WHAT'S ON: The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mario Venzago, will appear at the Sage Gateshead at 7.30pm on Thursday June 8. Christian Zacharias will perform Brahms' Piano Concerto No 1. 0191-443 4661.

REVIEWS

Finzi, Intimations of Immortality (Naxos 8.557624)
Gerald Finzi's late 1930s work is set to nine of the 11 stanzas of Wordsworth's Ode Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood. The lament for the passing of the intuitive freshness of childhood is superbly performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Soloist James Gilchrist immerses himself in the score with spirited passion. The CD includes For St Cecilia, a celebration of music's patron saint composed in 1947 to a specially written poem by Edmund Blunden.

Verdi, La Traviata 2DVD set (Opus Arte, 0934 D)
Norah Amsellem as Violetta leads a stellar cast in Pier Luigi Pizzi's stunning production of one of Verdi's greatest works.

The performance by the Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real Madrid set in the 1940s, is filmed with high definition cameras and includes a powerful portrayal of Alfredo Germont by tenor Jose Bros.