Recorded in the Berliner Philharmonie, Berlin in 1992.

Schumann's symphonies are routinely criticised for their supposedly murky scoring. But you would never guess it from listening to these scintillating performances. The orchestra's fat-free (but never scrawny) strings, pungent woodwind and tangy…

Under the motto "Rhythm and Dance" Kent Nagano created one of the most exciting programmes the Berliner Philharmoniker ever played at the Waldbühne with his combination of popular and rather unusual music from the 20th Century. Nagano injected so…

In the face of political and ideological divides between their respective countries, five years ago Daniel Barenboim, an Argentinean Jew and Israel's most famous conductor and pianist, along with Christian Palestinian philosopher Edward Said, put…

Erich Leinsdorf, the American conductor from Vienna, begann his career as Bruno Walter's and Arturo Toscanini's assistant at the Salzburg Festival, débuting with tremendous success at the New York's renowned Metropolitan Opera House at the tender age…

The programme is a musical celebration of the nativity, featuring many traditional carols, illustrated by pictures by the Old Masters from the National Gallery in London. With music by Handel and Vaughan Williams.

Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor Jean Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor, op. 47 Manuel de Falla Nights in the Gardens of Spain

Christmas conjures up a vision of warmth and affection, and the mood of the season is recreated in this special "Music in Camera". Works by Elgar, Leoncavallo, Tchaikovsky, Johann Strauss and Humperdinck which reflect the atmosphere of this festive…

Leonard Bernstein based his Serenade for violin and orchestra on Plato's "Symposium". Like every work by Bernstein, the Serenade is rife with melodic and rhythmic vibrancy and originality.