Menuhin Competition 2016, Royal Festival Hall

Legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin was not merely a great player. He was also a committed philanthropist, with a particular interest in training and celebrating young musicians. Founded in 1983, the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition has become one of the world’s most important. Reserved only for those under the age of 22, it sees a jury award Junior and Senior prizes to some forty-five competitions. Previous prizewinners include Nikolaj Znaider, Alina Ibragimova and Julia Fischer.

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.