In November Richard Hickox conducted the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and a starry cast (including Simon Keenleyside, Philip Langridge and John Tomlinson) in a concert performance of Britten’s opera Billy Budd, prompting nomination for the South Bank Show Classical Music Award earlier this year. The critics were unanimous in their praise: “Hickox conducted as though his life depended on it” (The Observer) “Hickox’s spell-binding interpretation!” (Evening Standard) “Much of the credit must go to Richard Hickox, who conducted the superb London Symphony at white heat, giving full weight to the score’s grandeur without sacrificing its nervous volatility or brilliance” (Daily Telegraph) “Hickox’s conducting was intensely dramatic, moving forward inexorably with not a whiff of false sentiment. The stunned silence of up to half a minute at the end before anyone dared applaud says all that needs to be said” (The Times)