
In 2016, the hundredth anniversary of
Menuhin’s birth, it will be held in London. Over eleven days, the competition
will occur within the Royal College of Music’s Duke Hall in Marylebone, while
the grand finals and a set of gala concerts will galvanise the Royal Festival
Hall. The semi-finals and finals will be open to the public.
The series begins on April 7 at the RFH,
with four former competition winners each performing a piece of their choice.
After the Philharmonia open with Elgar’s Cockaigne
Overture, Tasmin Little will lead in Holst’s A Song of the Night before Jiafeng Chen takes a solo turn in a new
piece by British composer Roxanna Panufnik. 14-year old Rennosuke Fukada will
be soloist in Franz Waxman’s seldom-heard Carmen
Fantasie, before Ray Chen draws the night to a close leading Brahms’
magnificent Violin Concerto.
On April 9 at Duke’s Hall, Jeremy Menuhin
will join Dong-Suk Kang for an evening of his father’s favourite music. April
11 sees Fukada joined by 18-year old Kerson Leong for a virtuosic recital. Then
the semi-finals begin, on April 12 for Junior and April 13 for Senior. Both are
split between morning and afternoon sessions. On the evening of April 15,
Duke’s Hall hosts the Junior finals, while the Senior finals take place the
next night in the Royal Festival Hall. That morning, the RFH sees a murder
mystery themed family matinee with the Orpheus Sinfonia, joined by contestants
from the competition.
Proceedings draw to a close on April 17 with
a gala concert. The Philharmonia, conducted by Diego Matheuz, will be joined by
esteemed former winner Julia Fischer and both 2016 victors for a diverse night
of violin concerti, followed by Tchaikovsky’s dramatic Francesca da Rimini. This looks to be both a fitting celebration of
Menuhin’s legacy and an exciting year for the prestigious contest. All tickets
can be booked via the Southbank Centre website.
What | Menuhin Competition 2016, Royal Festival Hall |
Where | Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX | MAP |
Nearest tube | Waterloo (underground) |
When |
07 Apr 16 – 17 Apr 16, 12:00 AM |
Price | £Various |
Website | Click here to book via the Southbank Centre |