Proms 63-65: Choral Day review – classy choirs firing on all cyclinders

From Edwardian choral music to Handel’s Messiah via gospel standards across three versatile, astonishing performances

The week in classical: The Marriage of Figaro; Proms 53, 54, 55 & 56 – review

Notable cameos and young new leads light up David McVicar’s latest Mozart revival. At the Proms, a moving tribute to conductor Andrew Davis and streamlined perfection from the Berlin Phil

Prom 58: Orchestre de Paris/Mäkelä review – electrifying music-making from an elite team

A Parisian-flavoured programme of narrative works by Debussy, Stravinsky and Berlioz was played with precision and panache, full of relishable and memorable moments

Proms 55 and 56: Berlin Philharmonic/Petrenko review – spellbinding magic

Over two evenings of music by Schumann, Smetana and Bruckner, the Berlin orchestra and their chief conductor Kirill Petrenko played with sumptuous mastery

Proms 53 and 54: BBCSO/Brabbins; Beethoven for Three

The Proms’ tribute to Andrew Davis was crowned by a joyous Steve Reich premiere, while the next day saw three outstanding musicians grapple with awkward acoustics

Prom 49: Czech Philharmonic/Hrůša/Kobekina review – impassioned playing of Dvořák and less well known Suk

Conductor Jakub Hrůša, who takes over next year at the Royal Opera, balanced Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with his son-in-law Suk’s uncompromising grief-filled work

Bristol Proms/BBC Singers/Jeannin and BSO/Karabits/Glennie review – celebratory and thoughtful

The BBC Singers celebrated their centenary in style, while the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra marked a milestone with the departure of Karabits as chief conductor

Prom 44 Rotterdam Philharmonic/Shani review – a tour de force of conducting and pianism

Lahav Shani played and conducted Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto with a devil-may-care brilliance while his finesse with the baton brought out the detailed beauty of the orchestra’s playing in works by Debussy and Ravel

Prom 42: Beethoven’s Ninth by Heart review – music and emotion made electrifyingly visual

Prefaced by a semi-dramatised introduction to Beethoven’s creative process, Aurora Orchestra’s performance was superb

Prom 41: Ensemble Resonanz/Minasi review – soloists shine in underpowered Mozart programme

Performance of the Sinfonia Concertante and Jupiter Symphony was clearly articulated but distant and uninvolving, with little sense of revelation

Prom 38: Gabetta/BBCSO/Lu review – Francisco Coll premiere roams deliriously wide

The composer’s Cello Concerto, written for and performed by Sol Gabetta, was perfectly precise in conductor Tianyi Lu’s hands, despite its dizzying technical demands on soloist and orchestra

Prom 37: Britten’s War Requiem review – a tragically relevant act of remembrance

Antonio Pappano seized every opportunity to build dramatic tension, while the London Symphony Orchestra played with fire and focus

The week in classical: Prom 31: West-Eastern Divan Orchestra/ Barenboim; GBSR Duo – review

With minimal gestures yet complete control, a now frail Daniel Barenboim returned to the Proms in a concert of exceptional poignancy

Prom 31: West-Eastern Divan Orchestra/Barenboim review – an unforgettable and heroic return

Two years after he stepped back from performance, the conductor was back at the Proms – far frailer, but still able to conjure an instant response with a tiny flick of the baton

Prom 30: Bloch/NYO – a roof-raising display of virtuosity and shared joy

The National Youth Orchestra turned up the volume on Mahler’s First, a Wagner overture and premieres of Dani Howard and Missy Mazzoli … with a 100-strong choir joining in from the upper tiers and the aisles