1: Shakespeare 400
On the anniversary of the Bard’s death, Andrew Gourlay and the BBC Philharmonic give the premieres of five pieces –intended as incidental music for Shakespeare’s plays – from young composers Nina Whiteman, Aaron Parker, Chiu-Yu Chou, Tom Coult and Daniel Kidane, all of whom have Manchester connections.
Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, Sat
2: Tannhäuser
First seen in 2010, Tim Albery’s efficient production of Wagner’s most problematic great stage work gets a revival. Peter Seiffert sings the demanding title role this time around, with Emma Bell as Elisabeth, Sophie Koch as Venus, Stephen Milling as Hermann and Christian Gerhaher as Wolfram.
Royal Opera House, WC2, Tue to 15 May
3: Rolf Hind
The music of Peter Maxwell Davies, who died last month, was heard regularly at the Wigmore Hall through his half century-long career as a composer. Rolf Hind’s recital is dedicated to Davies’s memory; it will end with a performance of his Piano Sonata Op. 93, after music by Hans Abrahamsen, Simon Steen-Andersen and Hind himself.
4: Left, Alone
Two years ago, the City Of Birmingham Symphony gave the first British performance of Hans Abrahamsen’s haunting song cycle Let Me Tell You. Now the orchestra has managed to secure the UK premiere of his latest work: Left, Alone, is a piano concerto for left hand only, written for the fine French pianist Alexandre Tharaud, who will be the soloist.
Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Thu
5: Pleasure
It’s quite something these days to be writing an opera in your 20s, but then Mark Simpson did win the BBC young composers competition when he was just 17. Pleasure is a chamber opera set in a gay nightclub, where the enigmatic Val (Lesley Garrett) acts as confidante and comforter to all her regulars.
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