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Saturday 23 JanuarySheldonian Theatre, ?pm

SHOSTAKOVICH Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77

MUSSORGSKY-RAVEL Pictures At An Exhibition

Vadim Repin violin

Marios Papadopoulos conductor

Siberian-born violinist Vadim Repin brings his trademark virtuosity and poetic ardour to Oxford in a stunning evocation of Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto. Outlawed by Stalinist doctrine for years after its composition, the work continues to captivate audiences with its bewitching synthesis of alluring narrative, political angst and forbidden burlesque. Ravel’s vivid illustration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition redefines the acoustic memorial to Mussorgsky’s cherished friend Victor Hartmann. Touring Parisian catacombs, old castles and a witch’s den, Hartmann’s paintings come to life in a blaze of orchestral fervour

Tickets £50 £35 £25 £15

Supported by Geoffrey and Caroline de Jager

Vadim Repin

Sunday 24 JanuaryFaculty of Music, Denis Arnold Hall

University Residency Programme Masterclass with Vadim Repin ?Free admission

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Saturday 13 February Oxford Town Hall, 8pm

Grand Viennese BallSTRAUSS FAMILY Waltzes, Polkas, Marches, Quadrille

John Georgiadis conductor

Oxford Philomusica, led by the witty and charming maestro John Georgiadis, will recreate the grandeur and glamour of the great Viennese balls of the past in Oxford’s Victorian ballroom. Dance to Viennese waltzes, polkas, marches and a quadrille from the Strauss family or, if dancing isn’t your thing, simply sit back and soak up the atmosphere of this unique occasion.

Concert and dancing 8-11.15pm – £45Concert only 8-11.15pm – £25Optional dance lesson 12-2pm – £5Dress: white tie or period costume This event is bookable only through Oxford Philomusica’s Box Office Save 5% for groups 10+No other concessions apply

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Sunday 14 FebruarySheldonian Theatre, ?pm

Valentine's ConcertGERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue

BERNSTEIN West Side Story Suite

Echoris choir

Marios Papadopoulos piano/conductor

On Valentine’s Eve, Marios Papadopoulos performs Gershwin’s iconic Rhapsody in Blue, a musical kaleidoscope of America conceived amid the sweeping rhythms of a Boston-bound train. The hubbub of the New York streets will be conjured in Bernstein’s timeless score to the Broadway classic West Side Story. Swagger and jazz meet in the music to this story of love and rivalry, crowned by Bernstein’s dazzling urban soundscapes.

Tickets £42 £30 £20 £10

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Saturday 27 FebruarySheldonian Theatre, ?pm

TCHAIKOVKSY Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35

? ?

Vera Tsu violin

Long Yu conductor

Leading the development of the orchestral landscape in China, Long Yu has established an international reputation having become the first Chinese conductor to perform a televised concert at the BBC Proms in 2014. With compatriot violinist Vera Tsu, they join the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra for Tchaikovsky’s mellifluous Violin Concerto and contemporary gems from the Chinese music scene.

Tickets £42 £30 £20 £10

Long Yu

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Thursday 24 MarchSheldonian Theatre, ?pm

Maundy ThursdayBACH St John Passion BWV 245

New College Choir

Robert Quinney conductor

In one of the most poignant musical settings of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, Bach’s St John Passion expresses the extraordinary story with compelling foresight and empathy. The world-famous New College Choir join the Orchestra to recreate this most devout expression of Christian liturgy.

Tickets £42 £30 £20 £10

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Friday 1 AprilSheldonian Theatre, ?pm

BEETHOVEN Romance No. 1 in G major for Violin & Orchestra, Op. 40

Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21

TCHAIKOVSKY Melodie for Violin & Orchestra

Sérénade Mélancolique in B-flat minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 26

Pinchas Zukerman violin/conductor

Pinchas Zukerman has remained a phenomenon in the world of music for over four decades. His musical genius, prodigious technique and unwavering artistic standards are a marvel to audiences and critics. In Oxford he performs violin favourites including Tchaikovsky’s verdant Sérénade mélancolique, before manning the baton in Beethoven’s First Symphony. Conceived at the dawn of the nineteenth century, the Symphony was not only the forbearer of a new age, but also of a new symphonic vision which would steer future composers for centuries to come.

Tickets £50 £35 £25 £15

Pinchas Zukerman

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Friday 8 AprilSheldonian Theatre, ?pm

WAGNER Overture from Tannhäuser

Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan Und Isolde

STRAUSS Four Last Songs

Renée Fleming soprano

Marios Papadopoulos conductor

One of the most beloved and celebrated musical ambassadors of our time, soprano Renée Fleming captivates audiences with her sumptuous voice, consummate artistry and compelling stage presence. The ebullient Overture to Wagner’s Meistersinger von Nurnberg sets the stage for the intoxicating ‘Liebestod’ from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde – a monumental statement of musical Romanticism. Poetry and music fuse sublimely in Strauss’s Four Last Songs: an apotheosis of the composer’s life and work, his last will and testament in sound.

Tickets £50 £35 £25 £15

Renée Fleming

1717

Saturday 23 AprilSheldonian Theatre, ?pm

VIVALDI Four Seasons

NIGEL KENNEDY The English Collection

Nigel Kennedy violin

Maverick of the violin Nigel Kennedy is back to perform Vivaldi like you’ve never heard before. Only the unexpected is guaranteed in an evening of flare and dynamic improvisation from one of the most influential violinists of our time.

Tickets £50 £35 £25 £15

Nigel Kennedy

18

Thursday 12 MaySheldonian Theatre, ?pm

BRUCH Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 26

SCHUMANN Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 97

Kyung-Wha Chung violin

Marios Papadopoulos piano/conductor

The legend is back. Kyung Wha Chung’s intense stage presence and fiery musicianship established her as one of the foremost violinists of the twentieth century after she soared to fame on the London stage in 1970. Bolder than ever before, she returns to perform Bruch’s impassioned Violin Concerto No. 1. Overflowing with virtuosity and heartfelt sentiment in equal measure, it yields to an irrepressible finale of joy and elation. Schumann’s Third Symphony captures vividly his euphoric response to visiting the Rhineland in a work of melodic and rhythmic exuberance, set within a magisterial symphonic canvas.

Tickets £42 £30 £20 £10

Kyung-Wha Chung

Pre-concert Recital, 6.30pm

Young Artists' Platform A chance to hear some of Oxfordshire's most talented young musicians. Free admission

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Saturday 28 MaySheldonian Theatre, ?pm

CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21

SCHUMANN Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 97, ‘Rhenish’

Ivo Pogorelich piano

In 1778, Mozart revelled in the new orchestral forces that were available to him in the French capital. A new symphony was composed to impress the Parisian tastes: vitality, grandeur and spectacle coalesced in this dynamic symphonic work that left Mozart’s audiences cheering throughout. With many varied decorations of the melodic lines throughout Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp, the angelic pairing of solo instruments abounds in Mozart’s everlasting and sparkling invention.

Tickets £50 £35 £25 £15

Ivo Pogorelich

20

Sunday 5 JuneSheldonian Theatre, ?pm

Oxford Tickets £50 £35 £25 £15

Monday 6 JuneBarbican Centre, ?pm

Barbican Tickets £45 £39.50 £34.50 £29.50 £24.50 £19.50For booking fees see page 26 Box Office 020 7638 8891www.barbican.org.uk (Reduced booking fee online)

Maxim Vengerov

SIBELIUS Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 46*

TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No 6 in B minor, Op. 74, ‘Pathétique’

Maxim Vengerov violin/conductor

Marios Papadopoulos conductor*

Back by popular demand, Artist in Residence Maxim Vengerov returns with the original version Sibelius’s ethereal Violin Concerto. Ice and fire merge in the 1904 genesis of one of the most remarkable concertos of all time. Standing high at the summit of the orchestral landscape, the 'Pathétique' Symphony typifies one of Tchaikovsky’s finest achievements – ‘the best thing I ever composed or shall compose’ wrote Tchaikovsky to describe his final symphonic essay, a creation which quests profound intimacy and fathomless introspection.

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Thursday 16 JuneSheldonian Theatre, ?pm

SCHUBERT Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, D. 485

BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19

HAYDN Harmoniemesse

Christ Church Cathedral Choir

Sir András Schiff piano/conductor

András Schiff is world renowned and critically acclaimed both as pianist and conductor. Here he displays his virtuosity in both pursuits, leading the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra in Schubert’s breezy Symphony No. 5, before taking his seat at the keyboard for Beethoven’s uplifting Piano Concerto No. 2, stamped with both maturity and inventive vigour. Finally, joined by the celebrated Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Schiff steps once more onto the podium for Haydn’s profoundly moving 'Harmoniemesse’, rich in orchestration and heavenly vocal lines.

Tickets £50 £35 £25 £15

Sir András Schiff