OUR CHOICES

The BBC Music team’s current favourites

Oliver Condy Editor In August, I saw a ravishing performance of Messiaen’s all-toorelevant Quartet for the End of Time in the 13th-century Kvinnherad Church as part of Norway’s Rosendal Chamber Music Festival. Francesco Piemontesi, Martin Fröst, Christian Tetzlaff and Tanya Tetzlaff displayed astonishing dynamic colour and impeccable ensemble – the audience held its silence for over a minute after the final chord had died away.

Jeremy Pound Deputy editor When recently interviewing the King’s Singers ahead of the group’s 50th-anniversary year, I was put on the spot by being asked by one of the group to name my favourite of their many discs. A tough question. The Beatles Connection, from 1986, has always enjoyed regular airtime in the Pound household, but 2006’s Landscape and Time, a meticulously crafted album of contemporary works, remains my desert island choice.

Rebecca Franks Reviews editor Every time I hear the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, I’m blown away by its brilliance. And the 164 musicians on stage at the ensemble’s BBC Proms performance were no exception. They played a challenging programme of Francisco Coll, Adès and Stravinsky with no visible qualms but plenty of passion, making it one of the most exhilarating concerts I’ve been to in a while.