Name: Sunday Afternoon Song
Start: 2024-09-15T15:00:00
Location: Wigmore Hall

London is set to become a hub of musical brilliance this season, featuring the works of Camille Saint-Saëns. From the grand finale of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall to the melodic tales at Wigmore Hall, and the majestic orchestrations at the Barbican Centre, this is an event series that promises to enthrall. Join us as we dive into a symphony of concerts celebrating the timeless genius of Saint-Saëns and his contemporaries.

Camille Saint-Saëns in London: A Musical Extravaganza Across Iconic Venues

London is set to vibrate with the musical genius of Arnold Schoenberg as the city celebrates his 150th birthday with a series of breathtaking concerts. From the enchanting performances at Wigmore Hall to the powerful renditions at Royal Albert Hall and Southbank Centre, this celebration promises an unforgettable journey through classical masterpieces. Highlights include the HarrisonParrott Foundation's homage, the BBC Symphony Orchestra's Shostakovich 5, and the riveting 'A Dark Century' at Royal Festival Hall.

London Celebrates Arnold Schoenberg's 150th Birthday with Exquisite Concerts

This fall and winter, London's musical scene is set to dazzle with a series of captivating events celebrating the genius of Kurt Weill. From the charismatic tenor at Wigmore Hall on September 15th to the festive magic of 'The Rat Pack at Christmas' at Cadogan Hall, music lovers have much to look forward to. Don't miss the grand finale with Shostakovich’s ‘Leningrad’ Symphony at the Royal Festival Hall in April, featuring Weill's stirring 'Four Walt Whitman Songs'.

Celebrate Kurt Weill in London: An Extravaganza of Song and Symphony

Get ready, London! Wigmore Hall is set to host a series of captivating events celebrating the genius of Hugo Wolf. From tenor performances and literary launches to avian-themed recitals and contemplative evenings, there's something for every classical music enthusiast. Mark your calendars and immerse yourself in the vibrant world of Hugo Wolf's compositions this fall.

Experience the Magic of Hugo Wolf: Upcoming Events at Wigmore Hall, London

Laurence Kilsby

Ella O'Neill

Wigmore Hall

Musik für 3 Streicher, a product of the composer’s mid-20s, sets out to encompass the span of human emotions and experience. Ilya Gringolts, Lawrence Power and Nicolas Altstaedt begin their expedition through the string trio repertoire with two movements from Wolfgang Rihm’s monumental work. Their programme also includes the remarkable Ricercari by Roman Haubenatock-Ramati, who escaped Nazi and Stalinist persecution to join General Anders’s Polish Army and survived the Second World War to become editor of new music for Universal Edition in Vienna.

Ilya Gringolts violin; Lawrence Power viola; Nicolas Altstaedt cello

Johannes Moser, known for performances seasoned by his capacious imagination and poetic artistry, is joined by his regular duo partner Andrei Korobeinikov in a programme hallmarked by two fascinating pairings of works. Nadia Boulanger’s 3 pieces, composed in 1914, provide a playful introduction to the five contrasting movements of the Cello Sonata Britten wrote for Mstislav Rostropovich in 1961, while Rachaminov’s Vocalise makes a charming companion to the cello version of César Franck’s weighty Violin Sonata.

Johannes Moser cello; Andrei Korobeinikov piano

Rediscovered and published posthumously in 2007, Messiaen’s early Fantaisie sets the mood for Carolin Widmann’s uplifting recital with her long-term duo partner Alexander Lonquich. The German violinist, praised by BBC Music Magazine for her ‘beguiling subtlety of phrasing, tonal colour and dynamic shading’, continues with three different approaches to the sonata genre, each distinguished by their bold ideas and abundance of melodic invention.

Carolin Widmann violin; Alexander Lonquich piano

Konstantin Krimmel baritone; Ammiel Bushakevitz piano

Nadine Sierra, hailed by the Guardian for her ‘vocally breathtaking’, ‘sensationally good’ Lucia at the Royal Opera House in 2024, opens Wigmore Hall’s Season with a delightful musical voyage that begins in the dazzling world of Belle Époque Paris, where seductive melodies enchanted opera and salon audiences alike. The American lyric coloratura soprano then turns her captivating blend of vocal beauty and agility, musical artistry and charismatic stage presence to works infused with Latin passion and soul.

Nadine Sierra soprano; Bryan Wagorn piano

During the Renaissance musical composition flourished, but it was a time of great change, fuelled by religious division. This programme traces music written by some of the English Renaissance masters over a period of 200 years, encompassing florid medieval-sounding pieces by Pygott and Cornysh, intricately woven polyphonic works by Tallis and Byrd, and the beautiful simplicity of Mundy and Tomkins.

The Gesualdo Six

Johann Sebastian Bach’s timeless art, Beethoven’s readiness to demolish the boundaries of convention and the young Schubert’s debt to Beethoven provide the threads that bind Víkingur Ólafsson’s compelling programme. The superstar Icelandic pianist follows his spellbinding performances of Bach’s Goldberg Variations at Wigmore Hall in 2025, acclaimed by The Times as ‘breathtaking’ in its five-star review, with works charged with the power to beguile and, in the case of Bach’s Partita and Beethoven’s Op. 109, shock with their sheer audacity and inventive brilliance.

Víkingur Ólafsson piano

Jean-Guihen Queyras has formed a profound relationship with Bach’s towering masterwork for his instrument over many years and recorded the composer’s complete Cello Suites twice. Countless subtle details, an exquisitely fine expression of shifting emotions and a sense of effortless flow run through the French cellist’s entrancing interpretations of all six suites.

Jean-Guihen Queyras cello

Hailed by BBC Music Magazine as ‘one of the most brilliant ensembles on the early music stage today’, il Pomo d’Oro brings incendiary energy and electrifying verve to the historically informed performance of music from the Baroque and Classical periods. Named for Antonio Cesti’s eponymous opera, the period-instrument and vocal ensemble often works under the direction of its chief conductor, Maxim Emelyanychev, or its leader, Zefira Valova, to bring fresh life to everything from Handel’s operas and oratorios to the symphonies of Mozart.

il Pomo d’Oro; il Pomo d’Oro Choir

Friendship and common bonds of artistic curiosity and empathy unite the outstandingly fine players of Trio Zadig. The Paris-based ensemble, who recently received a coveted five-star review from Diapason magazine for its Mendelssohn Legacy album, opens with an impassioned miniature by Lili Boulanger before traversing two mighty four-movement works from the 1840s, Robert Schumann’s intensely romantic Piano Trio No. 1 and Felix Mendelssohn’s dramatic Piano Trio in C minor.

Trio Zadig

Allan Clayton and Paul Lewis marked Schubert’s birthday last season at Wigmore Hall with a performance of Winterreise deeply rooted in the work’s penetrating study of the human psyche. They turn to another great landmark of Lieder in the form of the composer’s Die schöne Müllerin, 20 songs that chart a lover’s journey from boundless hope to crushing despair.

Allan Clayton tenor; Paul Lewis piano

Tchaikovsky and Mahler, though possibly divided by cultures or language, revered and championed each other in life. Their music, unafraid to release potent feelings or ask our biggest spiritual questions, still unites us all across borders, political conflicts and war in reminding us of our souls’ shared fragility and humanity.

Alice Coote mezzo-soprano; Sergey Rybin piano

The rising star tenor won first prize at the 2022 Wigmore Hall/Bollinger International Song Competition and was shortlisted in the Young Singer category at the 2023 International Opera Awards.

Sunday Afternoon Song

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