Cello Unwrapped: Alban Gerhardt & Aurora Orchestra
King’s Place, London, 7th January
The cello is the soul of the orchestra, and this year it steps into the spotlight as star of King’s Place’s year-long Cello Unwrapped festival. From Bach to Britten (pausing at Beethoven and Brahms along the way), the season will explore every facet of this endlessly adaptable instrument, taking it from court to club in concerts by Guy Johnston, Adrian Brendel and Oliver Coates (among others), as well as Sheku Kanneh-Mason—the 17-year-old winner of BBC Young Musician 2016.
Ed Gardner & Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Saffron Hall, 15th January; Walden/Anvil Basingstoke, 18th January
If you haven’t visited England’s newest concert hall yet, you won’t find a better excuse. ENO’s celebrated ex-music director Edward Gardner returns to the UK with the Bergen Philharmonic. Already one of Europe’s finest ensembles, under Gardner they have gained a new energy and dynamism, showcased here in Elgar’s elegiac Cello Concerto, music by Bartók and Grieg.
Martha Argerich, Oxford Philharmonic
Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, 21st January
Argentinian pianist Martha Argerich (below) is a living legend, one who only rarely appears in the UK. This elusive performer is, however, scheduled to appear in Oxford this month, the soloist in Prokofiev’s extrovert and virtuosic Third Piano Concerto. Argerich has a habit of cancelling, but with such riches on offer you’d be mad not to get a ticket.
King’s Place, London, 7th January
The cello is the soul of the orchestra, and this year it steps into the spotlight as star of King’s Place’s year-long Cello Unwrapped festival. From Bach to Britten (pausing at Beethoven and Brahms along the way), the season will explore every facet of this endlessly adaptable instrument, taking it from court to club in concerts by Guy Johnston, Adrian Brendel and Oliver Coates (among others), as well as Sheku Kanneh-Mason—the 17-year-old winner of BBC Young Musician 2016.
Ed Gardner & Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Saffron Hall, 15th January; Walden/Anvil Basingstoke, 18th January
If you haven’t visited England’s newest concert hall yet, you won’t find a better excuse. ENO’s celebrated ex-music director Edward Gardner returns to the UK with the Bergen Philharmonic. Already one of Europe’s finest ensembles, under Gardner they have gained a new energy and dynamism, showcased here in Elgar’s elegiac Cello Concerto, music by Bartók and Grieg.
Martha Argerich, Oxford Philharmonic
Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, 21st January
Argentinian pianist Martha Argerich (below) is a living legend, one who only rarely appears in the UK. This elusive performer is, however, scheduled to appear in Oxford this month, the soloist in Prokofiev’s extrovert and virtuosic Third Piano Concerto. Argerich has a habit of cancelling, but with such riches on offer you’d be mad not to get a ticket.
