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Classical Music

Live autumn concerts, opera and chamber music

By Claudia Pritchard on 26/10/2020

World-class audiences perform to small audiences, Aurora move outdoors, and The Gruffalo gets a musical make-over

Restore and Revive safely with the City of London Sinfonia. Photo: Apple and Biscuit Recordings

Restore and Revive: City of London Sinfonia, Southwark Cathedral

The healing balm of live music soothes live audiences who can take a seat or choose their own space in the historic and atmospheric building. Choose from Haydn and Ligeti, or Mozart, Richard Strauss, Amy Beach and more.

WHEN

04 Nov 2020 – 26 Nov 2020, Concerts at 2PM and 7PM on Weds 4 Nov and Thurs 26 Nov

WHERE

Southwark Cathedral
London Bridge, Southwark, London, SE1 JDA

Baritone Roderick Williams sings Schubert on 7 Dec

Spotlight Chamber Concerts live, St John's Waterloo

Five concerts featuring top singers and instrumentalists who perform to a safely distanced audience. This landmark church, will be dramatically lit to intensify the immersive experience. Artists include pianist Angela Hewitt, cellist Steven Isserlis, and baritone Roderick Williams (pictured).

WHEN

28 Nov 2020 – 19 Dec 2020, Five concerts, each with different artists and programmes

WHERE

St John's, 73 Waterloo Road SE1 8TY

Francesca Chiejina is the soprano soloist in Messiah on 15 Dec. Photo: Charles Chiejina

Christmas music: live at the Royal Albert Hall

For nearly 150 years, the Royal Albert Hall has been the London venue where Christmas begins for music-lovers. And that tradition continues, with a full programme performed to a safely spaced live audience this season. Look out for Handel's Messiah on 15 Dec, when soloists include soprano Francesca Chiejina (pictured).

WHEN

09 Dec 2020 – 23 Dec 2020, Several events, start times and duration vary

WHERE

Royal Albert Hall
Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AP

Soprano Nardus Williams is among soloists in ENO's El Niño. Photo: Williams Bertie Watson

El Niño, English National Opera live

The 'nativity oratorio' by contemporary American composer John Adams’s El Niño tells the story of the birth of Christ from an unusual angle. Articulating Mary's thoughts before and after the birth are an impressive cast including soprano Nardus Williams (pictured)

WHEN

27 Nov 2020 – 28 Nov 2020, Two concert performances, time and duration TBC

WHERE

English National Opera
London Coliseum, St Martin's Lane, London, WC2N 4ES

Live concert series, Wigmore Hall

World-class chamber music-making resumes in a series of concerts almost daily, with safely spaced live audience. Artists include baritone Christian Gerhaher, pianist Igor Levit, saxophonist Jess Gillam and soprano Elizabeth Llewellyn (pictured).

WHEN

13 Sep 2020 – 01 Nov 2020, 80 concerts, times vary. Streamed and on demand, with possible live audience when allowed

WHERE

Wigmore Hall
36 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 2BP

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment plays live at its home base, Kings Place

Kings Place, autumn concerts live

Live audiences and those at home can enjoy this autumn's classical concerts at Kings Place. Buy a ticket to be safely seated at the venue for an evening's music, or subscribe to a streaming of that performance. With the Orchestra of the Age of Englightenment (pictured), Aurora Orchestra, Brodsky Quartet and many other top-flight performers.

WHEN

07 Sep 2020 – 12 Dec 2020, regular events, for live audience and streamed, times vary

WHERE

Kings Place
90 York Way, London, N1 9AG

Dalia Stasevska conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra on 13 Dec. Photo: Jarmo Katila

Barbican live concerts this autumn

The Barbican becomes the first large-scale London venue to programme a whole season of live concerts to live audiences from early October until Christmas. Listen out for the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle and the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dalia Stasevska (pictured).

WHEN

04 Oct 2020 – 13 Dec 2020, Many events, times vary. With live audience and also live-streamed

WHERE

Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS

Violinist Alina Ibragimova plays at Fidelio Café, Clerkenwell

Fidelio Unbound: live music and dinner

As larger orchestras puzzle out a new way to perform live, this Clerkenwell venue has forged ahead with a series of live concerts featuring world-class artists. Listen up close to top players most nights of the week, and talk it over afterwards with dinner.

WHEN

Tues 1 Sept to Thurs 31 Dec

WHERE

Fidelio Orchestra Cafe
91-95 Clerkenwell Rd, Holborn , London, EC1R 5BX

Glyndebourne's autumn dates include a comic opera and Mozart. Photo: James Bellorini

Glyndebourne live, autumn dates

After the huge success of staging opera in the gardens at Glyndebourne this summer, the opera house announces a return to indoor performances, from 10 October. Full details on 7 Sept, but audiences can expect more performances of the summer hit, In The Market for Love, a shortened Magic Flute, and Christmas music.

WHEN

From 10 October

WHERE

Glyndebourne
Lewes, East Sussex, BN8 5UU

The Snowman is screened with live orchestral music on 21 Dec at Cadogan Hall. Artwork: Snowman Enterprises Ltd

Cadogan Hall live: music for an audience of 300

With its generous stalls area and spacious balconies, Cadogan Hall off Sloane Square is well equipped to welcome a live audience once more. Its new autumn programme features classical musical, family events and jazz. We won't miss The Snowman with live music and a musical version of The Gruffalo, on 21 Dec.

WHEN

30 Sep 2020 – 31 Dec 2020, regular events, times vary

WHERE

Cadogan Hall
5 Sloane Terrace, London , SW1X 9DQ

In Fidelio, prisoners marvel as they venture into the light. Photo: Johan Persson

Fidelio semi-staged, Garsington Opera

A heroic rescue is at the heart of Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio. And at Garsington Opera another heroic rescue has ensured that, while this year's season was cancelled, live and semi-staged performances of Fidelio will take place in September. Returns only for now, but it's worth joining the waiting list, and listening to the BBC Radio 3 broadcast, Sat 26 Sept, 6:30PM.

WHEN

12 Sept 2020 – 20 Sept 2020, Performances on 12, 14, 18 and 20 Sept

WHERE

Garsington Opera
Wormsley Estate , Stokenchurch, HP14 3YG

Charles Owen and Katya Apekisheva founded and appear in the London Piano Festival. Photo: Sim Canetty-Clarke

London Piano Festival 2020, Kings Place

The London Piano Festival celebrates its fifth year at Kings Place as it began – with the piano centre stage and a live audience at a gala event. Of course numbers are limited, so that the 100 ticket-holders can be safely spaced. But music-lovers can also enjoy events streamed.

WHEN

On 10 Oct 2020, Two concerts in one evening, with a reception midway

WHERE

Kings Place
90 York Way, London, N1 9AG

Hyeyoon Park is the soloist in Beethoven's Violin Concerto. Photo: Benjamin Ealovega

Bromley & Beckenham International Music Festival

Benjamin Grosvenor, Hyeyoon Park (pictured) and friends stage a weekend of top-class music live close to home. Each one-hour concert has a live audience, safely spaced and helps fund both live music and local health projects.

WHEN

17 Sep 2020 – 20 Sep 2020, Four one-hour concerts, times vary

WHERE

St Peter and St Paul's Church, Bromley
Church Road, Bromley , BR2 0EG

English National Opera: Drive and Live

Drive-in opera comes to London with English National Opera's return to live performance, at Alexandra Palace. A shortened version of Puccini's La Bohème, the Paris-based story of a doomed love affair, stars many of today's favourite singers, including, in the role of Mimì, sopranos Natalya Romaniw (pictured) and Nardus Williams.

WHEN

19 Sep 2020 – 27 Sep 2020, performance dates and times to be confirmed

WHERE

Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace Way, London, N22 7AY

Simon Keenlyside leads the cast of A Feast in the Time of Plague

A Feast in the Time of Plague, Grange Park Opera live

A brand new opera, composed in six weeks, and with a distinguished pedigree and cast, is to be staged to a live, invited audience, the first new opera to be performed since lockdown. Starring Simon Keenlyside (pictured), as a sinister dinner guest.

WHEN

On 13 Sep 2020, Single performance live to an invited audience; later streamed free, to be viewed on demand

WHERE

Grange Park Opera
West Horsley Place, West Horsley,, Leatherhead, KT24 6AW