1. Sit in on a London Symphony Orchestra rehearsal and you find that (much to the bewilderment of visiting maestros) the players break out in a cheer when they reach the climax of some vast symphony.

2. Striking a chord Hottest tickets Wagner‘s Die Walkre (Covent Garden production) Daniel Barenboim and the West–Eastern Divan Orchestra Valery Gergiev and the World Orchestra for Peace Handel‘s Julius Caesar (Glyndebourne production) Mariss Jansons and Concertgebouw Orchestra: Mahler‘s Sixth Symphony Blue Peter Prom Ravi Shankar and BBC Symphony Orchestra Not so hot BBC Symphony Orchestra: Lyadov, Knussen, Glanert, Stravinsky BBC National Orchestra of Wales: Dukas, Watkins, Stravinsky BBC Philharmonic: Stravinsky, MacMillan, Ravel Deutsches Sinfonie–Orchester: Weber, Unsuk Chin, Bruckner (6th Symphony) BBC Symphony Orchestra: Berg, Mahler (Das klagende Lied) BBC National Orchestra of Wales: Tippett (Vision of St Augustine), Shostakovich (10th Symphony) BBC National Orchestra of Wales: Michael Berkeley, Britten, Vaughan Williams (A London Symphony) BBC Symphony Orchestra: Stravinsky, Marc–Andr Dalbavie, Shostakovich (11th Symphony) Excludes late–night concerts