WHAT'S ON

Northern Sinfonia, string quartets from Haydn and Janacek and Schubert's Octet, The Sage Gateshead, 8pm, Tuesday. Box office: 0191-443-4661.

REVIEWS

Tavener: Requiem (EMI Classics 2351342)

John Tavener's Requiem, performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, has a haunting poignancy. Elin Manahan Thomas, Andrew Kennedy and Josephine Knight performed the solo soprano, tenor and cello parts respectively.

Ades: The Tempest (EMI6952342)

Thomas Ades conducts his opera at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in this superb recording. It was rightly greeted as a masterpiece of airy beauty and eerie power. The cast features Simon Keenlyside, Cynthia Sieden, Ian Bostridge, To by Spence, Kate Royal, Philip Langridge, and Stephen Richardson.

Artemis Quartet: The Piazzolla Project (Virgin Classics 2672920)

The quartet join Chilean pianist Jacques Ammon for a programme of works by Argentinian legend Astor Piazzolla. The music, laden with passionate tension, is played with unbridled gusto.