Music from the court of Versailles begins and ends this sparkling exploration of the baroque. Jonathan Cohen leads a slimmed-down BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and shows just how flexible this group of players can be, as they weave their way through a selection of dances, fugues and concertos.

EPSG:4326

Music of the Sun King

RNCM (Royal Northern College of Music)

Tonight, our string section takes centre stage. Written in 1939 as Europe teetered on the brink of war, Bartók’s Divertimento fuses Hungarian folk-rhythms with his signature spiky harmonies and driving momentum. This is furiously virtuosic music; technically demanding and intense, pulsing with energy.

Serenade for Strings

Arvo Pärt’s cult concerto for two violins, Tabula rasa, redefines sound, silence and the relationship between them, while Gavin Higgins’ Rough Voices responds to the pandemic with a musical protest, giving voice to the most vulnerable.

Britten Sinfonia At Summer At Snape

Snape Maltings

Britten Sinfonia At Bbc Proms In Bristol

Bristol Beacon

For this opening concert an all-star selection of players pair two groundbreaking pieces of chamber music. Mozart’s beloved quintet was written for the newly-invented clarinet, which captured the composer’s imagination with its unusual ability to mimic the human voice. Thirty-five years later, a 16-year-old Mendelssohn pioneered a new ‘symphony-like’ genre with his virtuosic string octet. Opening this year’s 80th anniversary Festival will be a new commission by Deborah Pritchard, winner of the British Composer Award, who has been hailed by Gramophone for her music which "will take your breath away".

Britten Sinfonia At Cheltenham Music Festival

Pittville Pump Room

Members of the Abbey Choir, soprano Ailish Tynan and mezzo soprano Katie Coventry sing the solo parts in this glorious missa solemnis.

Mozart Mass At Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey

Cursed by the goddess Hera, Echo may only repeat the last words spoken to her. Narcissus, a self-obsessed beautiful young man, rejects Echo and leaves her to waste away, setting the scene Bjarnason’s I Want to be Alive: Echo / Narcissus, an emotionally charged, cinematic reflection of echoing motifs and immersive story telling.

Brahms: Double Concerto

MediaCityUK

Britten's Young Apollo and Les Illuminations were written in Canada and America. Here, his setting of Rimbaud’s surrealist poetry is sung by acclaimed UK soprano, Elizabeth Watts. We also hear the sound of 1940s America in the works of Britten’s “very dear friend” and mentor in his bohemian New York circle, Aaron Copland.

Britten In America With Elizabeth Watts And Oleg Shebeta-dragan

The Halls

arc Shopping Centre

Kings Place

The soap opera of Greek gods, heroes and heroines has been a rich source of inspiration for writers, painters and musicians for centuries. In this concert we hear tales of men and women behaving very badly indeed, set to extraordinary music.

Zoë Beyers

Events

Upcoming events

16 - 20 May, 2026

Britten In America With Elizabeth Watts And Oleg Shebeta-dragan · Britten Sinfonia

Jun 18, 2026

Aldeburgh Festival Ii: Phaedra · Britten Sinfonia

Past events

Jan 30, 2026

Music of the Sun King · BBC Philharmonic

Dec 5, 2025

Serenade for Strings · BBC Philharmonic

Future and recently performed repertoire

Violin in Serenade for Strings by Elgar

Britten Sinfonia

Violin in Clarinet Quintet by Mozart

Britten Sinfonia

Violin in Double Concerto by Brahms

BBC Philharmonic

Violin in Concerto for Violin and Oboe in C minor by Bach

BBC Philharmonic

Violin in String Octet in E flat Major by Mendelssohn

Britten Sinfonia

About

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