Sarah Hicks

Written shortly after his appointment as titular organist of the Parisian La Sainte-Trinité church in 1931, Olivier Messiaen's complex orchestral suite 'L'Ascension' speaks not only to the well-documented influence of Catholicism on the composer's work but also his characteristic musical style. Watch it expertly performed by the London Symphony Orchestra.

George Walker's Walt Whitman-inspired 'Lilacs' is as a significant milestone in American classical music, earning him the distinction of being the first African American composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1996. The exceptional Latonia Moore joins The Cleveland Orchestra for a performance of this stone-cold American classic.

Carlos Kleiber's all-too-rare concert appearances are always musical occasions to cherish and remember. Here, the masterful conductor leads the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in a spirited performance of Ludwig van Beethoven's iconic Symphony No. 7 in Amsterdam, bringing the work (one of the composer's most beloved and celebrated creations), to life.

La valse, composed by Maurice Ravel in 1920, is a significant work of French impressionism. Ravel flawlessly captures the essence of a waltz, while also deconstructing and reimagining it in a way that reflects the turbulent and dissonant atmosphere of post-World War I Europe. Originally conceived as a ballet, it is now most commonly performed as a concert piece - in this case, by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Taken out of Gustav Mahler's 'Das Lied von der Erde', 'Der Abschied' ('The Farewell') is a profound and transcendent musical journey which embodies the themes of acceptance and the eternal cycle of life and death in one powerful movement. Here, we watch it performed the Czech Philharmonic, led by the one and only Sir Simon Rattle.