have been labelled a jack of all trades when he was a master of all.