Christmas is a time for tradition. Together with a romp through the exuberant final chorus of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, the Connaughts savour seasonal Tchaikovsky, while an Advent carol wraps itself around wistful Nina Simone. But there’s room for innovation too. And as well as a 150th anniversary nod to planetary Holst, there’s Terry Johns’ piano-gilded meditation inspired by the stained glass of Eduardo Paolozzi triptych in St Giles’ Cathedral Edinburgh.

Christmas with Connaught Brass

Milton Court Concert Hall

Louise Farrenc’s Nonet raised its composer to celebrity status, propelled by the ovations with which the four-movement work was received at its première in 1850. Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective, described by Strings Magazine as being like ‘A big, glorious house party with a long and fabulous guest list’, brings the French composer’s sonorous score to life alongside Mozart’s Quintet in E flat, with its beguiling blend of instrumental sonorities and dazzling array of themes.

EPSG:4326

Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective

Wigmore Hall

Alex Ho’s distinctive musical voice, like that of Gustav Mahler, is open to a great diversity of influences and ideas. Ho’s art offers a bridge between East and West, narrowing the gap that all too often divides by speaking to universal concerns and shared human experiences. His latest chamber composition, created for Wigmore Hall’s Composer Focus Day, is prefaced by the all-encompassing song cycle, Das Lied von der Erde, performed in Mahler’s version for two solo voices and piano.

Fleur Barron mezzo-soprano; Shengzhi Ren tenor; Tom Poster piano; Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective

Wigmore Hall’s Britten commemoration turns to three works that encompass his profound understanding of the singing voice and phenomenal ability to draw out the maximum colour and expression from the poetic texts he chose to set. Britten conducted the world première of his Serenade for tenor, horn and strings at Wigmore Hall in 1943, while Les Illuminations received its first complete performance here three years earlier. O/Modernt’s programme also includes Phaedra, Britten’s final vocal work, and the UK première of Nico Muhly’s meditation on the music of John Sheppard and William Byrd.

Annemarie Federle

Events

Upcoming events

Nov 8, 2026

Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective · Wigmore Hall

Nov 21, 2026

Fleur Barron mezzo-soprano; Shengzhi Ren tenor; Tom Poster piano; Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective · Wigmore Hall

Dec 3, 2026

O/Modernt Chamber Orchestra; Hugo Ticciati violin, director; Cyrille Dubois tenor; Ema Nikolovska mezzo-soprano; Annemarie Federle horn · Wigmore Hall

Past events

Dec 8, 2024

Christmas with Connaught Brass · Barbican Centre

Future and recently performed repertoire

Horn in Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings by Britten

Wigmore Hall

Horn in Das Lied von der Erde by Mahler

Wigmore Hall

Horn in Quintet for Piano and Winds by Mozart

Wigmore Hall

Horn in Nonet by Farrenc

Wigmore Hall

About

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