It can be so frustrating hearing that a major classical performer is scheduled to appear in London only to discover that the tickets disappeared weeks ago, minutes after the date was announced. If you feel you’ve already missed out on the summer’s big concerts you might yet be in luck... but you’ll have to be quick.
The Barbican’s Great Performers 2005-06 series has attracted many big names this year and there are still a handful of tickets left for some major artistes appearing in the next six weeks. As of Friday night the following dates still had availability:
Mitsuko Uchida – Mozart piano sonatas – Wed 5th April (3 tickets left)
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment – Handel’s Solomon – Fri 7th April (9)
LSO/Gergiev – a Shostakovitch Symphony – Thu 13th April (1)
Maxim Vengerov – Violin recital – Thu 11th May (2)
See further information and book at the Barbican site.
The pick of these for me are Uchida and Vengerov. Uchida is becoming the dominant international Mozart pianist of her generation, combining performances of stunning wit and vitality with a clarity of thought that communicates vividly to her audiences without the need for affectation or mannerism, while Vengerov, a Professor of Violin at the Royal Academy of Music aged 31, has emerged in the last ten years as a golden talent who can win over even classical agnostics through his charismatic showmanship. Grab the chance to see both.
Photo via Schnittke's Flickr stream
