Aside from singing the right notes, in tune, what makes a great voice is a matter for debate. But an undoubtedly great voice was that of Kathleen Ferrier, the English contralto who died more than 70 years ago but remains famous for the haunting darkness of her sound as heard in old recordings. Her name lives on in the Ferrier Competition, which endeavours every year to find great singers of the future. The 2026 finals run April 24 at Wigmore Hall, where Ferrier worked her magic many times. I am glad to say there are also prizes for the collaborative pianists, the unsung heroes without whom the competitors could not function. It is a long evening with an early start, so take note. But there is a long supper interval too, so bring sandwiches. If you live in Camden, Ferrier was local: she lived in Frognal Mansions, Hampstead, with a blue plaque to contemplate in preparation. Details: wigmore-hall.org.uk.
Making America at the Barbican
The BBC Symphony Orchestra might just be regretting the so-called “Making America” evening planned for April 24 at the Barbican, as if we do not hear enough from that part of the world these days. But if you can tolerate more stars and stripes, there are Hollywood scores by Bernard Herrmann and Korngold, and a new trumpet concerto by composer Ryan Latimer, who does not seem to be American at all. barbican.org.uk.
Musicians and Physical Performance
People forget that a musician is a kind of athlete: it is hard labour sometimes. So it is illuminating to see musicians paired onstage with other kinds of physical performance, and there are two examples this week. At the Queen Elizabeth Hall, April 24-25, the touring Australian Brandenburg Orchestra joins forces with acrobats in an adaptation of Bach’s Art of Fugue that will presumably enlarge the intricacies of the piece into something like semaphore. Meanwhile, in Papillons at the Purcell Room, April 30, the Manchester Collective and cellist Laura van der Heijden pair up with queer-culture dance duo Thick & Tight in music by the late Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho. Could be interesting. Details for both: southbankcentre.co.uk.
Royal Opera’s Linbury Theatre
The Royal Opera’s Linbury Theatre is small enough to take risks and push envelopes that the main stage would not dare. From May 1-8 it runs a triple-bill of unfamiliar chamber works by women composers: two of them contemporary, Charlotte Bray and Elena Langer, and one a neglected figure from the mid-20th century whose reappraisal is long overdue, Elizabeth Maconchy. Worth exploring. rbo.org.uk.
Wozzeck in Concert
Also on the opera front, Berg’s Wozzeck, a magnificently grim appraisal of a human soul oppressed, abused, and destroyed, plays in concert at the Royal Festival Hall on April 25 under Edward Gardner. Stephane Degout sings the hapless title role. southbankcentre.co.uk.
Antoine Tamestit at LSO St Luke’s
The words viola and electrifying do not invariably go together, but they do in the case of star violist Antoine Tamestit, who graces the lunchtime series at LSO St Luke’s on April 30 alongside equally starry pianist Bertrand Chamayou. Brahms and Shostakovich. lso.co.uk.
Discoveries at Leighton House
Lastly, there is a concert series called Discoveries that I keep urging people to try because it happens in the fabulously exotic, atmospheric, and intimate context of Leighton House, Holland Park. It features generally rather brilliant young artists, and hospitably supplies wine and cheese afterwards, all of which makes for a joyous experience. April 28 has a new string quartet, the Valegro, playing Mozart and Janáček. Go. Details: lisapeacock.co.uk.
