Instrument: String ensemble

Impeccable musicianship from the string soloists of the Oxford Philhamonic in stirring accounts of Brahms' String Sextet in G major and Strauss' Metamorphosen.

An arcane Armenian orthodox chapel, two glittering Greek Orthodox churches, a waterfront palazzo and a sumptuous Austrian villa were fascinating venues for a delightful day of mini-concerts at the Istanbul Festival.

McFall's Chamber was full of surprises exploring 20th century music from the Baltic. The Finns' love affair with the Tango contrasted with passionate brooding Baltic landscapes – and there was a saw.

Two academically-motivated pieces make for a interesting, if not overly dramatic evening at Tête-à-Tête, including a project which seeks to re-orientalise Puccini's Turandot. 

A charming, if uneven, concert from Turnovsky Jubilee Ensemble in Auckland. 

Scottish Ensemble, Catriona McKay and Chris Stout in a programme mixing the classical and the Celtic; the composed and the improvised; the individually crafted and the collaboratively collaged.