Sir Norman Rosenthal's February highlights include the masterpieces of Anton Bruckner on the Southbank, the Marriage of Figaro at the Royal Opera House and Baroque concerts in London pubs...
January is past, and we are now already onto February, where many of the great events are taking place on the Southbank. On February 1, one of the most talented young conductors of the age, Canadian Yannick Nézet-Séguin, is doing the first of two terrific programmes with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The first includes works by Sergei Prokofiev, including his first (the Classical) and fifth symphonies; the second is a fabulous programme devoted to masterpieces by Anton Bruckner, including his unfinished ninth symphony. No symphonic composer can make an orchestral climax sound as noble or as grand, and his work blazes with the light of true belief that can almost convert whilst you are listening! On February 12, the splendid American pianist Richard Goode plays a wonderful programme of Schumann and Chopin, and on February 18, you can hear one of my favourite pieces of music, Hector Berlioz's Romeo and Juliet. The perfect Valentine treat – its love music is unsurpassable in its originality.
Meanwhile, at the Barbican on February 4, I note a rare opera by Dvorak (him of the New World Symphony!), The Jacobin, conducted by the Czech Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, in what cannot fail to be the most authentic performance possible. On February 22, there should be an equally revealing performance of Mozart's relatively infrequently performed last opera, La Clemenza de Tito, which now stars the beautiful Alice Coote.
"Hector Berlioz's Romeo and Juliet is the perfect Valentine treat – its love music is unsurpassable in its originality"
As regards fully staged opera, the Royal Opera House’s Marriage of Figaro will undoubtedly be the best of their current Mozart cycle. This is partly because of the production – which is excellent – a very good cast, and above all, Sir Antonio Pappano conducting. He is sure to drive the work in a revelatory way! Then at the very end of the month, but really running into March, Dvorak's most famous opera Rusalka gets a still relatively rare performance in a radical and sexually charged production taking place in the back-streets and brothels of a small town somewhere in Europe. It too has a wonderful cast, is conducted by Nezet Seguin, and just hearing the famous aria Oh Silver Moon will make your evening memorable. At the English National Opera, where opera is done in English of course, the amazing and ever entertaining Richard Jones – surely the best English opera director of today – is directing Jacques Offenbach's masterpiece, The Tales of Hoffman. It tells the story of a writer in love first with a doll, then with a Venetian prostitute, and finally with a young and sick girl who is condemned to die if she comes into contact with music. It is one of the most thrilling and melodious works ever made for the stage – unmissable!
There are, as ever, beautiful concerts at the Wigmore Hall. My favourite violinist of today is Leonidas Kavakos who is performing Beethoven's Violin Sonatas with the outstanding pianist, Emanuel Ax on February 1. And then during the month there are concerts with all three great English tenors: Mark Padmore, Ian Bostridge and John Mark Ainsley. Each of these singers have a unique and highly intelligent style, and to compare and contrast within a few days of each other will be some experience. And then, just to prove that going to concerts need not be either expensive, nor a forbidding experience, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment are doing a series of concerts of Baroque music in five pubs in London until February 22. Listen to music and enjoy real ale, just as they surely did in 17th century London!
