Coming up at the South Bank Centre

The South Bank devotes itself to a series of festivals this month, celebrating the restored Festival Hall Organ, Women of the World, and Bach. All this in addition to a visit from the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi.

Of course the big news this month is the completion of the organ, with a whole festival devoted to it. Following the launch concert (18/3) there are celebrity recitals, (John Scott 21/3, Thomas Trotter 24/3), a family friendly concert (22/3), organ lessons, exhibitions and talks, plus large scale concerts. The London Philharmonic Orchestra plays Poulenc's Organ Concerto and Saint-Saens Symphony no. 3 with James O'Donnell at the keyboard (26/3).

On this weekend (7- 9 March) is the Women of the World Festival, with talks, debates, music and comedy celebrating women.


Michael Tilson Thomas returns to the South Bank with two concerts with the San Fancisco Symphony Orchestra. For the first concert they combine Ives, Adams with Berlioz (15/3) and for the second perform Mahler's Symphony no. 3 (16/3).

Chelsea Opera Group performs one of Bellini's lesser known operas, I Capuleti e i Montecchi with Robin Newton conducting and Ana Maria Labin and Catherine Carby as the young lovers (16/3)

Siefiswald Kuijken directs the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in a programme of baroque music for the violoncello da spalla, a wondrous instrument which is played like a violin (!) and has recently been recreated from surviving originals. (25/3). Martin Feinstein is presenting his Bach weekend (14-16/3), with performances of chamber works from Feinstein and the Feinstein Ensemble, The Well Tempered Clavier Book 2 from Steven Devine, Mass in B Minor and cantatas with the London Bach Singers, the late Lute works with Jakob Lindberg, and the Feinstein Ensemble in The Art of Fugue.

Elsewhere on this blog:

• Challenging expectations: Flow my tears: Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen
• Pimlico Opera in Prison: Sister Act
• Fallen Women at WNO: Henze's Boulevard Solitude
• Handel's Rodelinda at the London Coliseum
• Fallen Women at WNO: Verdi's La Traviata
• In Dance and Song: Tom Poster recital disc - CD review
• Fallen Women at WNO: Puccini's Manon Lescaut
• Dramatic intensity: Lieder by Brahms and Wolf from Alastair Miles
• Happening at the Barbican: Circa and Quatuor Debussy in Opus
• Delight and charm: Paul Bunyan at ETO
• Total Immersion: Thea Musgrave at the Barbican
• Cantus Cölln at the Wigmore Hall
• Powerful performance: Rigoletto at ENO
• Home