Guardian Music — Coliseum; Guildhall School of Music and Drama: both LondonThese are dark and dangerous times for the publicly funded arts. "That was tripe. Thank God for government cuts," a clearly angry audience member announced to the chill night air as we streame... more info

Guardian Music — Guildhall School of Music and Drama, LondonThe only opera by the Portuguese composer Francisco António de Almeida that survives complete, Spinalba went missing for 200 years until the manuscript was rediscovered in the 1960s. First performed in Lisb... more info

Guardian Music — The great opera director Peter Sellars is tackling war, famine, farming and globalisation. He tells Nicholas Wroe why all he needed was a bit of Kafka and a housewife scrubbing a floorA few weeks ago, Peter Sellars travelled to Mali to collaborate wi... more info

Guardian Music — Royal Festival Hall, LondonThe two orchestras Charles Mackerras conducted regularly in London were the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Philharmonia. He had been booked to make an appearance with the Philharmonia last week, but following... more info

Guardian Music — Coliseum, LondonRufus Norris makes his operatic debut with Mozart's comedy – a brave choice given the piece's reputation as a director's graveyard. Despite its unassailable position in the repertoire, Don Giovanni possesses inherent contradictions.... more info

Guardian Music — Royal Albert Hall; Royal Festival Hall; Wigmore Hall – all LondonIt's not often you see a violinist welcome concert latecomers with a great big kiss, but when Nigel Kennedy's in charge, anything can happen. Besides, classical music's great iconocla... more info

Guardian Music — From melancholy Rachmaninov to sublime Bach, Fiona Maddocks picks her favourite classical weepiesClick on the track title to hear each pieceRachmaninov Piano Concerto No 2 in C minorThanks to that fateful encounter in a railway tearoom in David Lean'... more info

Guardian Music — Stephen Oliver was best known as a brilliant composer, but he was also a gifted writer and performer. As much as he achieved, his early death still makes it seem like his potential was never fully realisedThe composer Stephen Oliver would have been 6... more info

Guardian Music — Conductor Kirill Karabits is wasting his time if he's not taking music to its limits, he tells Suzy KleinWe're in a dark, backstage room at the English National Opera. Kirill Karabits fixes me with a characteristically deep stare and says, in his Ukr... more info

Guardian Music — Theatre Royal, GlasgowThose three stars are a midway compromise: Scottish Opera's new Figaro is great on stage, shoddy in the pit. Maybe the dichotomy's apt for an opera about the foibles of above/below stairs relations – certainly conductor France... more info