Berlin PO/Rattle/BBC Singers/EIC review – a powerful Proms tribute to Boulez
The Berlin Philharmonic lead two superb concerts devoted to the late Proms fixture Pierre Boulez, while violinist Jeanne-Marie Conquers triumphs
Proms 55 & 62; Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra/Chan; Berlin Philharmonic/Rattle – review
The CBSO’s dazzling new music director Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla led the way in a memorable week on the podium
Les Arts Florissants/Christie review – a strikingly sensuous Bach revival
William Christie’s Mass in B Minor is anything but austere with its lucid orchestral textures and emotional depth
BBCSO/Bychkov review – faultless and furious Larcher premiere
Thomas Larcher’s formidable symphony commemorating refugees drowned in the Mediterranean builds to a climax of tremendous irony and power
London Sinfonietta/Gourlay review – finely focused foray into microtonal music
Ligeti’s influential Ramifications rounded off a beautifully executed programme of works that followed in his pioneering wake
The Makropulos Affair review – Karita Mattila’s diva glows with breathtaking opulence
The soprano’s performance coupled with Jiří Bělohlávek’s beautifully judged conducting confirmed them as well nigh ideal interpreters of Janáček
Proms 39, 40, 41, 42, 43; PCM 5 review – Argerich and Barenboim lead the way
Daniel Barenboim and Martha Argerich worked their magic once more as the Proms took a walk on the wild side
Britten Sinfonia/Adès review – pacy Beethoven and a more introverted Adès
Steven Isserlis brought subtlety to a new version of Thomas Adès’s cello concerto, while his pupil Francisco Coll made a witty Proms debut
BBC NOW/Søndergård at the Proms review – full of fresh musical ideas
BBC National Orchestra of Wales premiered concertos by Huw Watkins and Malcolm Hayes in two proms that also featured works by Dvořák and Brahms
BBC Phil/Mena review – rhapsodic Dutilleux but Simpson’s Israfel suffers
Juanjo Mena brought more subtlety to Dutilleux than he did to Elgar; Mark Simpson’s Edgar Allan Poe-inspired orchestral study lost detail in the Albert Hall’s acoustic
NYOS/Volkov and BBCSSO/Dausgaard at the Proms review – poised snow-inspired premiere and refined Russians
Young and established Scottish musicians brought a folksong-inspired new work from Helen Grime and superb accounts of Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev
BBCSO/Knussen at the Proms review – Nächtliche Wanderer stalks the Albert Hall
Oliver Knussen and the BBC Symphony Orchestra delivered a wonderfully assured UK premiere of Reinbert de Leeuw’s epic symphonic poem
Romeo and Juliet at the Proms review – thrillingly intense Berlioz drama
This complex Shakespearean symphony gained a sinister edge by the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique under John Eliot Gardiner, with beautiful choral singing throughout
David Bowie Prom review: progressiveness for progressiveness’s sake
Conductor André de Ridder presents a reworking of David Bowie’s hits across the decades, with a range of guests
BBCSO/Davis at the Proms review – vivid depictions of natural illusions
Anthony Payne’s 80th birthday commission is a substantial, beautifully crafted symphonic poem and choral work in the tradition of Bax and Bridge