Monteverdi Choir/English Baroque Soloists/Whelan review – St John Passion of drama and authority
Peter Whelan conducted a performance of Bach’s oratorio that was full of driving cinematic excitement and touching humanity
LSO/Hannigan review – intensely fluent soprano switches into full command as conductor
Barbara Hannigan began the evening singing an intense monodrama based on Han Kang’s The White Book, then led the orchestra through unsparing Ligeti and Strauss
Feshareki/BBC Singers/Goddard review – goddess-inspired soundscape stuck in the great unknown
Shiva Feshareki’s Divine Feminine fails to find its focus despite soprano Emma Tring’s incandescent, fearless performance of Celtic deity Brigid
Hallé: Huw Watkins album review – Covid-era commissions capture energy and hope after lockdown
Watkins’s symphony, fanfare and concerto make for a spirited showcase of the orchestra’s clean harmonies
Lise Davidsen and James Baillieu: Live at the Met album review – electrifying renditions make the momentous intimate
Recorded in New York in 2023, the soprano sings Strauss, Wagner, Grieg and more to thrilling effect, her sincerity and passion matched perfectly on piano
Philharmonia/ Schwarz/ Ólafsson review – a masterclass in pianissimo
Marking György Kurtág’s 100th birthday, Elena Schwarz and Víkingur Ólafsson led a programme of hushed intensity and fleeting ferocity
LSO/ Wang/ Peltokoski review – Yuja Wang’s ferocious Rautavaara meets Peltokoski’s passionate Wagner
The pianist was electrifying in Rautavaara’s first concerto, while the young Finn conducted a condensed Ring with clever, slow-burn pacing
Sinfonia Cymru / Laura van de Heijden review – quiet authority and effortless grace inspire
The cellist moved up a gear during Dobrinka Tabakova’s concerto, as the fiery writing showed her at her virtuosic best
RPO/Edusei/Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha review – the makings of a classic Strauss
South African soprano Rangwanasha proved she is the real deal in a performance of Strauss’s Four Last Songs that’s let down by the RPO’s oddly pinched, poorly tuned backing
The Hallé Presents … Jonny Greenwood review – everything in its right place, almost
The Radiohead guitarist joined the orchestra for the premiere of his rather formless Violin Concerto – but other repertoire was gripping, and showed off a world-class string section
Harnoncourt: Mendelssohn, Wagner, Schumann album review – revelatory readings from the late revolutionary
This 1999 live recording captures the late conductor’s radical ear in bracing Mendelssohn, gossamer Wagner and a luminous Liebestod – from Violeta Urmana
Pekka Kuusisto: Willows album review – luminous, inventive and penetrating
The Finnish violinist-conductor strips back The Lark Ascending to revelatory effect in an album that moves from searing grief to radiant, folk-infused transcendence with Sam Amidon
Bath BachFest review – joyous and mesmerising music making
The festival’s new artistic director Adrian Brendel presided over – and was a key part of – a day of virtuosic and adventurous performances
BBC Total Immersion: Icelandic Chill review – ambience, flowerpots and drones in varied day of new music
This celebration of Iceland’s outsize musical talents was a mixed bag, but highlights such as Bára Gísladóttir’s double bass concerto and Daníel Bjarnason’s I Want to Be Alive revealed singular and innovative voices
Sacconi Quartet review – new Freya Waley-Cohen work reveals ensemble at their finest
Marking 25 years since their formation, Dances, Songs & Hymns for Friendship was informed by the composer’s observations of the four musicians both in and out of rehearsal