Name: Schumann’s Piano Concerto
Start: 2025-05-22T19:00:00
Location: Southbank Centre

London is set to host a series of extraordinary events celebrating Robert Schumann, featuring performances at iconic venues like Wigmore Hall, Southbank Centre, and Barbican Centre. With tenors, pianists, and orchestras, these concerts will showcase Schumann's masterpieces, from the romantic Kerner Lieder Op. 35 to the imaginative Fantasiestücke and the lyrical Piano Concerto, alongside other classical gems. Join us for a journey through Schumann's musical brilliance.

Experience the Magic of Schumann Across London: A Series of Unforgettable Concerts

London is set to host a spectacular series of concert events that celebrate the genius of Felix Mendelssohn. From the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s dramatic interpretation of his ‘Scottish’ Symphony to an array of performances at the iconic Wigmore Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Barbican Centre, and Southbank Centre, audiences will be treated to a rich tapestry of Romantic-era masterpieces. Join renowned musicians like Curtis Phill Hsu, Julia Kleiter, Daniel Barenboim, Francesca Dego, and the London Symphony Orchestra as they bring Mendelssohn's works to life amidst the historic and vibrant backdrop of London.

Celebrating Mendelssohn in London: A Series of Unforgettable Concerts

Step into a world where classical melodies and innovative narratives collide, as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment presents a series of riveting events. From the enduring legacy of Baroque tunes permeating our modern-day soundscape, to Beethoven's struggle against personal and political tempests, and the unveiling of hidden melodies in Elgar's Enigma Variations, these events promise a rich tapestry of history, emotion, and creativity. Join us as we explore these timeless compositions and the profound stories they unfold.

Classical Revelations: An Enlightened Journey Through Time with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Experience the magic of classical music as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment brings to life masterpieces from Beethoven to Mendelssohn. With captivating performances by violinist Vilde Frang and pianist Sir András Schiff, and the debut of new works by contemporary composers, these events offer a fresh perspective on timeless classics. From Beethoven's heroic narratives to Schumann's romantic concertos, each event promises a unique exploration of music's rich history, making it a must-attend for classical music enthusiasts.

A Journey through Time with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Experience an immersive journey through the realms of classical music as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment showcases a mesmerizing array of performances. With concerts featuring Beethoven’s powerful compositions, explorations of under-represented women composers, and the enchanting sounds of Schumann and Elgar, these events promise to captivate audiences with their rich tapestry of history, emotion, and innovation. Renowned artists like Vilde Frang and Sir András Schiff join this cultural celebration, bringing to life iconic works in extraordinary ways.

A Symphony of Enlightenment: Celebrating Classical Music's Evolving Legacy

Embark on an orchestral journey with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Antwerp Symphony Orchestra as they bring to life a series of captivating performances. From Beethoven's revolutionary compositions to the underrepresented voices of female composers, every event promises a unique blend of history and innovation. Immerse yourself in performances featuring renowned talents like Vilde Frang and Sir András Schiff, and witness how classical music continues to evolve and inspire.

Orchestral Odyssey: Breathing New Life into Classics and Untold Narratives

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is set to captivate music lovers with a series of concerts at the Southbank Centre in London. From Bach's 'St Matthew Passion' to Schumann's romantic Piano Concerto performed by the legendary Sir András Schiff, and Elgar's intriguing 'Enigma Variations', audiences will be treated to a remarkable journey through musical masterpieces. With each event offering unique narratives and artistic excellence, these performances promise to leave a lasting impression.

A Symphony of Stories: Exploring the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Events

Sir András Schiff

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

The sentiments expressed in the soprano’s opening aria – “Prepare the paths… Messiah approaches!”- will be quite familiar to British audiences in the Christmas period as it draws from the same biblical passage as the opening numbers of Handel’s Messiah. Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn! is a beautifully reflective piece designed to ready the faithful for the seasonal celebrations.

Bach, the Universe & Everything: December 2025

Kings Place

Children between the ages of two and five sit up close to orchestral musicians and take part with their grown-ups – it’s even better than pizza!

OAE TOTS at the Royal Festival Hall

Southbank Centre

The cantata was composed in 1725 in Leipzig for the third Sunday after Advent. The chorale upon which it is based is a hymn dating back to pre-Reformation days and is woven into pieces by several composers Bach admired including Lassus and Schutz. Its distinctive melodic shape and harmony elicit great energy in Bach’s writing whilst its central duet for alto and tenor depict two souls drawing close to heaven.

Bach, the Universe & Everything: January 2026

It is no understatement to say that Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto is one of those pieces that changed the history of music. 21st Century audiences are so familiar with the sound of the clarinet – it is inextricably linked with smooth romantic melodies or the iconic opening of Rhapsody in Blue – but when Mozart unveiled the piece its sound would have shocked audiences. This performance aims to recapture that sense of wonder and delight.

Mozart’s World: A Little Night Music

The Fifth Symphony picks up where the Eroica (No. 3) ends, in both psychological and musical senses. Dark-toned, potent and radical, this is Beethoven the warrior putting on the armour of C minor to, as he writes to his brothers, “seize fate by the throat; it shall certainly not bend and crush me completely”. The indefatigable opening motif provides a crucible for an unprecedented unity of invention throughout. The Fifth was not finished until 1808 and by 1806 he had brought out what became the Fourth Symphony. Here we meet the Beethoven who was capable of so much lightness, intoxicated perhaps with the possibility of love.

It Shall Certainly Not Bend and Crush Me Completely

The unspecified occasion may have been a wedding as the chorale upon which it is based was a well-known wedding song in the city. The result is a work in which Bach challenges his singers and instrumentalists: the opening fantasia is followed unusually by no less than four arias (and no recitatives) for the quartet of vocal soloists with impressive solos for flute and oboe d’amore.

Bach, the Universe & Everything: February 2026

The exact purpose for composing the trio of symphonies, like so much with Mozart, remains something of a mystery. One theory is that he intended them to be new-style ‘Grand Symphonies’ as the centrepieces for concerts he was planning for Frankfurt (in 1790) and Vienna (1791). They are certainly grand in tone and scale for the time, undoubtedly placing Mozart alongside Haydn as a master of the symphonic form, and setting a new standard that paves the way for composers such as Beethoven in the following decades. Collectively, these works reflect an invincible spirit and optimistic drive that inspired Mozart to continue creating brilliant music, despite the gloomy personal circumstances he faced.

Mozart’s World: The Last Symphonies

Emily Akkermans, Curator of Time at Royal Museums Greenwich (including the Royal Observatory), introduces us to the life and work of John Harrison. In the week that marks the 250th anniversary of his death on 24 March 1776, we will get an insight into the story of Harrison’s remarkable quest over several decades to solve the problem of telling the time at sea, considered the most important scientific challenge of the 18th Century.

Bach, the Universe & Everything: March 2026

The St John Passion is the earlier of Bach’s two surviving settings – although not necessarily his first work in the genre. A more intimate work than the St Matthew Passion, it distils Jesus suffering and sacrifice into a more direct narrative. In part this comes from the distinctive nature of the Gospel of John, with its deep-seated spiritual purity. The church authorities in Leipzig insisted that the Passion story and Jesus’ words could only be told according to the biblical text, but Bach pulls off a clever gambit by interpolating the gospel into a compilation of popular contemporary librettos, such as that by Barthold Heinrich Brockes that Handel and Telemann had set in the previous decade.

St John Passion

During his visits to London between 1791 and 1795, Haydn found himself greatly inspired by the numerous performances of Handel’s works he attended. He was particularly moved by the grandeur of Messiah and Israel in Egypt which sparked his desire to create an oratorio of his own. Before Haydn returned to Vienna, violinist Johann Peter Salomon presented him with an anonymous English libretto which had supposedly been intended for Handel half a century earlier. The text – which draws from the Book of Genesis, John Milton’s epic Poem Paradise Lost (1667), and the Book of Psalms – resonated deeply with Haydn’s devout Catholic faith.

The Creation

But this new land mass is not what our explorer thinks it is… it is, in fact, a garbage patch in the middle of the ocean.

Life of the Sea

Both Symphonie fantastique (1830) and Harold in Italy (1842)  trace a musical journey from reverie to wild finale.The initial suggestion to write a work for solo viola came from the great violinist Paganini. Inspired by Byron’s 1812 poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Berlioz created “a series of orchestral scenes” in which the solo viola plays a “melancholic dreamer”.

Symphonie fantastique

The remarkable Sir András Schiff sprinkles fantasy and magic as he performs the most romantic of piano concertos. Schumann's only concerto for his own instrument is inspired by his wife Clara's supernatural virtuosity. Conjured up alongside is Felix Mendelssohn's impish music for A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Schumann’s Piano Concerto

Articles & News