If you’re stuck in the city craving a coastal escape, this playlist brings the ocean to you

Garsington Opera’s staging of Gerald Barry’s raucous ‘opera of delirium’ draws out a genius mix of playfulness, exaggeration and musical ingenuity

Marking the occasion with bursts of brass-fuelled patriotism, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s concert raised questions about classical music in the age of Trump

Butter Quartet release a vivid collection of works by Haydn and Caroline Shaw. Plus, the pioneering work of Fela Sowande

The RBO’s new staging of the English Civil War opera boasts a commanding performance from Lisette Oropesa. Plus, a singularly seaworthy Billy Budd

The annual gathering at Snape Maltings has Britten at its heart, but a whole world of talent at its fingertips. Plus energetic Haydn from the English Baroque Soloists

William Kentridge’s bold new staging of Monteverdi might divide audiences, but it continues the festival’s rich tradition of working with artists

As the Royal Opera considers the future of opera in the AI age, an old favourite returns in exuberant form. Plus, Longborough Festival Opera’s Orlando

Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, led by Jakub Hrůša, capture Martinů’s striking meeting of styles in a new album

Fiona Maddocks’s pick of classical on CD, on air and online

Our critic picks five cultural highlights, whether you have five minutes, an afternoon or a night out to spare

SeokJong Baek and Aigul Akhmetshina excel in Richard Jones’s sharp take on the ancient battle between faith and greed. Plus, a harrowing, humane Peter Grimes at the Royal Opera

Six premiere recordings by the Tallis Scholars capture the ingenuity of Muhly’s work. Plus, Fiona Maddocks’s picks of the Proms

A fine new set of 11 CDs recorded with the Czech Philharmonic may divide Mahler devotees – but there is much to be discovered in them

Everything about the ROH’s staging of Henry James’s ghost story is unnerving

Classical music’s best and brightest gathered to hear the first concert premiere ever held beneath Michelangelo’s frescoes

Andreas Schager brings near-inhuman energy to the hero’s role in Barrie Kosky’s spectacular Wagner, complete with wildflowers

The rising star of the classical world celebrates the high male voice with an homage to the Italian castrato Giusto Fernando Tenducci

The Icelandic pianist captured the spirit of the 100-year-old Hungarian Composer in a masterful, intimate celebration. Plus, a virtuosic performance by Behzod Abduraimov

The best classical picks on CD, on air and online