From Bartok to Bernstein

LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Simon Rattle returns to two of his great loves: the jazz-modernist fusion of Stravinsky and Bernstein, and the folk-flavoured music of Bartok and Szymanowski. (If you prefer, you can catch just the jazzy part in a shorter concert on Wednesday.)

Barbican, London EC2

(020 7638 8891), Thurs

THE SIXTEEN

the kind of wide-ranging and moving Christmas bill you’d expect, with medieval and Renaissance pieces next to exquisite early-20thcentury music, plus recent works by Cecilia McDowall and Joseph Phibbs. St David’s Hall, Cardiff (thesixteen. com), Sun and touring

JEAN TOUSSAINT