Maxim Vengerov is one of the world’s greatest violin virtuosos. Vengerov’s sound and technical command of his instrument are legendary, and he has undertaken to pass on what he has learned in 40 years of playing the violin at the highest level. In addition to…
In the late 1880s, Tchaikovsky felt himself suddenly free from the catastrophes that were haunting his private life and carving a tragic path through his career. That much is clear from the new symphony taking shape on the composer’s desk at the time. Light floods…
Beethoven Excerpt from Andante favori, WoO 57 Beethoven Andenken, WoO 136 Beethoven An die Hoffnung, Op. 32 Beethoven String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 95 Beethoven An die ferne Geliebte, Op. 98 Beethoven Resignation, Wo0 149 Beethoven Bagatelle in E flat major,…
Two decades in the making, the first of Johannes Brahms’s symphonies is a powerful drama of heroism and defiance whose journey to victory over torment contains as much intimacy as grandeur. This is a symphonic struggle on Brahms’s own lyrical, melancholy-tinged terms with hints of the delicate nobility that…
Beethoven’s primary concern in his radiant Mass in C major was ‘not God or princes, but the human being entering the church.’ A combination of spirituality and humanity can be felt in almost every bar of the piece, which treated the text and sentiments of the Mass as they had…
Drama and suffering lie at the heart of Bach’s concentrated depiction of Christ’s arrest, rendition and execution, the St John Passion. But this probing, unsettling yet beautiful work is also one of Bach’s most optimistic, ending with a confident look to the future that invites…
Both Jon Thorne and Charlotte Scott are valued members of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, as Solo Viola and Associate Concertmaster respectively. Charlotte trained as a violinist at the Royal Academy of Music, where Jon is now a Professor of Viola and Chamber Music. As members of the Badke Quartet from…
Beethoven’s ninth still sounds palpably off-the-leash despite the two centuries of musical evolution that have passed since its first performance in 1824. This most iconic of symphonies is still riddled with contradictions – part model of classical form, part complete rule-breaker; a dark, deranged romp and an inspiring journey to…
Alasdair Malloy presenter Come and join Alasdair Malloy and the Oxford Phil for some Animal Antics featuring our furry, feathered and finned friends. Bring a toy animal to join in the fun and hear music about cats and dogs, penguins and panthers and creatures who…
Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Solo Cello Mats Lidström is joined by Sholto Kynoch to resume our series of Beethoven’s cello sonatas, beginning with a genuine rarity: the composer’s own cello arrangement of his perky Horn Sonata in F major. As well as works by the composer’s…