Natalie Dessay, Barbican Hall

It takes a lot of courage to quit while you are ahead. As a star of opera, Natalie Dessay shone brighter than most. Her starring role in Bellini’s La sonnambula even saw her compared to Joan Sutherland. It was remarkable, then, when she forsook the stage in 2013, claiming in Le Figaro that “ce n'est pas moi qui arrête l'opéra, c'est l'opéra qui m'arrête" - "I did not quit opera, opera quit me."

In the year since, Dessay has devoted her time both to acting and to performing as a solo chansonnier. And this October, she will be bringing her radiant coluratura voice to the Barbican Hall, for an evening of French and German song. Dessay has long been regarded as one of the lightest, tender-toned sopranos at work today, effortlessly able to add soaring emotion to all manner of material. This could well be a highlight of the Barbican’s entire 2015/16 season.

The recital will begin with eight lieder from Schubert and five from Mendelssohn, both acknowledged masters of the genre. Then, Dessay will return to the music of her native France, with six mélodies from Henri Duparc, pieces by Faure and Bizet, and a handful of French-language Liszt songs. At the recital’s heart stand four further melodies, all set by the aforementioned composers, based on the poems of Victor Hugo. Don't miss this rare chance to catch Dessay in London - who knows, before long she might have retired from the concert hall too.