<img src='' title='Event Category: Concerts' alt='' id='templ_icon_' width='' height='' /> Event Category: Concerts

Too Many Notes: A Celebration of Amadeus with ASMF

In anticipation of the release of Sky TV’s new series Amadeus and in a celebration of the music of the film Amadeus and all things Mozart, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields present highlights from the soundtrack to this greatly celebrated film. ASMF recorded the soundtrack to Amadeus under the baton of Sir Neville Marriner in 1984, the soundtrack reaching #1 in the Billboard Classical Albums Chart, #56 in the Billboard Popular Albums Chart and has sold over 6.5 million copies to date and received 13 Gold Discs, making it one of the most popular classical music recordings of all time.

ASMF are thrilled to be joined for this concert by young pianist Arielle Beck, the 2018 First Grand Prize-Winner of the International Young Chopin Competition. She will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.20 in D Minor, K.466 which is featured in Amadeus twice: once with Mozart stumbling home after an evening with Schikaneder after a night of composing The Magic Flute, and secondly in the film’s final scene and end credits.

The programme will also include Symphony No.25 in G minor, K.183/173dB, the film’s iconic opening; the Adagio of his Gran Partita (“suddenly – high above it – an oboe, a single note, hanging there unwavering, till a clarinet took over and sweetened it into a phrase of such delight!”- Salieri in Amadeus); and excerpts from Mozart’s Requiem with St Martin’s Voices.

Academy of St Martin in the Fields is the principal orchestral partner of the St Martin-in-the-Fields, which is its historic home.

Handel Messiah by Candlelight

Join St Martin’s Voices and St Martin’s Chamber Ensemble for a Christmas performance of Handel’s Messiah. This masterful oratorio was first performed in Dublin in 1742 and is a tour-de-force of iconic choruses and arias reflecting on Christ’s life, death and resurrection – including the inimitable Hallelujah chorus and the sublime soprano aria I know that my redeemer liveth.

Beethoven and McNeff: LMP with Fenella Humphreys

In a tale worthy of a Pulitzer Prize, Beethoven’s Third Symphony is enshrouded in a story of betrayal and defiance as the composer battled through personal and political strife.

As the promise of liberty in the French Revolution emerged, Beethoven dedicated his symphony to Napoleon in the hope of a better future. When scandal erupted and Napoleon betrayed his way to the top, Beethoven furiously tore out the dedication and renamed the Symphony Eroica.

Grappling with his worsening deafness and political turmoil, Beethoven refused to write music for music’s sake. Instead, Eroica shattered expectations and produced a radical vision of real-life heroism. Eroica wasn’t just music; it was revolution.

The spirit of bold innovation continues to shape music today. Paired with ‘Eroica’ in this concert is the world-premiere of Stephen McNeff’s Concerto for Violin, performed by Fenella Humphreys. Drawing from Baroque influences, McNeff’s Concerto fuses historical ideas with modern sounds, creating something entirely new – music that pushes boundaries, just like ‘Eroica’ did.

St Martin’s Voices: Night Flight

An hour-long programme of exploring the night with music including Night Flight by Cecilia McDowall, and Night by Richard Allain, both for choir and cello, alongside unaccompanied choral works by Annabel Rooney and Kate Rusby.

Part of the Choral Discovery Concerts series, which invites audiences to discover lesser known, thought-provoking choral music in short concerts with St Martin’s Voices.

This concert lasts one hour with no interval.

Sanskrati Wahane & Gurdain Rayatt by Candlelight

Sanskrati Wahane, a rising star of Indian classical music, has enchanted audiences worldwide with her soulful sitar playing and profound understanding of melody. Her performances are marked by a rare blend of technical brilliance and emotional depth, capturing the hearts of listeners and transporting them to a realm beyond words. Wahane’s artistry reflects both a deep respect for the traditional sitar repertoire and a refreshing modern sensibility, making her one of the most exciting talents of her generation. Joining her is the remarkable Gurdain Rayatt, a tabla maestro known for his flawless rhythm and dynamic presence. Trained under legendary tabla artists, Rayatt brings a vibrant energy to every performance. His mastery of intricate rhythmic patterns and his keen sensitivity to musical interplay make him an exhilarating partner for any musician. Together, Wahane and Rayatt create an expressive synergy, balancing meditative calm with exhilarating crescendos. Prepare to be swept away by a musical journey that evokes the sacred and the sublime in a venue as awe-inspiring as the music itself.

This concert lasts one hour with no interval.

BBC Singers and Voices New Zealand

The BBC Singers join forces with one of the finest choirs of the southern hemisphere, Voices New Zealand, for a concert celebrating choral music from Australia and New Zealand with European influences.

As part of the programme both choirs perform the world premiere of a new work by the young New Zealand composer Takerei Komene. At the heart of the programme is Robert Wiremu’s Reimagined Requiem: Mozart Erebus, which “commemorates the Air New Zealand Flight TE901 disaster, which crashed into Mount Erebus in Antarctica in November 1979.

Wiremu weaves a narrative around the event by imagining that fragments of Mozart’s unfinished Requiem, perhaps carried on a personal cassette player, are scattered by the wind across the Antarctic landscape at the moment of impact.

The piece incorporates elements of the original Requiem but presents them in a fragmented and altered way, reflecting the tragedy of the air disaster.

Mozart Requiem by Candlelight

Composed during the final year of his life and left unfinished at the time of his death, Mozart’s Requiem in D minor is a magnificent work, made infamous by the mysterious and intriguing rumours surrounding its origins. St Martin’s Voices and St Martin’s Chamber Orchestra join forces to explore the profound beauty and existential drama of this masterpiece.

This concert lasts one hour with no interval.

Gabrieli Consort & Players: Purcell the Fairy Queen

“One charming night gives more delight than a hundred lucky days…” Paul McCreesh and the Gabrieli Consort & Players present Purcell’s The Fairy Queen.

The spells are undone, the lovers are united. Now Oberon weaves a new enchantment – an entertainment without parallel beneath the starlit canopy of a summer night. Purcell’s The Fairy Queen is A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but not remotely as you know it – there’s no Shakespeare, for a start! – and Paul McCreesh adores its wit, its magic and its sensuality. “I can’t think of anyone who could give a better rendition of this Restoration ‘feel-good’ masterpiece” says Presto Classical, but hear for yourself, in this exuberant concert performance. “A thousand ways we’ll find / To entertain the hours…”