We began with a winner of the 2013 Beethoven Telekom International Competition: Australian Stefan Cassomenos. And we'll present another young prize winning pianist: 18-year-old Elisabeth Brauss, who has been touring international concert halls since her childhood.

In its most recent edition, the Orchestra Campus, a project of the Beethovenfest and Deutsche Welle, presented an enthralling performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and an exciting world premiere. It also offers the chance to hear an excellent young violist - Tobias Feldmann.

Bach, sung in Arabic or jazzed up; early Christian and sacred Islamic music: the Ensemble Sarband achieves an interesting mix, inspiring listeners to ponder the origins and impact of musical traditions from all over the world.

Exciting clarity

French-Canadian Yannick Nézet-Séguin is one of the world's most exciting young contemporary conductors. If you haven't memorized the name yet, you soon will. With the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, he brings the music of Beethoven, Richard Strauss and Mahler to life - at times gently and sensitively, at times powerfully, but always with utmost clarity.

Clarity is also a strength of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra with its choice of works from Igor Stravinsky's neo-classicist period. You'll quickly be disabused of the notion that this is dry, overly-intellectual fare: Stravinsky swings!

Names that carry

The Borodin Quartet brought a three-year project to its grand finale at the 2014 Bonn Beethovenfest, offering four evening performances of late string quartets by Ludwig van Beethoven, Dmitri Shostakovich and some little-known Russian composers from the Soviet era. In a word: legendary!

Then there's a "big name" orchestra from Germany: the Munich Philharmonic with guest conductor Semyon Bychkov, presenting works by Dvorak and Richard Strauss. Grade: exceptional!

Outstanding singing is also part and parcel of the festival, from the distinguished ensemble Singer Pur to German operatic and Lieder singer Waltraud Meier. The latter is well-known as a Wagnerian soloist; at the festival, she interpreted Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder and Mahler's Kindertotenlieder (Songs on the Death of Children). It's immediately evident that this singer is second to none in conveying her material.

"Classic rocks!" seems to be Kristjan Järvi's motto. This conductor sprinkles his classical concerts with rock and pop elements - not in order to win over a would-be young audience but because he is convinced that music, no matter the style, must excite and inspire.

Check this spot for all that and more - free as audio on demand or as a downloadable mp3.