Name: Laura van der Heijden cello; Jâms Coleman piano
Start: 2024-12-02T13:00:00
Location: Wigmore Hall

This autumn and winter, London will resonate with the enchanting melodies of French music, highlighted by the remarkable works of Lili Boulanger. From the evocative Requiem by Gabriel Fauré at the Royal Albert Hall to the nostalgic songs at Wigmore Hall, immerse yourself in a series of concerts honoring the rich legacy of French composers.

A Celebration of Lili Boulanger and French Music Across London

London is set to resonate with the enchanting sounds of Claude Debussy this concert season. From the elegant interpretations by Javier Perianes and Saskia Giorgini at Wigmore Hall to the grand orchestral performances by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra, there's an event for every classical music enthusiast. Don't miss the chance to immerse yourself in Debussy's masterpieces, including 'Estampes', 'Danse Estampes', 'Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune', and many more.

Celebrate Debussy: A Musical Odyssey in London

London is set to enchant classical music lovers with a series of extraordinary concerts highlighting the works of Gabriel Fauré. From the BBC Symphony Orchestra's performance at the Royal Albert Hall to intimate recitals at Wigmore Hall and grand showcases at the Barbican Centre, this musical journey promises to celebrate Fauré's legacy in style. Highlights include Fauré's Requiem, Barcarolle, Nocturne No. 12 in E minor, and much more.

Celebrating Gabriel Fauré: A Musical Journey Through London's Iconic Venues

London's vibrant concert halls are set to host a series of captivating events this season, celebrating the immense contributions of Florence Price and other trailblazing women in music. From the Chineke! Orchestra's tribute at the Southbank Centre to Samantha Ege's piano recital at Milton Court Concert Hall, audiences will be treated to powerful performances that highlight underrepresented voices. Don't miss the London Philharmonic Orchestra's lively family concert, 'FUNharmonics: Stan and Mabel,' and the evocative duo of Laura van der Heijden and Jâms Coleman at Wigmore Hall. The season culminates with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's rendition of Price's Piano Concerto at the Royal Festival Hall.

Celebrating Phenomenal Women: Florence Price's Legacy in London Concerts

London is set to be the epicenter of musical brilliance with a series of captivating performances featuring the works of Erich Wolfgang Korngold. From Niamh O'Sullivan's avian-themed recital at Wigmore Hall to the orchestral magnificence of Bartók's Concerto at Royal Festival Hall, there’s something for every classical music aficionado. Don't miss James Ehnes and Orion Weiss's chamber music, Laura van der Heijden's nocturnal-themed programme, and the soaring beauty of Korngold’s Violin Concerto at Cadogan Hall.

Experience the Magic of Korngold in London: Unmissable Musical Events

Step into the world of music where contemporary meets classical at Wigmore Hall. From the intricate compositions of Daniel Kidane to the emotive strains of chamber music and the timeless allure of classical quartets, this series of performances promises to be a sensory feast. Featuring a remarkable lineup of artists, including the Leonore Piano Trio, the Manchester Camerata, and the Escher String Quartet, the event highlights an eclectic mix of compositions that bridge different genres and eras, offering audiences a rich tapestry of soundscapes. Join us as we explore these captivating performances.

A Melodic Journey at Wigmore Hall: Celebrating Contemporary and Classical Sounds

Laura Van Der Heijden

Jâms Coleman

Wigmore Hall

If these ratios don’t accommodate your family group, please contact the Box Office and we'll do our very best to ensure you can book the tickets you need.

Chamber Tots

Angela Hewitt, praised by the Guardian for the ‘wonderfully controlled expressive focus’ of her artistry, and members of the Dunedin Consort form an ideal partnership with an enchanting programme to match. The Canadian pianist, having given her first UK performance on fortepiano at Wigmore Hall in 2024, returns to the instrument for two contrasting concertos, the first an emotionally stormy work from the mid-1740s, the second being one of Mozart’s most intimate compositions for keyboard and ensemble.

Angela Hewitt fortepiano; Dunedin Consort

Wigmore Hall’s celebration of the life and works of György Kurtág opens with an exploration of the coruscating emotions and expressive intensity of the great Hungarian composer’s Kafka Fragments. Soprano Rebecca Hardwick, whose doctoral research surveys the work’s 40 ‘fragments’, discusses their cumulative power with Toby Young, Professor of Composition at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, ahead of her late-night performance on 18 September.

Rebecca Hardwick soprano; Toby Young speaker

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.

Ema Nikolovska mezzo-soprano; Jonathan Biss piano

Pavel Kolesnikov and Samson Tsoy’s duo debut album combined works by Schubert with the spellbinding Schubert-inspired Trompe-l’œil, which they commissioned from Ukrainian composer Leonid Desyatnikov for the 2023 Aldeburgh Festival and brought to Wigmore Hall soon after. They are joined by the acclaimed Ukrainian-born tenor Bogdan Volkov, Opernwelt’s Singer of the Year 2025, and cellist Adrian Brendel, in a programme that celebrates the creative vision of a composer feted not least for his opera The Children of Rosenthal, scintillating cinema scores and Dichterliebe und -leben, a cycle of songs to the absurdist author Daniil Kharms and avantgarde poet and playwright Nikolay Oleynikov.

Pavel Kolesnikov piano; Samson Tsoy piano; Bogdan Volkov tenor; Adrian Brendel cello

Kafka Fragments, completed 40 years ago, comprises aphoristic pieces built from the composer’s collection of fragments from the writings of Franz Kafka, with their haunting imagery and searching analysis of the human condition in the face of modernity. Rebecca Hardwick and Tamsin Waley-Cohen are sure to bring out the work’s visceral theatricality and quicksilver contrasts of mood.

Rebecca Hardwick soprano; Tamsin Waley-Cohen violin

Pierre-Laurent Aimard’s second ‘breath’ of Kurtág’s Játékok, fortified with the condensed energy of Beethoven’s Bagatelles, turns to pieces inspired by everything from close friends, memorable conversations and powerful visual imagery to God’s test of Abraham’s faith and Cain’s murder of his brother, Abel.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano

Described by their composer as ‘pedagogical performance pieces’, György Kurtág’s Játékok (Games) has evolved from its beginnings in 1973 as a response to the spontaneity of children playing piano to become one of the most important landmarks of contemporary classical music. Pierre-Laurent Aimard, described by the Guardian as ‘the perfect guide’ to the collection’s enigmatic, exquisitely beautiful miniatures, begins his day-long journey into the work’s myriad colours and moods with the first of three deep ‘breaths’. He is joined by his former student Lorenzo Soulès, winner of the 2022 Concours International de Piano d’Orléans.

Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano; Lorenzo Soulès piano

Reflections on the nature of time and its passing, often expressed in profoundly personal pieces written in memory of deceased friends or conceived as dialogues with the past, run through the most recent books of Kurtág’s Játékok. The anthology’s latest additions include compositions written for pianino, the ‘little piano’ famously used by Chopin to create some of his Préludes. Miniatures from Robert Schumann’s Bunte Blätter collection provide playful interludes in Pierre-Laurent Aimard’s third and final ‘breath’ of Kurtág.

Quatuor Agate’s biography tells the story of how its four players joined forces to prepare for a concert that was destined never to happen. The French string quartet, inspired by the rehearsal process, overcame that initial setback to make its debut a decade ago and progress to become one of the finest among today’s young chamber groups. It pairs Haydn’s tuneful Op. 20 No. 4 with the equally melodious second of Korngold’s string quartets, written shortly before he made his first visit to Hollywood in 1933.

Quatuor Agate

Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespers, first published in 1610, harnessed ancient and modern styles of sacred music to create a sublime setting of the Latin service of evening prayer. Using one voice per part and a company of ace period instrumentalists, Vox Luminis and Lionel Meunier direct their exceptional collective artistry and long experience of music from the early Baroque to the performance of one of western classical music’s richest achievements.

Vox Luminis; Lionel Meunier artistic director, bass

Grammy Award-winner Linda May Han Oh, known for her rhythmically complex, melodically enchanting music, has beguiled critics and audiences alike with her distinctive musical voice. The Malaysia-born, New York-based Australian bassist and composer returns to Wigmore Hall for a red-letter date with her regular duo partner and husband, the Cuban American artist Fabian Almazan, hailed by DownBeat for his ‘remarkable piano virtuosity’.

Linda May Han Oh jazz bass; Fabian Almazan piano

The title of this cello and piano duo programme has a distinctly nocturnal ambience in which sit larger pieces by Debussy and Britten.

Laura van der Heijden cello; Jâms Coleman piano

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