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

The 12 Ensemble: If You Love Me

Join the 12 Ensemble for ‘If You Love Me,’ a programme exploring the spiritual, the emotional, and the sublime through profound string music.

The programme features two masterpieces that engage with memory and devotion: Tallis’s gentle anthem If ye love me and Vaughan Williams’s monumental Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis. The Fantasia is a breathtaking string soundscape that immerses the listener in reverence, directly elaborating on Tallis’s original melody.

The mood shifts to dramatic contrasts: the sacred power of Bruckner’s Ecce Sacerdos Magnus offers solemn majesty, while Oliver Leith’s Honey Siren provides modern intrigue with its alluring, mysterious soundworld.

Finally, we come to Mahler’s iconic Adagietto from Symphony No. 5: this serene and deeply emotional movement, often associated with a love letter to his wife Alma, provides a breathtaking and unforgettable conclusion to the exploration of love’s powerful and enduring themes.

Experience music that speaks to the heart, brought to life by the 12 Ensemble.

Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra: The Art of Baroque Concerto

The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra presents a vibrant Baroque showcase featuring dazzling concerti by Bach and Vivaldi, alongside Telemann’s playful ‘Burlesque de Quixotte’. An evening of virtuosity and exuberant ensemble brilliance awaits!

Celebrating the Art of Baroque Concerto, conductor Marios Papadopoulos steers the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra through a programme of youthful energy and dazzling virtuosity. Led by the orchestra’s rising stars, this concert highlights concerto masterpieces by Baroque greats Bach, Vivaldi and Telemann. Full of colour, conversation, and exuberance, this concert is a chance to experience Baroque music at its most exhilarating.

Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and Mahan Esfahani: Baroque Masterpieces

Join the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and acclaimed harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani for a Baroque celebration with music by Handel, Vivaldi, and the Bach family in all their glory.

An evening of Baroque mastery awaits as the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra welcomes celebrated harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani. From the lyrical warmth of Handel’s Trio Sonata to the spirited finale of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, this concert features rhythmic drive, dialogue, and elegance. A perfect concert for both Baroque enthusiasts and new listeners alike.

 

Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal de Versailles and Franco Fagioli

Join us for a rare and thrilling journey back to the golden age of the castrati — male singers celebrated for a unique vocal power and range that combined the high notes of a boy with the lung power of a man.

The era’s last great singer was Giovanni Battista Velluti (1780-1861), for whom composers such as Rossini wrote some of their most successful operas.

In this performance, the magnificent music written for Velluti is brought back to life by Franco Fagioli, one of the best countertenors of our own time. Accompanied by the superb Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal of the Palace of Versailles, Fagioli brings to life the expressive power, agility, and rich ornamentation of the castrati, reviving the very style that transformed early 19th-century opera seria.

Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras: Haydn in London

The present church of St Martin-in-the-Fields – Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras’ London home – celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2026.

The English Baroque Soloists with Peter Whelan, and renowned cellist Christophe Coin, mark this milestone with a programme of music written and first performed within a stone’s throw of this wondrous building, by the “Father of the Symphony”, Franz Joseph Haydn and his contemporary Johann Christian Bach.

With the death of his patron, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, in 1790 Haydn became a free agent, and Johann Peter Salomon seized the opportunity to bring Europe’s most famous composer to Soho. Haydn’s music already dominated the fashionable Hanover Square Rooms – especially after the death of the London-based Johann Christian Bach (youngest son of J.S.), whose Symphony in G minor opens the second half. Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 2 was premiered at Hanover Square 1784, and a decade later he embarked on his second trip to London. From this come two of his best-known symphonies, earning nicknames through their popularity: the “Military” (No. 100), and the “London” (No. 104).

The English Baroque Soloists have this music in their blood, and the period instruments of the orchestra cast these works in an entirely fresh light. Historically-informed performance specialist Peter Whelan returns to the helm after a “thrilling” (The Times), “dazzling” (The Observer) and “unbeatable” (Scherzo) debut in 2024.

This concert is part of our 300th anniversary celebrations.

Pre-concert talk
St Martin’s Hall
6:45pm – 7:15pm

Before the concert, join conductor Peter Whelan and historian Katherine Alcock for a fascinating pre-concert talk in St Martin’s Hall from 6.45pm – 7.15pm. Step back into Georgian London as they explore Joseph Haydn’s time in the city, the rich musical life of 18th-century England, and the remarkable 300-year history of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Discover how London shaped Haydn and his music in this insightful introduction to the evening’s performance.

Ex Cathedra: Rachmaninov Vespers

Immerse yourself in the profound beauty of Rachmaninov’s All-Night Vigil – better known as the Vespers – performed by the internationally acclaimed choir Ex Cathedra.

Composed in 1915 at the height of Rachmaninov’s powers, this masterpiece of unaccompanied choral writing is a radiant tapestry of ancient Russian chant and lush Romantic harmony. From its hushed opening prayer to its triumphant final blessing, the work moves with deep spiritual intensity and overwhelming emotional sweep.

Under the direction of Jeffrey Skidmore, Ex Cathedra—celebrated for its purity of tone, warmth of expression, and exceptional clarity—brings a rare sensitivity to this deeply moving music. Expect moments of ethereal stillness, thrilling power, and a sound world that seems to touch the infinite.

 

The English Concert: Handel’s Hercules

Join The English Concert for Handel’s powerful and moving opera, Hercules, a timeless story of love, jealousy, and betrayal.

Fresh from his triumphant return from battle, the great hero Hercules is celebrated, but his victory is overshadowed by a tragic twist of fate. His wife, Dejanira, portrayed by Ann Hallenberg, is consumed by a mistrustful jealousy that unleashes a chain of events, ultimately bringing the mighty hero to his knees.

With its soaring arias and powerful choruses, this opera is a masterclass in dramatic storytelling. The stellar cast includes soprano Hilary Cronin as the captive Iole and acclaimed countertenor Hugh Cutting as the devoted Lichas. Thomas Broughton’s libretto draws from Ovid and Sophocles, reminding us that even the strongest and most celebrated can be undone by the most human of emotions.

Conductor Harry Bicket leads The English Concert in this stunning performance, collaborating once again with New York’s sensational The Clarion Choir. Together, with this renowned line-up of Handel singers, they bring this emotionally charged work to life. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience one of Handel’s most compelling operas.

 

Florian Störtz & Aleksandra Myslek: Sturmnacht – Walking through the Tempest

Join bass-baritone Florian Störtz and pianist Aleksandra Myslek on a musical journey as they celebrate the release of their new album, Harbingers of Exile. This unique programme sets Schumann’s Kerner Lieder alongside the beautifully crafted songs of Robert Kahn, a German-Jewish composer whose eloquent late-romantic works have been rediscovered and brought back to life.

Kahn’s celebrated career was tragically cut short by the rise of fascism, causing his music to vanish from public reception. Forced into exile, he spent the last years of his life in Biddenden, Kent, and his once-popular works were unjustly neglected. This concert is an opportunity to hear his magnificent music performed with the passion and sensitivity it deserves.

Praised by Sir John Tomlinson as “… two passionate, sensitive artists completely united and immersed in song. Most satisfying,” Florian Störtz and Aleksandra Myslek bring a profound connection to this music. Don’t miss this chance to experience a truly special concert that revives the legacy of a forgotten master that shares a story as compelling as the music itself.

BBC Singers: Shiva Feshareki – Divine Feminine

Prepare for a landmark artistic collaboration that redefines the sound of contemporary opera.

Divine Feminine, a powerful, 60-minute semi-staged opera commissioned by the BBC, is the newest work from boundary-pushing artist Shiva Feshareki and an original libretto written by award-winning poet Karen McCarthy Woolf. Feshareki, live on electronics and turntables, will create a dynamic sonic tapestry by weaving her sound with the Upper Voices of the BBC Singers and Vox Next Gen, part of Vox Urbane’s celebrated youth initiative.

The concept explores the enduring archetype of the Goddess across cultures and ages, asking a vital question: what is the relevance of the Divine Feminine in our modern world? Under the direction of conductor Lucy Goddard, this is more than a performance; it’s an empowering, futuristic vision of vocal music.

Choreography direction by acclaimed multidisciplinary artist Becky Namgauds.

The concert opens with a Q&A session about the opera.

Please note: This concert contains adult themes. Suitable for audiences 12+ if accompanied by an adult.

Shiva Feshareki © Mark Allan

 

La Serenissima: Vivaldi and Telemann

An evening of Baroque brilliance, with a hint of espionage.

La Serenissima return under the direction of Adrian Chandler with a programme that pairs Vivaldi’s virtuosic Bohemian concertos with music by Ariosti and Corbett, composers whose unusually mobile European careers have long invited raised eyebrows. Their travels between courts and cities, and the company they kept along the way, have led some to wonder whether they occasionally worked “undercover”. We can’t confirm the rumours, but the music is full of intrigue, character, and unexpected twists.

Telemann’s cosmopolitan Suite completes the file, blending national styles with effortless flair. Music that crosses borders, slips between languages, and changes its accent as easily as a new disguise.

Renowned for their energy, detail, and historical insight, La Serenissima bring this repertoire to life with playing that is both refined and vividly immediate.