Schumann and Fauré rarities in an exceptional evening at Wigmore Hall

Presenting a cello—piano recital of mostly Gallic works spiced up with a contemporary British composition might appear counter-intuitive to most musicians. Not so to Steven Isserlis, who performed an unusual, challenging, inspiring and highly satisfying concert with pianist Connie Shih in Sydney on Monday night.

Red, white and blue bunting, with matching lighting, adorned the balconies of Cheltenham Town Hall, setting a patriotic scene for a concert of music from the year that World War I ended. Television presenter Julia Somerville opened the evening sat at a vintage newsdesk with her own careful research, for which she can be highly commended.

The concert opened with BBC newsreader Julia Somerville, summarising news from the year 1915 at an old-fashioned broadcasting desk complete with microphone. It was informative, and set the scene for this recital, one in a series of ‘time capsule’ concerts, solely featuring music composed in 1915 – including two of Debussy’s last chamber pieces.

Ambiance particulière à l'Auditorium de Lyon où en plein conflit social à Radio France s'est tenu un concert de l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France avec Philippe Herreweghe.

Mario Venzago and Steven Isserlis share an unusual programme of Kabalevsky and Schubert at the Victoria Concert Hall.