Guardian Music — Royal Albert Hall, LondonColin Davis recently likened conducting Beethoven's Missa Solemnis to "failing to reach the top of Mount Everest". Ranked among the grandest of human confrontations with the idea of God, the score was the product of immense s... more info

Guardian Music — Royal Albert Hall, LondonIn the bright acoustic of the Barbican, its home, the London Symphony Orchestra regularly threatens to flatten the auditorium walls. The Barbican is a broom cupboard compared to the Royal Albert Hall, but even here the LSO's ... more info

Guardian Music — Royal Albert Hall, LondonPerformances of Liszt's two symphonies – big, programmatic works that push at the limits of form and emotion – are as rare as they are important. Both, however, form part of the composer's bicentenary tribute in this year... more info

Guardian Music — Conductor, composer and musical directorThe conductor and composer Cyril Ornadel, who has died aged 86, went from conducting pit orchestras in the West End to writing successful scores for stage and screen, and also provided music for radio comedies ... more info

Guardian Music — Barbican, LondonIf anyone can claim a tradition of performing Candide, it is surely the London Symphony Orchestra. It was with the LSO and its Chorus that Leonard Bernstein conducted his operetta at the Barbican in 1989, followed by a studio recordi... more info

Guardian Music — Barbican, LondonValery Gergiev has always conducted Tchaikovsky uncommonly well, and his cycle of the symphonies, spread out over two seasons, is proving to be among the most consistently successful of his achievements with the London Symphony Orches... more info

Guardian Music — Concentrate on the things that really matter, says Sir Colin Davis – the music and the people who are playing it. One of our greatest living conductors talks to Tom ServiceColin Davis doesn't want to be a guru. But that's what the 83-year-old condu... more info

The Telegraph — A concert with a great beginning but the rest of the night was distinctly patchy. Rating: * * * more info

Guardian Music — What happened when one of jazz's top stars – Tim Garland – was asked to write a concerto for the London Symphony Orchestra? Organised chaosIt's not long in conversation with saxophonist and composer Tim Garland before it seems necessary to place ... more info

Guardian Music — Bridgewater Hall, ManchesterGianandrea Noseda's final Manchester concert as the BBC Philharmonic's chief conductor was a performance of Otello that reminded us what an exceptional conductor of Verdi he is – and left many wondering why he has yet to... more info