George Enescu, in October 1888, aged seven, become the youngest student ever admitted to the Vienna Conservatory (and the first non-Austrian), from which he graduated at the age of twelve. Quiet a precocious child, then. In addition to his career as a composer, Enescu was also an acclaimed conductor

“One should never composer operas” Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007), composer of over 25 operas Opera Double Bill: Bernstein, Menotti at Guildhall. Soloists;  Chorus & Orchestra; Dominic Wheeler (conductor). Silk Street Theatre, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London, 2.11.2026 Bernstein Trouble in Tahiti (1952) Menotti Amelia al

The VOCES8 Foundation presents LIVE From London Christmas 2026, the twentieth edition of the online festival. From 10th December 2026 to 6th January 2027, audiences around the world can enjoy a festive feast of music to celebrate the season.  Host ensemble VOCES8 clarions ‘This Endris Night’ from the iconic St

London Piano Festival (2): Mozart Gala Charles Owen, Katya Apekisheva, Junyan Chen, Tom Poster, Martin James Bartlett (pianos). King’s Place, 31.10.2026 Mozart Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K 426. Sonata in D, K 381. Adagio and Allegro for Mechanical Clock in F minor, K 594. Sonata

London Piano Festival (1): Opening Night, Divisions & Visions Donald McLeod in conversation with George Benjamin; Charles Owen, Katya Apekisheva (pianos). King’s Place, 29.10.2026 Benjamin Two or Four (2010). Divisions (2024/5). Messiaen Visions de l’Amen (1943). The London Piano Festival returns to King’s Place

Sibelius' Fourth Symphony is often seen as a "pencil sketch" of a piece (as opposed to watercolours or oil paintings of the Fifth Symphony!). It came after Sibelius had been on the operating table (for a tumour on his throat). Shorn of his beloved cigarettes and alcohol,

“Lyatoshynsky Chamber Music, Volume 1” bodes well here. We've already considered a disc of his symphonies on cpo here (Nos. 4 and 5), and this Third Symphony live with the LPO and Vladimir Jurowski here. It is good, though to enter into the ore intimate realm of chamber

So it's Christmas!

This album has achieved notable success already(released October 9, and achieving top spot in the UK Classical Chart) Helen Rogers, Executive Producer at Decca Classics, says: To see Jess achieve three consecutive No. 1 albums with SHINE is remarkable. Jess has a unique gift and this album captures her

C. P. E. Bach Mahan Esfahani (harpsichord); Aapo Häkkinen (fortepiano; harpsichord/director); Helsinki Baroque Orchestra. Wigmore Hall, 730 pm, 19.10.2026 Symphony in F, Wq 175 (1755). Harpsichord Concerto in E minor, Wq 15 (1745-7). Symphony in E minor, W1 178 (1756). Symphony in A, Wq 182/4

Mendelssohn, Nielsen NOVO Quartet. Wigmore Hall, 1 pm, 19.10.2026 Mendelssohn String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13 (1827) Nielsen String Quartet in F minor, Op. 5 (1890) The Danish NOVO Quartet is a shining light in the string quartet firmament, a bright beacon of hope. From

Wagner Tristan und Isolde. Cast; Chorus & Orchestra of the London Opera Company / Peter Selwyn (conductor). St John’s, Smith Square, 18.10.2026. Cast: Tristan - Neal Cooper Isolde - Cara McHardy  Brangӓne - Harriet Williams Kurwenal - Simon Thorpe König Marke - Pauls Putnins Melot - Ronald Samm Seaman/Shepherd - James Robinson Steersman - Alistair

Dario Salvi and the Janáček Philharmonic return for volume 3 in their series of Overtures and Stage Music: Volume One was covered here, while we covered yet another Naxos release, the Piano Trios with the Gould Trio, here. The new disc begins in highly dramatic fashion with the Overture to

The Quatuor Elmire was part of the String Quartet finals at Geneva a few years back (see here); currently in residence at the Singer-Polignac Foundation and the Chapelle Musicale, Reine Elisabeth (the present release was recorded at the latter in 2024, for Scala Music). The first movement of No.

Mozart Yunchan Lim (piano). Wigmore Hall, London, 15.10.2026 Piano Sonatas: C, K 279 (1775); D, K 284 (1774-5).  Fantasia in D minor, K 397 (c. 1782) Piano Sonatas: F, K 332 (1781-3); A minor, K 310 (1778) A portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart graced the Wigmore

* Max Richter joins a roll call of extraordinary composers including  Anoushka Shankar, Gavin Bryars, Matthew Herbert and Talvin Singh  * News revealed days before Richter releases brand-new album, While The Flood Rages  The Ivors Academy announced today [13 October] that composer Max Richter will be presented with an Ivor Novello

Spring Snow: A Kabuki Winterreise Fleur Barron (mezzo); Suleiman Suleiman (dancer); Jong Sun Woo (piano); Hibiki Ichikawa (shamisen/shinobue); Lifeng Liao (lighting designer); Misa Koide, Sophie Daneman (movement directors). Wigmore Hall, 11.10.2026 Kabuki Scene 1: Preserve; Scene II: Seek; Scene III: Illusion; Butterfly Interlude Schubert Winterreise, D 911

The London venue Stone Nest seems to be a hub for innovation: in March 2024, I attended a performance of Our Mother, starring Emma Kirkby and with the same ensemble as here, FIGURE. That was impressive, for sure, but MOURN, an examination of grief through multiple lenses, cut even deeper.