Name: Tenebrae
Start: 2024-12-04T19:30:00
Location: Wigmore Hall

This December, London’s Wigmore Hall will be resonating with the enchanting sounds of Michael Praetorius' festive compositions. Kickstart the season with Tenebrae’s diverse selection of carols on December 4th. Arcangelo, led by Jonathan Cohen, will mesmerize with early German Baroque pieces on December 15th. Finally, The Gesualdo Six will wrap up the festive celebration on December 20th with a blend of ancient and modern works marking Epiphany.

Celebrate Christmas in London with Michael Praetorius' Timeless Works

Join us in London for a series of captivating musical events featuring the works of Gustav Holst. From the London Symphony Orchestra’s cosmic journey through The Planets to enchanting Christmas carols at Wigmore Hall, this season promises unforgettable experiences. Highlights include Sir Antonio Pappano's debut with the LSO, Elgar’s Violin Concerto performed by Vilde Frang, and festive celebrations with Tenebrae and the Southbank Sinfonia. Don't miss out on these exceptional performances at iconic venues like the Barbican Centre, Smith Square Hall, and more.

Musical Masterpieces in London: Celebrating Gustav Holst and More

London's Wigmore Hall is set to host a series of captivating events showcasing the exceptional works of renowned composer Bob Chilcott. Featuring performances by Fretwork and Tenebrae, ORA Singers, The Gesualdo Six, and The King's Singers, these events promise to immerse audiences in dreams, Shakespearean echoes, festive carols, and more. Join us as we traverse through an array of musical landscapes, all under the masterful composition of Bob Chilcott.

Celebrate the Season with Bob Chilcott at Wigmore Hall, London

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

In the run up to Christmas, Wigmore Hall welcomes groups of various kinds, specialists in various repertoires, all intent upon celebrating the festive season in style. Tenebrae launches the season with a wide selection of carols for all tastes.

Tenebrae

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