The March Guide

It seems to me that some of the greatest events of this month are taking place in two of London's best music schools. One is the Royal College of Music, located behind the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington, the other, the Royal Academy of Music, just by Madame Tussaud's on the Marylebone Road. It seems to me that the absolutely premier event of March takes place at the Royal Academy on March 11, when the now 800-year-old Thomanerchor from Leipzig Cathedral, are performing. This is the chorus that for many years was directed by Johan Sebastian Bach, and for whom, he wrote many of his greatest works. It is a divine musical experience and a chance to hear these young singing musicians, whose singing is totally different to the English Cathedral sound, is a very special opportunity. One of the regular delights at the Royal Academy are the monthly midday Sunday concerts where students over a period of years perform all the cantatas of Bach. These works are amongst the jewels of western music and the performances there are becoming something of a London cult. Bach is also having his own weekend at the Southbank from Friday March 23, devoted to an exploration of virtuosity in his compositions on instruments such as flute, violin, cello, harpsichord, and of course voice. No less than seven concerts – a kind of total immersion.

"The Royal Acaedmy's monthly Sunday concerts are amongst the jewels of western music and the performances there are becoming something of a London cult"

The other great composer of that epoch (they were born in the same year 1685) that hailed from Germany, but who spent much of his life dominating the musical life of London, was George Frideric Handel. In March and April this year, there is a really magnificent London Handel Festival, starting on March 15, and centred around the Church of St. Georges, Hannover Square, with seemingly endless concerts by another musical masterwhose musical output is bottomless and seemingly inexhaustible. One of the best events, and the one that I don't want to miss because it is an opera that I have never heard before, (he wrote about forty in total) is called Richardo Primo. It is taking place this time at the Royal College of Music in a series of performances starting on March 26. The singers will be students, but surely ones of very great potential. Back at the Academy, Jane Glover, who is the most wonderful conductor, is leading performances of Mozart's 'Magic Flute'. These start on the March 14. You might hear that a lot of these performances are sold out, but if you go along on the night in good time, you have every chance of squeezing in, and you won't regret it. I have heard performances there that would do credit to the greatest international festivals, including Jane Glover herself, a year ago, conducting Mozart's Così fan tutte.

"You might just get to hear Led Zeppelin's bassist John Paul Jones be part of John Cage's legendary piece called Musicircus"

I also want to spend a day at the Barbican on the March 17, when there is the Total Immersion into the music of the Australian composer Brett Dean, who himself played viola for some years for the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. I don't know his music well, but he seems to write extensive works both for small ensembles and large orchestras, and has many admirers in the music world. The Nash Ensemble are giving, at the Wigmore Hall, the world premiere of a new piece by Harrison Birtwistle, in amongst works by other British composers of great distinction, Mark Anthony Turnage, Jonathan Harvey, Alexander Goehr, and Colin Matthews. If you want to have a really stimulating survey of the best of British new music, this is a concert to go to. And then at the Royal Opera House's Linbury Theatre, there is a performance of a new opera by Judith Weir, called Miss Fortune. Judith Weir is an approachable composer, whose lyrical talents should be well suited to the telling of a tale of a rich young woman of Sicily, who has fallen on hard times. In the meantime, there are further performances at English National Opera of John Adams' Death of Klinghoffer, which has had wonderfully controversial reviews, and is certainly not to be missed. And if you read this in good time, and run along to ENO on March 3, you might just get to hear Led Zeppelin's bassist John Paul Jones be part of John Cage's legendary piece called Musicircus. It starts at 13.40, and goes on for several hours – different bands, ensembles, individual musicians playing simultaneously – once again it seems already sold out, but just go – you will probably get in if you are persistent. That is what it's all about if you love music, as I do – I have never been turned away from anything.