It’s been another extraordinary year for high quality classical music performances I’ve attended. These are my top ten performance highlights, in no particular order:
1. Mahler Symphony No 2: Wong, Halle, Bridgewater Hall
2. R.Strauss, Arabella: Runnicles, Deutsche Oper Berlin
3. Wagner, Die Walkure: Pappano,. ROHCG
4. R.Strauss, Die Liebe der Danae: Bayern Staatsoper, Schager/Bystrom/Maltman
5. Mozart, String Quintets K515/516: Takacs Quartet, Wigmore Hall
6. Puccini, Suor Angelica, Pappano, LSO, RAH Proms
7. Turnage, Festen: Gardner, ROHCG
8. Adams, Harmonium: Adams, Halle, Bridgewater Hall
9. Strauss, Salome, Grigorian, Pappano, LSO, Barbican
10. Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro, ENO
It was difficult to choose these ten. There were so many others I could have chosen – a powerful Brahms 4 with Rattle, and LSO, in January along with Janacek’s Jenufa at ROHCG conducted by Hrusa. I loved the Beethoven 9 the Halle performed with their talented chief conductor Kahchun Wong in February, along with the excellent Regents Opera performance of Walkure in Bethnal Green. March saw some superb performances – the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra, with the Berlin Phil and Hrusa, alongside Strauss’ Intermezzo, at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. It was very good indeed to hear another live Mahler 8 after 5 years, conducted by Ed Gardner with the LPO in April. There were a number of excellent Handel opera productions, notably Semele, at ROHCG and Partenope, at ENO. At the Proms, there was one of the best Beethoven 7’s I’ve ever heard (Budapest Festival Orchestra / Ivan Fischer) and a jagged exciting Sibelius 2, with the Leipzig GO, and Andris Nelsons, while Anna Netrebko was unforgettable in December’s Turandot, and there was an excellent performance of Die Schweigsame Frau in Berlin, with Thielemann conducting, in July
John's musical journey 