Name: Ema Nikolovska mezzo-soprano; Jonathan Biss piano
Start: 2026-09-17T19:30:00
Location: Wigmore Hall

Jonathan Biss

Ema Nikolovska

Wigmore Hall

Musical modernism in the 20th Century, contrary to views expressed by conservative critics, came in an arresting diversity of styles, as Hugo Ticciati and Pierre-Laurent Aimard confirm with their choice of recital repertoire. Messiaen’s yearning Theme and Variations raises the curtain on the rhapsodic intensity of Schoenberg’s last instrumental work and Janáček’s impassioned Sonata, before the programme turns to music by three gloriously individual American moderns.

Hugo Ticciati violin; Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano

Musician and broadcaster Jess Gillam has worked wonders to break down the barriers that so often prevent people from exploring unfamiliar music. Her recital crosses genres and centuries with ease to create a delectable lunchtime menu, complete with Nadia Boulanger’s gorgeous Cantique, the fizzing energy of Graham Fitkin’s Gate and the seductive charm of Sidney Bechet’s enduring hit Petite Fleur.

Jess Gillam saxophone; Sam Becker double bass; Zeynep Özsuca piano

Roman Borisov was First Prize-winner at both the Krainev Youth Competition 2019 and the Kissinger KlavierOlymp 2022. Now a seasoned concert performer living in Berlin, the young pianist presents a Wigmore Hall programme which includes a selection of Preludes from the 'ultramodernist' American composer and musicologist Ruth Crawford Seeger.

Roman Borisov

We are delighted to provide those who give at Benefactor Friends level and above the opportunity to attend two open rehearsals per season as selected by the Director. This open rehearsal allows an audience to see Lea Desandre, Thomas Dunford & the Jupiter Ensemble live in action as they prepare for their recital later that evening.

Members' Open Rehearsal: Lea Desandre, Thomas Dunford & the Jupiter Ensemble

Thomas Dunford’s Jupiter Ensemble and French-Italian soprano Lea Desandre step into the thick of Handel’s oratorios and other works for London to embrace some of the composer’s most expressive arias, none more affecting than 'With darkness deep, as is my woe' from Theodora and the sublime 'Guardian angels, oh, protect me', a ravishing number from the 1757 version of The Triumph of Time and Truth. They conclude with the vocal pyrotechnics of 'No, no! I'll take no less', the mortal Semele’s command to the god Jupiter!

Lea Desandre mezzo-soprano; Thomas Dunford director, lute; Jupiter Ensemble

Alina Ibragimova and Cédric Tiberghien complete their multi-season survey of Beethoven’s violin sonatas with three contrasting works. They set the high spirits of Op. 30 No. 3 ahead of the composer’s last essay in the genre. ‘Interpreters must be able to dream, to enthuse,’ noted the great violinist Carl Flesch about Beethoven’s Op. 96. ‘The flower must blossom in their souls.’ The same could be said for the ‘Kreutzer’ Sonata, with its heroic writing for both instruments.

Alina Ibragimova violin; Cédric Tiberghien fortepiano

Join musicians from the Royal Academy of Music for a concert experience created especially for parents or carers and babies under 1. Enjoy live music together in an interactive and welcoming environment – move and groove to the music or sit back and unwind. Parents-to-be are also warmly welcomed.

For Crying Out Loud!

Songs old and new occupy Andrè Schuen and Daniel Heide. They turn the clock back to the world of ancient Greek myth, as so vividly imagined by Schubert, and show its eternal relevance. The baritone from the South Tyrol, commended by Gramophone as the owner of a ‘free-ranging voice, used with taste and invariable sensitivity to the text’, is joined by his regular duo partner in Unerzählt, Thomas Larcher’s intimate cycle of songs to poetry by the great German writer WG Sebald.

Andrè Schuen baritone; Daniel Heide piano

An evening of orchestral music by South African composers highlighting Shane Woodborne’s Red Ink concerto for double bass and string orchestra (2019). Commissioned by the Matseer Diabelli Sommer festival Red Ink is dedicated to the bassist Leon Bosch and serves as a musical memorial to the Soweto Uprising of 1976 in South Africa, an event that marked a turning point in the fight against apartheid but which came at a devastating human cost.

The African Concert Series

The South African pianist and composer Nduduzo Makhathini has earned widespread acclaim for the genuinely spiritual transcendence of his music. A Zulu healer and educator, Makhathini has delved deeply into the histories and traditions of his ancestors' music. Born in the lush hills of uMgungundlovu, South Africa, Nduduzo Makhathini grew up in an environment where music and ritual were deeply intertwined. This region, historically significant as the site of Zulu King Dingane’s kingdom, profoundly influenced Makhathini’s musical vision. He was drawn to the powerful role of music in the Zulu warrior code for motivation and healing, shaping his unique sound.

The African Concert Series: Nduduzo Makhathini

A relaxed and interactive drum workshop with acclaimed percussionist Richard Olatunde Baker, an experienced workshop leader specialising in African percussion and the Yoruba talking drum. This free workshop is suitable for anyone aged 7+. Spaces are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

The African Concert Series: African Rhythms Drum Workshop

Mandela Tales is a production by composer Shirley J Thompson, inspired by the book Nelson Mandela's Favourite African Folktales (WW Norton & Company, 2002) with music by Thompson, designed to appeal to families and young people.

From supernatural imagery and unsettling feelings of desire to the hope in darkness of Blondel zu Marien and the deathbed scene of Abschied von der Erde, Ema Nikolovska’s recital probes a nocturnal world of shadows and complex emotions. The mezzo-soprano, an alumna of Deutsche Oper Berlin’s renowned Opera Studio, is joined by Jonathan Biss, ‘a natural musical poet’, according to Gramophone.