Name: Claire Booth soprano; Jâms Coleman piano
Start: 2024-11-29T13:00:00
Location: Wigmore Hall

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

London's vibrant classical music scene is set to shine with a series of enthralling concerts featuring the works of Francis Poulenc. From the majestic Barbican Centre to the intimate Wigmore Hall, audiences can indulge in performances ranging from choral masterpieces to exquisite chamber music. Highlights include the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra & Chorus under Ludovic Morlot's direction, Malin Byström's soprano brilliance, and Quatuor Van Kuijk's string quartet renditions, all paying homage to Poulenc's timeless compositions.

Celebrating Poulenc: London Hosts a Series of Mesmerizing Concerts

London is set to come alive with the timeless melodies of George Gershwin and other American classics! The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will sweep you off your feet with 'American Classics' at the Royal Albert Hall, featuring Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris on September 25, 2024. Then, join Claire Booth and Jâms Coleman at Wigmore Hall on November 29 for a delightful cabaret program. As the holidays approach, don’t miss 'Christmas Swing: Gershwin, Bernstein, and Tchaikovsky' at the Barbican Centre on December 18 and 19, conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano. And mark your calendars for May 5, 2025, when the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Holst, Gershwin, and Martin at the Barbican.

Celebrate Gershwin in London: From American Classics to Christmas Swing

Get ready for a musical feast in London! From Sir Simon Rattle's debut at the Proms with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra to Sean Shibe's enchanting guitar performances, and Lawrence Power's fairy-tale dances with Thomas Adès, London's upcoming events are set to mesmerize. Don't miss the atmospheric journey from Antarctica to the Arctic with the City of London Sinfonia, and the captivating piano recitals and cabaret-style performances at Wigmore Hall. Each event features the innovative works of Thomas Adès, making this a must-attend series for classical music aficionados.

Musical Masterpieces in London: Thomas Adès and Collaborators Shine

Claire Booth

Jâms Coleman

Wigmore Hall

JANE S is a London-based singer-songwriter and producer originally from Paris. She experiments with sounds and textures to create an eclectic blend of neo-soul, jazz, electronic, classical and alternative pop. In 2024, she released 'Around Us' and 'Vibing With You', and her debut EP, coming in 2026, will delve deeper into this conceptual world. On stage, her energy is magnetic and highly contagious. Get ready to embark on a journey!

Jane S

Charles Wood, who died 100 years ago at the age of 60, is best known for his Anglican choral music and as the man who taught, among others, Howells and Vaughan Williams. The Bridge String Quartet, ardent champion of composers from the British Isles, celebrates the Armagh-born musician’s centenary with three fine chamber works, including the radiant String Quartet in D and Variations on an Irish Folk Tune, a blend of Brahmsian ingenuity and eloquence.

The Bridge String Quartet

Few can match the dazzling brilliance and zen-like focus that Boris Giltburg brings to every performance. His latest Wigmore Hall recital would command attention for no other reason than its inclusion of Liszt’s Sonata in B minor, a titanic monument of Romantic music. Yet the Moscow-born Israeli pianist places Liszt’s single-movement masterwork in company with a succession of musically powerful, technically-demanding compositions, crowned by Gaspard de la nuit, Ravel’s mesmerising suite of character pieces.

Boris Giltburg piano

Ilumina fully lives up to the meaning of its name, which comes from the Portuguese verb ‘to illuminate’ or ‘to enlighten’. Founded in 2015 by violist Jennifer Stumm to offer world-class training and opportunities to talented musicians from disadvantaged backgrounds, the ensemble travels far from its home on an organic coffee farm near Sao Paolo, Brazil to reach the world’s leading concert halls. Only a poet could do justice to the combustible energy, collective commitment and life-enhancing artistry cultivated by Ilumina’s amazing players.

Ilumina

The Heath Quartet, formed at the Royal Northern College of Music in 2002, has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with Wigmore Hall and built a devoted following thanks to performances that make creative sparks fly. Its latest programme takes wing with Britten’s 3 Divertimenti, conceived in 1936 as part of Go play, boy, play, a projected suite of character portraits depicting old school chums, and flourishes in two contrasting quartets by Mozart and Robert Schumann.

Heath Quartet

Led by Michael Collins, Wigmore Hall Soloists brings together some of the world’s finest musicians to form a unique, flexible chamber ensemble. Its latest concert unites two masterworks for wind and string ensemble. Beethoven’s carefree Septet became an international hit during his lifetime, while Schubert’s Octet was brought to life by many of the musicians who gave the Septet’s first performance.

Wigmore Soloists

Virtuoso cellist Nicolas Altstaedt and the Jupiter Ensemble bring Vivaldi’s brilliance to life in a programme of concertos, overtures and chamber gems. From the Concerto for 2 Cellos RV531, with Bruno Philippe, to the elegance of the L’Olimpiade overture and the shimmering lute concerto, this is Baroque vitality at its most exhilarating.

Nicolas Altstaedt cello; Bruno Philippe cello; Thomas Dunford artistic director, lute; Jupiter Ensemble

Austrian composer Ignace Pleyel, who studied with Haydn, found lasting fame as a pioneer of piano building. His Paris-based company continued producing fine instruments after his death in 1831, influencing the development of piano works by, among others, Chopin and Debussy. Finghin Collins, inspired to pay homage to Pleyel after playing on a rebuilt Pleyel 280 concert grand piano dating from 1937, includes beautiful miniatures by the Franco-Irish composer Joseph O’Kelly and Georges Pfeiffer, both partners in the Pleyel firm.

Finghin Collins piano

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

Two versatile artists come together for a cabaret programme, presenting the lighter side of song from various traditions.

Claire Booth soprano; Jâms Coleman piano

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