Perhaps the most important event for classical music enthusiasts this year is the reopening of the Royal Festival Hall after a two-year refurbishment. Time will tell whether the new facilities and reconfigured acoustics are up to scratch but there's no doubt that the programming for the new season is thoroughly exciting.
In particular, the selection of great orchestras appearing during the opening season is second to none. In the first week of festivities, all four resident orchestras take centre stage for a series of landmark concerts. On 11 June 2007, a three-part concert will bring together 250 musicians in a celebration of 300 years of music. The London Philharmonic and their Principal Conductor Designate Vladimir Jurowski combine the world premiere of Julian Anderson's specially-commissioned Hallelujah for chorus and orchestra with Stravinsky's Firebird in the first part; the second part features members of all four orchestras in Ives' Unanswered Question while the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and London Sinfonietta play works by Birtwistle, Purcell and Handel; and the final section will feature the Philharmonia and Christoph von Dohnányi in the finale of Beethoven's Choral Symphony, the evening culminating with all four orchestras playing Ravel's Bolero together.
On 12 June, the Philharmonia returns under Principal Conductor Designate Esa-Pekka Salonen for Mahler's Symphony No 3, while the following day the LPO and Jurowski return for Prokofiev's Symphony No 5 and Mozart's Piano Concerto in D minor, K. 466, played by the great Imogen Cooper. Other highlights of the reopening involve Alfred Brendel performing the first solo recital in the newly refurbished hall (14 June); the Sinfonietta in a new piece by Mark-Anthony Turnage (15 June); Mitsuko Uchida and Charles Mackerras performing Mozart and Janacek (24 June); the LPO and Marin Alsop performing a special presentation of The Rite of Spring with live dance and 3D technology (26 and 27 June); and Brendel performing Beethoven with the Philharmonia (28 June).
Vocal works take precedence all year. Bryn Terfel brings his interpretation of Sondheim's Sweeney Todd to the RFH from 5-7 July, while Jude Kelly (Artistic Director of the South Bank Centre) directs a fully-staged production of Oscar Hammerstein II's updating of Bizet in Carmen Jones (25 July-2 September). Three other operatic concert performances promise great excitement over the new season. First in importance, the London Philharmonic performs Korngold's unjustly neglected Der Wunder der Heliane with Jurowski on 21 November; earlier that month, on 3 November the LPO teams up with Opera Rara for a potentially amazing performance of Bellini's La Straniera, which stars one of the greatest artists of today, soprano Patrizia Ciofi (who is soon to appear in Covent Garden's Rigoletto). Crowning all this is the annual visit of the Zurich Opera in a concert performance of Strauss' most popular opera, Der Rosenkavalier (12 April 2008).
Other vocal highlights include a performance by Sir Simon Rattle and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment of Schumann's rarely-heard Das Paradies und die Peri ; the orchestra also figures in a performance of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, an evening with star countertenor Andreas Scholl, and most especially in a gala evening on 30 June 2007 to celebrate their twenty-first birthday, which stars Philip Langridge, Mark Elder, Charles Mackerras, Robert Levin and Vladimir Jurowski amongst others.
The Shell Classical International season is surely the strongest to date. How can one begin to list the highlights? Riccardo Muti returns with the Chicago Symphony (5-6 October 2007); John Eliot Gardiner leads the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and the Monteverdi Choir (28-9 October); Mariss Jansons and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra begin a four-year tenure with Mahler's Fifth Symphony and Wagner orchestral pieces (November 2007); and other major orchestras include the Royal Concertgebouw with Daniele Gatti, the Budapest Festival Orchestra with Ivan Fischer, and the Basel Chamber Orchestra with Paul McCreesh and soloist Angelika Kirschlager.
Daniel Barenboim has been announced as the SBC's first Artist as Leader and will play the complete Beethoven sonatas in January and February 2008 as well as giving a series of talks on the role of the artist in society. Richard Goode gives a recital, masterclass and lecture-recital, while Mitsuko Uchida, Maurizio Pollini and Krystian Zimerman give further solo recitals. The Takacs, Alban Berg and Emerson Quartets all make appearances, while two major festivals celebrate the music of modern composers Nono (October 2007-March 2008) and Messiaen (throughout 2008).
The London Philharmonic has a very exciting season indeed, with a 75th birthday concert with Jurowski and Pollini on 7 October 2007 and a season to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Elgar outstanding amongst the many attractive programmes. Riccardo Muti returns to the Philharmonia to commemorate thirty-five years since his debut with them, while Vladimir Ashkenazy celebrates his 70th birthday in style and Andras Schiff presents Part Two of his highly-acclaimed Schubert series (read a review of his recent Schubert Lieder recital with Robert Holl here).
In all, it's obvious that the SBC are pulling out all the stops to make the reopening season a memorable one. There's something for everyone: don't miss out.