Perfect first classical concerts
Tried and tested favourites we think you’ll love.
Tutu good to miss
A handsome prince, a wicked wizard and a swan princess: Swan Lake might be a ballet about black magic and doomed love, but the real sorcery comes from Tchaikovsky’s stunning score. That’s the climax of this concert – but make no mistake, tonight there’s wonder from first note to last.
Swan Lake | 29 November 2024 | London
When watching a live orchestra there is always something to look at, so if you’re worried about attending a performance like I was, worry not, your attention span will be fully captured and enraptured.
The Live Review
Edge-of-your-seat excitement
Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto kicks off with a tune you’ll never forget. Following that are more beautiful melodies, flashy piano playing and a finale that will have you on the edge of your seat. That’s before we even get to the second half of the concert and Rachmaninoff’s final masterpiece: the electrifying Symphonic Dances.
Symphonic Dances | 19 February 2025 | London
Hearing a full orchestra live is also a next level experience, I cannot explain it but it was angelic to the senses.
The Live Review
Prepare to be blown away
A piece painting a picture of the Bavarian Alps calls for a supersized orchestra, complete with wind machine and organ. Waterfalls, glaciers, an ear-splitting storm – spectacular isn’t the word for Strauss’s Alpine Symphony.
An Alpine Symphony | 21 February 2025 | London
Step right up
Circus and classical music collide in this rare full-length performance of Ravel’s ballet Daphnis et Chloé. You can almost feel the sun on the back of your neck, hear every flurry of birdsong and see each ray of glistening light. It’s as fantastic as it sounds and with Circa, Australia’s internationally renowned circus company, taking centre stage, it’ll be a night to remember.
Daphnis and Chloé | 23 April 2025 | London