published by Ben Hogwood from the original press release
This December, Wigmore Hall focus in on a pianist famed for winning the prestigious Victoires de la Musique Classique award on five separate occasions, most recently in 2022. Described by the Guardian as ‘a remarkable musician, no question’, Chamayou caps off his short residency with an unmissable evening of the complete Ravel pianos works. Before that, the pianist joins forces with the thrilling Belcea Quartet and accompanies soprano Barbara Hannigan for her Wigmore Hall debut.
The programme with the Belcea Quartet on Thursday 4 December is of extra interest, for in addition to Chamayou’s appearance in the rarely-heard Piano Quintet in E major of Erich Korngold, the quartet will mark the 80th anniversary of the world première of Britten’s Second String Quartet at Wigmore Hall.
Chamayou’s programme with soprano Barbara Hannigan is typically adventurous, the pair reaffirming their Messiaen credentials with a performance of the Chants de terre et de ciel, before Chamayou looks at late Scriabin in the form of the Poème-nocturne Op. 61 and Vers la flamme Op. 72, before the two take on John Zorn’s song cycle Jumalattaret, written for Hannigan herself.
Chamayou’s third appearance will see him perform the complete works for solo piano by Maurice Ravel, whose birth in 1875 is being marked with 150th anniversary celebrations this year. The concert begins at 7pm, with the programme as follows:
1875-1937 Prélude Miroirs Menuet in C sharp minor Sonatine A la manière de Borodine Gaspard de la nuit
Interval
A la manière de Chabrier Valses nobles et sentimentales Menuet sur le nom d’Haydn Sérénade grotesque Jeux d’eau Menuet antique Pavane pour une infante défunte Le tombeau de Couperin
For more information on all the Wigmore Hall concerts, click on the links highlighted above.
Published post no.2,730 – Wednesday 26 November 2025
On the occasion of the 70th birthday of Jorge E. López
The singular tonal language of an Austrian composer of Cuban origin
Sunday 30th November 2025 @ 19:45 [NB: 18:45 UK time] on Austrian Radio Station Ö1
Jorge E. López, one of the most distinctive and original composers currently living in Austria, celebrates his seventieth birthday next Sunday. He has never identified with the conventions of New Music: ‘‘Instead, I was convinced from the beginning that it was more about making the ancient present’’. He does not look for the new but ‘‘rather the repressed’’, as emphasized in an extended interview with the radio journalist and regular Ö1 broadcaster Peter Kislinger.
López was born on 30 November 1955 in Havana. In 1960 he came to the United States with his family, where he lived in New York and Chicago. In 1970 he began to compose – inspired by such figures as Mahler, Berg, Ives, Messiaen, Stockhausen and Xenakis – then studied at California Institute of the Arts during 1971-76. In 1987, after notable orchestral performances in Donaueschingen, the focus of his life shifted to Europe and the German-speaking world.
He draws inspiration for his often timeless works from an intense experience of nature, most especially in Lapland, Iceland and the American North-West. His works defy current trends in contemporary music and demonstrate an affinity for the music at the turn of the 20th century as well as proximity to the aesthetics of Surrealism. In recent years, he has resided alternately between Mölltal in Upper Carinthia and Vienna. This latest edition of the Supernova series (produced by Rainer Elstner) features several large-scale orchestral works by the composer.
The programme can be accessed from the UK by clicking on the link below:
Helena Juntunen (soprano), City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Osmo Vänskä (above)
Sibelius Karelia Suite Op.11 (1893) Songs – Höstkväll Op.38/1 (1903, orch. 1904); Hertig Magnus Op.57/6 (1909, orch. 1912); Våren flyktar hastigt Op.13/4 (1891, orch. 1913) The Bard Op.64 (1913) Luonnotar Op.70 (1913) Shostakovich Symphony no.15 in A major Op.141 (1970-71)
Symphony Hall, Birmingham Wednesday 19 November 2025
Reviewed by Richard Whitehouse Pictures (c) Jonathan Ferro
Finnish conductor Osmo Vänskä makes relatively UK appearances these days such that this evening’s concert with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra was to be anticipated, given the never less than intriguing juxtaposition of works from Sibelius and Shostakovich.
It now appears less frequently on programmes than half a century ago, but Karelia Suite finds Sibelius at his most uninhibited and Vänskä responded accordingly – whether the simmering motion of its Intermezzo or the pulsating activity of its Alla Marcia; its Ballade distilling the keenest atmosphere with Rachel Pankhurst making the most of her plaintive solo. Harpist Karherine Thomas was similarly attuned to her almost obligato role in The Bard, a tone poem whose sombre understatement hardly prepares one for the surging emotion towards its climax.
Elsewhere in this half it was Helena Juntunen (above) who stole the show with her judicious selection of Sibelius songs. That almost all these are settings of Swedish texts reflects an introspective Romanticism often overlooked in his output and Juntunen brought out the stark imagining of Autumn Evening then restless aspiration of Baron Magnus as potently as the ecstatic yearning of Spring is Flying. Her swapping sophisticated gown for traditional dress may have pointed up stylistic differences with Luonnotar, but it also underlined the inimitability of this setting from Finnish national epic the Kalevala. Birmingham audiences had been spoiled by hearing Anu Komsi in the piece, but Juntunen was no less inside music whose extremes of timbre or texture result in as heady a culmination then as spellbinding a conclusion as any in Sibelius.
Hard now to recall a time when Shostakovich’s 15th Symphony was believed too inscrutable for wider appreciation, rather than that masterly reassessment of Classical symphonism it is. Vänskä brooked no compromise in an initial Allegretto not without its technical mishaps, for all its sardonic and even scabrous humour came over unimpeded, but it was with the Adagio this performance wholly found its stride. As enhanced by eloquent contributions from cellist Eduardo Vassallo then trombonist Richard Watkin, this was palpably well sustained through to a climax shot through with a defiance borne of desperation, before retreating back into its initial numbness. Continuing directly, the ensuing Allegretto was an intermezzo no less acute in its expression and not least for the way solo instruments melded so deftly with percussion.
Vänskä did not make the mistake of rendering the finale an Adagio, such as holds good only with its portentous introduction. The main Allegretto was persuasively handled – broadening marginally for a central passacaglia builds stealthily if inevitably to a climax corrosive in its dissonance, before retracing its thematic steps towards a coda which evokes the notion of the ‘unbearable lightness of being’ more completely than any other music. Here, also, there was no mistaking the CBSO’s collective focus in bringing this totemic work to its deathless close.
Shostakovich 15 does not lack for probing or memorable readings these days and, if tonight’s did not answer all its questions, Vänskä nevertheless ensured this piece left its mark on what was a commendably full house, and which set the seal on a flawed while memorable concert.
published by Ben Hogwood from the original press release
Almost at the mid-way point between the past and future Summer Music in City Churches festivals, we bring news of two winter warming concerts to enjoy in the lead-up to Christmas.
Pavel Sporcl, English Chamber Orchestra, Holy SepulchreEC1A 2DQ Sunday 30November, 7pm
The 29th Made in Prague Festival concludes in grand style with a gala celebrating Czech violin virtuoso Pavel Šporcl, whose expressive artistry and dazzling technique have enthralled audiences worldwide.
The programme features Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-flat major, bursting with youthful brilliance, alongside Dvořák’s lyrical Romance and spirited Mazurek. Šporcl’s virtuosity will shine in a solo by Paganini, ensuring a thrilling and unforgettable finale to this year’s festival.
City of London Choir: Carols in the City – St Giles CripplegateEC2Y 8DA Friday 19 December, 6.30pm
Just ahead of a sell-out carol concert in the Barbican with the King’s College Cambridge choir, the City of London Choir and conductor Daniel Hyde return to St Giles Cripplegate with a wonderful selection of carols and Christmas music, in the company of organist Andrew Lumsden.
Beloved carols by contemporary composers including John Rutter, Morten Lauridsen and Cecilia McDowall sit alongside traditional favourites – with plenty of audience participation. The perfect start to your family festivities.
published by Ben Hogwood from the original press release
The Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) continues its 50th anniversary celebrations with the release of a landmark new album, Beethoven & Brahms: Concertos for Violin and Orchestra, featuring Artistic Director Richard Tognetti as soloist. Timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Orchestra’s very first concert, on 21 November 1975 at the Sydney Opera House, this release pays tribute to the ACO’s remarkable legacy while also honouring Artistic Director Richard Tognetti’s extraordinary 35 years of leadership.
Recorded live, the album showcases Tognetti and the ACO at their most vital and alive. Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 was recorded in 2018 and Brahms’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 earlier this year. These cornerstones of the violin repertoire are reframed with the clarity, intimacy, and daring that have become hallmarks of the ACO’s sound.
It is the first time that Richard Tognetti has recorded the Brahms Concerto and his first full recording of the Beethoven for over 25 years.
Over the last five decades the ACO has become one of the world’s most dynamic ensembles, renowned for fearless programming, boundary-pushing collaborations and a singular, expressive sound. Tognetti has been at the centre of this transformation, reshaping the Orchestra into a globally recognised force through relentless curiosity and risk-taking artistry. More than a celebration, this album is a statement of intent: an affirmation that, at 50, the ACO remains as fearless, passionate, and forward-looking as ever.
Beethoven & Brahms: Concertos for Violin and Orchestra will be available as a special limited-edition vinyl release, with each copy signed by Richard Tognetti, as well as being released as a CD and in digital streaming and download formats.
Arcana.fm 