The Best Classical Music this Autumn

By Claudia Pritchard on 18/10/2018

The 10 must-hear concerts by London orchestras and visitors this autumn, featuring Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Mozart and more

Mitsuko Uchida and the London Philharmonic

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.

WHEN

Sat 29 Sept, 7:30PM

WHERE

Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, Lambeth, London SE1 8XX

'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.

WHEN

Wed 10 Oct, 7:30PM

WHERE

Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, Lambeth, London SE1 8XX

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’

WHEN

Wed 17 Oct, 7:30PM

WHERE

Barbican Hall, Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS

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).

WHEN

Mon 22 Oct, 7:30PM; Tues 23 Oct, 8PM; Wed 24 Oct, 7:30PM

WHERE

Milton Court, Silk St, London EC2Y 9BH

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.

WHEN

Thurs 25 Oct, 7:30PM

WHERE

Barbican Hall, Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS

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.

WHEN

Fri 23 Nov, 7:30PM

WHERE

Hall One, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG

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.

WHEN

Thurs 29 Nov, 7:30PM

WHERE

Barbican Hall, Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS

The tenor Ian Bostridge sings pieces reflecting on war, bravery and loss

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.

WHEN

Wed 5 Dec, 7:30 PM

WHERE

Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS

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.

WHEN

Sat 8 Dec, 3PM; Sun 9 Dec, 7:30PM

WHERE

Barbican Hall, Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS

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.

WHEN

Sat 8 Dec, 7:30PM

WHERE

Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, Lambeth, London SE1 8XX

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

'Life, Death and Shameless Excess'

Shostakovich, Copland and Prokofiev

Australian Chamber Orchestra London residency

Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 5 with the LSO

Aurora Orchestra in 'Old Bones'

Divine Geometry: Reich and Glass

Requiem, The Pity of War

Leonard Bernstein's 'Candide'

The Swingling Sixties

London Symphony Orchestra

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Aurora

Shostakovich

Mozart

Bernstein

Stravinsky

Philip Glass

Steve Reich

The Best Opera this Autumn

Zurich International Orchestra Series, Cadogan Hall

Royal Opera House Autumn Opera and Ballet

Barbican Classical Music 2018/19: sparkling symphonies and soloists

London Philharmonic Orchestra 2018/19

Bach's B Minor Mass, Southwark Cathedral