The Best Classical Music this Autumn
The 10 must-hear concerts by London orchestras and visitors this autumn, featuring Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Mozart and more
Mitsuko Uchida & the London Philharmonic Orchestra
The charismatic pianist and supreme interpreter of Mozart, Mitsuko Uchida (pictured), joins conductor Vladimir Jurowski and his London Philharmonic Orchestra for Mozart's Piano Concerto No 27. Then Glyndebourne mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly and Covent Garden tenor Stuart Skelton are the soloists in Mahler's profound and moving Das Lied von der Erde. A very starry night indeed.
Read more ...'Life, Death and Shameless Excess'
This unusual programme opens with Poulenc's moving but tuneful contemplation Stabat Mater, and closes with the irreverent and rumbustious Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. An amazing line-up includes tenor Toby Spence, Proms star Louise Alder (pictured) and the sought-after baritone Simon Keenlyside. A lump in the throat and lots of laughter are guaranteed.
Read more ...Shostakovich, Copland and Prokofiev
Maverick clarinet virtuoso Martin Fröst makes a rare UK appearance, joining the BBC Symphony Orchestra under chief conductor Sakari Oramo (pictured) for Aaron Copland’s jazz-infused Clarinet Concerto – a perfect piece for the young clarinetist to hear. Two giant Russian works open and close this spectacular concert: Shostakovich’s bouncy Ninth Symphony and Prokofiev’s Sixth, a musical portrait of post-war ‘wounds that cannot be healed’
Read more ...Australian Chamber Orchestra London residency
One of the most exciting instrumental ensembles in the world takes up its London residency with three concerts. First, revel in an all-Mozart programme (22 Oct) played with exceptional verve by the Australian Chamber Orchestra under its founder Richard Tognetti. On Wednesday (24 Oct) CPE Bach (the 'London' Bach), Bartok and Beethoven are the featured composers, with the addition of the jokey Sufjan Stevens suite Run, Rabbit, Run. Tuesday (23 Oct) is devoted to an enthralling and beautiful documentary in music, Mountain (pictured).
Read more ...Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 5 with the LSO
A dramatic, all-Russian programme from the London Symphony Orchestra (pictured) under Philippe Jordan opens with Mussorgsky's thrilling Night on the Bare Mountain and Szymanowski’s impressionistic Violin Concerto No 2, soloist Nikolaj Znaider, a musical landscape based on Polish folk music. In the second half, Tchaikovsky’s ever-popular Symphony No 5 pulses with passion, melancholy and, overall, hope.
Read more ...Aurora Orchestra in 'Old Bones'
A sensational evening of contemporary and earlier music on the theme of Time features the world premiere of young US composer Nico Muhly's Old Bones, written for and performed by the leading British counter-tenor Iestyn Davies and inspired by the discovery of the remains of Richard II. Also on the programme: Dowland, Brahms, and Thomas Adès’ portrayal of the ‘25th hour’. In a free pre-concert talk, Nico Muhly (pictured) talks to BBC Radio 3’s Tom Service.
Read more ...Divine Geometry: Reich and Glass
Catch two UK premieres of works by today's most loved composers when minimal meets Baroque. Conductor Kristjan Järvi (pictured), the London Symphony Orchestra and pianist Simone Dinnerstein cover 350 years of music in one evening, tracing the roots of minimalism back to Handel and Bach, with UK premieres of slowly unfolding works by musical giants of the 21st century: Philip Glass's Piano Concerto No 3, and Steve Reich's Music for Ensemble and Orchestra, an LSO co-commission. Concerts don't come cooler than this one.
Read more ...Requiem, The Pity of War
The 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War is marked with a moving and thoughtful song recital at the Barbican, London, given by two international stars – the tenor Ian Bostridge and the pianist Sir Antonio Pappano, music director at the Royal Opera.
Read more ...Leonard Bernstein's 'Candide'
The great Bernstein centenary continues in style with this concert performance of his wry and melodic operetta Candide, based on the satirical book by Voltaire. An idealistic young man discovers that life is more complicated than he thought as he journeys through an eccentric world. Bernstein protegée Marin Alsop conducts the London Symphony Orchestra and an all-star cast. Unmissable.
Read more ...The Swingling Sixties
Vladimir Jurowski (pictured) conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra and premier vocal ensemble The Swingles in a programme that includes three short works by their 2018/19 featured composer, Stravinsky: his Variations, Threni and Tango. Also, Berio’s 60s-style Sinfonia, 50 years after its premiere by the Swingles. See and hear a piece of living musical history.
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