Two Beethoven symphonies and two flute concertos in the same concert? Only the Proms can flout the rules for well-balanced programming in such flagrant fashion... more
There is no adequate way to substitute for Martha Argerich - and when she withdrew, on health grounds, from last night's Prom she had to be replaced not once but twice... more
The roster of musicians appearing there nightly is of a world-class calibre but for the first of the two gala concerts marking the 110th anniversary, it was the Takács Quartet that was invited... more
Diminutive in stature but towering in musicality, the reclusive Portuguese pianist Maria Joăo Pires can be relied upon to fill the Wigmore Hall... more
A supermarket, a night club, a ferry — anywhere’s fair game for guerrilla orchestra Spira Mirabilis. Joshua Neicho meets the young players rethinking classical music
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That he has not released a straightforward pop album since 2003 suggests his muse has taken flight, but Sting and self-belief remain on the most intimate of terms... more
Some symphonies open with a grand flourish, others start small, while the beginning of Beethoven’s First Symphony plunges us straight into the action.... more
Anyone trying to get in touch with their inner George Formby is being invited to take up the ukelele and join a mass rendition of Beethoven's Ode To Joy... more
Andras Schiff, named today as one of the Evening Standard’s 1000 Influentials, opened the autumn leg of the Temple Festival 2008 with a recital of four middle period sonatas. ... more
There's no regulating the speed at which peasants merry-make but at the Proms, in Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony No6, performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, they were going for gold.... more
The challenge to make the impossibly famous Beethoven's Fifth Symphony score fresh is harder than tackling a knotty world premiere, says Fiona Maddocks.... more
The Britten Sinfonia's performance was precise and danceable, where shared pleasure in music-making was worth more than merely superficial gloss.... more
The Emerson String Quartet attracted a capacity audience for their three-evening cycle of Bach's Art of Fugue and Beethoven's Opus59 "Razumovsky" Quartets.... more
Classical performers get criticised for predictable programming, but sometimes it makes absolute sense, as with pianist Imogen Cooper's assembly of Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert.... more
Despite an age difference of 200 years, 'huge similarities' have been noted between two very different musical icons - Bono and Beethoven - writes Daniel Bates. ... more
Exclusive: After high-profile allegations this season, Charlton's manager is pleased the issue is now being addressed but says the authorities still have plenty of work to do
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