For one week during April, I thought I was almost going mad. There were so many extraordinary concerts of classical music in London. Each, a five star event, and unmissable. And I found myself going out every night until I just had to stop...
For one week during April, I thought I was almost going mad. There were so many extraordinary concerts of classical music in London. Each, a five-star event, and unmissable. I found myself going out every night until I just had to stop. London was like Salzburg (a city that every summer hosts the world's most prestigious music festival) on acid. Before we get onto the merry month of May, I recommend that you get hold of the forthcoming Promenade Concert programme – the great music festival that takes place from July to September, at and around the Royal Albert Hall – and book your tickets now, before they sell out. In this Olympic year, a particularly spectacular programme has been devised, and everyone will want to hear all the symphonies of Beethoven, conducted by Barenboim again.
"I recommend that you get hold of the forthcoming Promenade Concert programme, the great music festival that takes place from July to September, at and around the Royal Albert Hall"
For the coming month, once again, no shortage of events, and in someways, the best thing to do is just to go onto the websites of the various London halls – the Southbank, the Barbican, the Wigmore, Kings Place, not to mention the two London Opera Houses. My suggestions this month might be a little subjective, as there is something going on every night. I'm making Philip Glass and Robert Wilson's Einstein on the Beach a priority – the classic minimalist opera, originally staged in 1975. Robert Wilson says he will never do it again! Also at the Barbican, there are two concerts by the great Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, under two equally great conductors, Mariss Jansons (playing amongst other pieces, Richard Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathusra with its famous Stanley Kubrick opening),and the veteran Bernard Haitink conducting Bruckner – one of his great specialities. Many wonderful concerts too at the Festival Hall. On May 21, the legendary Jessye Norman – one of the greatest singers of all time - is doing a recital of American songs by Gershwin, Duke Ellington, even Kurt Weill. How her voice is now remains to be heard, but that she has oozes of personality to cover herself I can be quite certain. If you have never seen her perform, just go. Two nights later, another great violinist Pinchas Zukerman, is playing and also conducting the Royal Philharmonic in Mozart and Shostakovich (Symphony No. 10), the following night, the Philharmonia, under Vladimir Ashkenazy, is performing Shostakovich 13 – including a setting of the famous poem Babi Yar by Yevgeny Yevtushenko, that in its time was seen as the bravest denunciation of Soviet Russian cruelties, and still maintains extraordinary power.
"I'm making Philip Glass and Robert Wilson's Einstein on the Beach a priority – the classic minimalist opera, originally staged in 1975"
There are at least three unmissable opera events for me. One is a new production by Robert Carsen at the Royal Opera House, of Verdi's final masterpiece, Falstaff, his sublime and inventive improvement of Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor – it is a work of extraordinary concision – there are fantastic melodies that last barely a minute, all piling on top of each other. Even now when I hear it for the umpteenth time, I continue to be astounded that it was composed by an 80-year-old composer, reinventing himself at the end of his life. At English National Opera, apart from promising performances of Wagner's Flying Dutchman, I am greatly looking forward to hearing for the first time, an opera by Detlev Glanert – one of Germany's finest contemporary composers – Caligula, an opera based on a novel by Albert Camus, about the legendary sexually depraved Emperor of Ancient Rome. I sense it will be quite something.
All the above just skims the surface. Just look out for the George Benjamin weekend at the Southbank, a recital at the Wigmore Hall by the marvellous Christian Blackshaw, playing part of his Mozart cycle of complete piano sonatas, which should give profound delight and pleasure. There are at least three outstanding concerts of French songs at the Wigmore in May. Check out the Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music that opens on May 18 at St John's, Smith Square, with a concert of music from all over Europe, conducted by the unique exponent of original instruments of the period, Jordi Savall. And I am also keen to hear for the first time, Vivaldi's opera, L'Olimpiade, I have recently discovered that Vivaldi as an opera composer might well be as good as his contemporary, Handel. There are lots of other high quality concerts in what is one of the best sponsored events of its kind, and has been running successfully now for many years. Finally, I am intrigued by a programme at King's Place, by a pianist I do not know, called Francesco Tristano, doing a programme of Johann Sebastian Bach and John Cage on May 28th. A most intriguing comparison I think. I will try not to go out every night to a concert!
