1 Cecilia Bartoli & Philippe Jaroussky
Star mezzo-soprano Bartoli and star countertenor Jaroussky join forces for a rare recital together with the period-instruments of Ensemble Artaserse. The programme is exclusively Italian: choice baroque morsels by Monteverdi, Steffani and Cavalli, interspersed with instrumental numbers by their contemporaries.
Wigmore Hall, W1, 24 June
2 Albert Herring
The Grange festival may have saved the best until last in its inaugural season. Its final new production brings together two of the most experienced hands in British opera, director John Copley and conductor Steuart Bedford. Richard Pinkstone is in the title role, with Orla Boylan as the formidable Lady Billows.
The Grange at Northington, Alresford, 25 June to 9 July
3 East Neuk festival
Schubert’s piano music and chamber works provide the focus for this year’s long weekend of music-making on the east coast of Scotland. Pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja leads the roster of visiting performers; her solo recital (29 June) includes early and late Schubert, and she also joins the Belcea Quartet for Schubert’s Trout Quintet (1 July), while the quartet themselves take on the last string quartets.
Various venues, Fife, 28 June to 2 July
4 New Music Biennial
As UK city of culture, Hull was an obvious location for the latest edition of the PRS Foundation’s new-music fest. There’s a densely packed programme across the stylistic spectrum, from Simon Holt to Laurence Crane, Anna Meredith to Brian Irvine. Plus, it all gets repeated next week at the Southbank Centre.
Various venues, Hull, 30 June to 2 July; at Southbank Centre, SE1, 7-9 July
