UK Edition
From Mozart to Ronnie Scott's: the best in classical and jazz music in 2017
Classical
January
Cello Unwrapped
It’s known for being the most human and soulful of instruments, but there are many sides to the cello, as this year-long festival will prove. It begins with two concerts with top German cellist Alban Gerhardt and the Aurora Orchestra.
Bergen Philharmonic
This Norwegian orchestra is up there with Europe’s finest, and the arrival of Edward Gardner as Chief Conductor will surely put a spring in their step. On their first UK tour they’re joined by top cellists Leonard Elsenbroich and Truls Mørk, and violinist Baiba Skride.
Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden (0845 548 7650) Jan 15 (3pm) and touring; see harmonien.no for details
Philip Glass Total Immersion
Philip Glass’s hypnotic form of minimalism has swept the globe, but few know all his vast output. This day-long celebration from the BBC aims to portray him in the round, with the piano études, music from operas Akhnaten and Einstein on the Beach, and (on the 29th) his latest film score performed live.
Barbican Hall, London EC2 (0845 120 7511), Jan 28
February
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
The BSO has bagged a rising star to be its artist-in-residence, the tousle-haired, fierily expressive Serbian violinist Nemanja Radulovic. In this concert he performs Samuel Barber’s seraphic Violin Concerto, alongside music by Bartok and Lutosławki.
Lighthouse, Poole (01202 280000), Feb 15; Great Hall, Exeter (01392 726363), Feb 16
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Mozart’s Coronation Mass is often dismissed as a rococo sweet-of-sin, but a fine performance shows it's a masterpiece. This performance may do just that, as the SCO and Chorus has Mozart in its bones, and they’re joined by a terrific quartet of soloists.
March
Belief and Beyond Belief
Never modest in its aims, the London Philharmonic Orchestra tackles humanity’s search for meaning in its Belief and Beyond Belief series. The most ambitious concert is surely this one, which has Krzysztof Penderecki’s huge, heaven-storming St Luke Passion.
Royal Festival Hall, London SE1 (020 7960 4200), March 4
Hallé Orchestra
Elgar’s Enigma Variations may be well-known but they’re full allusions and meanings which mostly pass un-noticed. At this concert they’ll be revealed in one of Gerard McBurney’s incomparable ‘Beyond the Score’ presentations, before the piece itself is conducted by Mark Elder.
Patricia Kopatchinskaja
Moldovan violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja is like a force of nature, playing classical masterworks with a folk-like spontaneity. Her residency at the Wigmore Hall gives us a chance to view her talent at close hand. It kicks off at this concert with music by Ravel, Webern, Schumann and Bartók.
Wigmore Hall, London W1 (020 7935 2141), March 27
Jazz
January
South Coast Jazz Festival
This quirky festival migrates along the south coast, launching off at the Verdict in Brighton with local acts before pitching up at Ropetackle Arts Centre in Shoreham-by-Sea for Alec Dankworth, Sarah Jane Morris and irrepressible trombonist Dennis Rollins.
Verdict, Brighton (verdictjazz.co.uk), Jan 16-25, Ropetackle Arts Centre, Shoreham-by-Sea (01273 464440), Jan 26-29
February
Hidden Orchestra
Part of a weekend jamboree of left-field music in Hull, this double-bill features Joe Acheson’s Hidden Orchestra alongside a cracking quartet of improvising musicians featuring electro-acoustic duo Spring Heel Jack and veteran saxophonist Evan Parker.
Hull City Hall (01482 300300), Feb 18
March
Jazzwise Festival
Jazzwise magazine marks its fifteenth anniversary with a superb six-day festival at Ronnie Scott’s. Among the highlights are veteran bassist Ron Carter performing his tribute to Miles Davis, keyboardist Kit Downes’s Troyka, and German pianist Michael Wollny’s [em].
Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club (020 7439 0747), March 12-17
Bristol Jazz & Blues Festival
This year’s festival’s highlight is a new jazz score for Fritz Lang’s Metropolis from local boy and star saxophonist Andy Sheppard. Alongside it are superb jazz acts including Laura Jurd and Yazz Ahmed, star blues artists Mud Waterfield and Kirk Fletcher, and Grammy award-winning singer Macy Gray.
Various venues, Bristol (0844 887 1500), March 16-20
Folk
Normafest
The grand dame of English folk music Norma Waterson is celebrated in her home town of Whitby by a galaxy of English folk talent including Martin and Eliza Carthy, with guest appearances from Peggy Seeger, Lynched, Richard Hawley, and Norma herself.