Contemplative Liszt - Ashley Wass plays Années de pèlerinage

A remarkable evening of exceptionally fine pianism and inventive programming, featuring seven of the UK's leading pianists in rich and varied repertoire.

Oxford May Music has been fusing arts and science for six years now. Thursday’s concert was evidence of this interdisciplinary ethos. Themed around “The Planets”, the evening combined a two-piano version of Gustav Holst’s suite with a talk by physicist Brian Cox.

A show of “all our favourite people”. Violinist Matthew Trusler's description of the charity concert organised by himself and his wife Maya Koch refers to his and Koch’s favourite people; however he could very well have meant his audience’s or even the concert-going public.

I had been greatly looking forward to hearing the Russian violinist Ilya Gringolts at the Wigmore Hall lunchtime recital. A former BBC New Generation Artist, as was his pianist Ashley Wass, I considered him a major talent back then, but hadn’t heard his performance for a while. Happily, he did not disappoint.

Viktoria Mullova is a superb soloist in Brahms' Violin Concerto, while an orchestra full of soloists play Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra with Kahchun Wong presiding. 

Kristiina Poska directs the RSNO in gripping Tchaikovsky and Pärt, but words and music only occasionally match in Elena Langer's new song cycle.