Masterpieces Unboxed: Beethoven's Pathétique

Paul Lewis / Schubert’s Sonatas / Piano masterpieces

Franz Schubert held the torch at Ludwig van Beethoven's funeral. It was a symbolic moment – the younger composer was taking over the Promethean flame from a genius. Despite the pathos, it is an accurate association when comparing their symphonies or quartets. However, Schubert did not take over the flame for long – he died less than two years later. In the last months of his life, he created a series of masterpieces, among them three piano sonatas. After their publication, they were heavily criticised for departing from Beethovenian patterns. However, inspiration does not mean imitation after all! Schubert's style is gentle and less definite. Every play is lined with melancholy; contemplation borders on the sublime and ecstasy. Very few people can portray the entire universe of these three sisters' works as aptly as Paul Lewis. It has to be experienced. Adam Suprynowicz Concert duration: approximately 140 minutes

Masterpieces Unboxed: Schubert's 'Death and The Maiden'

For lovers of chamber music the Recital Hall is the venue of choice. You can hear the musicians breathe and you can practically touch them. This hall is also cherished by musicians for its beautiful acoustics and direct contact with the audience. In the Recital Hall you can hear the best musicians of our time. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Recital Hall for yourself!

Arditti Quartet / The quartet and modern masterpieces / cancelled

The Arditti Quartet is a chamber music legend. Half a century ago, the violinist Irvine Arditti invited three friends of his, students at London’s Royal Academy of Music, to perform Krzysztof Penderecki’s String quartet No. 2 together. Since then, the ensemble has premiered hundreds of contemporary pieces, released over 200 albums and traveled all the world with new music. The Arditti Quartet will perform a 20th-century masterpiece by Witold Lutosławski, music by Lucia Dlugoszewski, an American composer with Polish roots who is still little known here, and a piece by James Dillon, the quartet’s collaborator since the 80s. Adam Suprynowicz Concert duration: approximately 100 minutes

Guest performance Masterpieces of Popular Classical and Romantic Music

Beethoven's Ninth

An unforgettable all-Beethoven programme featuring the monumental Choral symphony with its climactic ‘Ode to Joy’ performed by the renowned Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Barbican Quartet: Beethoven's String Quartet opus 132

For lovers of chamber music the Recital Hall is the venue of choice. You can hear the musicians breathe and you can practically touch them. This hall is also cherished by musicians for its beautiful acoustics and direct contact with the audience. In the Recital Hall you can hear the best musicians of our time. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Recital Hall for yourself!

Belcea Quartet & Beethoven's Razumovsky Quartet No. 3

For lovers of chamber music the Recital Hall is the venue of choice. You can hear the musicians breathe and you can practically touch them. This hall is also cherished by musicians for its beautiful acoustics and direct contact with the audience. In the Recital Hall you can hear the best musicians of our time. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Recital Hall for yourself!

Belcea Quartet & Beethoven's Razumovsky Quartet No. 3

For lovers of chamber music the Recital Hall is the venue of choice. You can hear the musicians breathe and you can practically touch them. This hall is also cherished by musicians for its beautiful acoustics and direct contact with the audience. In the Recital Hall you can hear the best musicians of our time. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Recital Hall for yourself!

Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis

'From the heart: may it go to the heart.’ Beethoven’s inscription at the head of this totemic work leaves us in no doubt; his epic setting is both the grandest of public mass settings and a deeply personal affirmation of spiritual belief and music he wrestled with for over four years before its completion.Former King’s Choral Scholar and the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Principal Conductor, Edward Gardner, leads the LPO and the choirs of Clare, Jesus, Selwyn and Trinity, joined by singers from many other college choirs. This extraordinary choral gathering unites representatives from more colleges than any other since the Cambridge Prom of 2009.

Aural Spaces – Alma Quartet presents Beethoven's Grosse Fuge in 4DSOUND (live)

One moment you are listening to a string quartet in a traditional setting, and then you are surprised when the melodies of the various instruments start to dance around you. With respect for the original work, experiments are made with the material to bring the subtle as well as coarse dynamics of the piece to life in new dimensions. Different ways are explored to express the richness of the string instruments, even to the point of abstraction, where you end up in a world of sound rather than listening to music, until another melody appears on the horizon.The Alma Quartet is a renowned string ensemble of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra that brings together innovation and tradition in an exciting and unprecedented way. ‘They have a collective antenna for refined timbres’, according to de Volkskrant. The Alma Quartet consists of Marc Daniel van Biemen (violin), Benjamin Peled (violin), Jeroen Woudstra (viola), and Clément Peigné (cello). The quartet has a trademark knack for special collaborations, projects in which classical music flawlessly bleeds into the domains of pop, folk music, avant-garde and jazz. The Alma Quartet is also widely acclaimed within classical circles all over the world, especially for their unique interpretations of Korngold and Schulhoff.This concert is part of the Aural Spaces festival. From 12 to 15 December, a new dimension will be added to the live music experience in the Recital Hall of The Concertgebouw. The familiar red plush chairs will make way for a 4DSOUND installation, consisting of 13 pillars with 41 speakers. Classical acoustic methods are combined with the modern technology of 4DSOUND, further expanding the possibilities of sound experience.Aural Spaces explores the boundaries between sound and space, blurring them and merging them. The result is a completely immersive listening experience that’s all too rare. Discover and feel how the music moves through space!