Wigmore Hall 125: Mendelssohn Octet

As part of Wigmore Hall's 125th Anniversary Festival, two of today's acclaimed international quartets, the Modigliani from France and the Leonkoro from Germany, come together for a live performance of Mendelssohn's Octet. Their programme also includes music from Joaquin Turina - his colourful tone painting 'the Bullfighter's Prayer' - and music by the immensely talented Austro-Czech composer Erwin Schulhoff, whose life was prematurely cut short by the Second World War.

Following the celebratory live concert from Wigmore, Classical Live and Mark Forrest begin a fortnight in the company of ten of today's outstanding conductors. Recent specially made recordings drawing on concert performances from ten of the world's brightest stars of the podium. Today the Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki performs two symphonies from fellow Finn, Jean Sibelius, including Sibelius's taut and profound 7th Symphony.

And Classical Live also features recordings from France of music by some of the great French Baroque masters of the keyboard, performed by harpsichordist Jean Rondeau - a musician at the forefront of a movement to bring the harpsichord and its repertoire to serve our times.

WIGMORE HALL 125 - LIVE

Joaquín Turina
La oración del torero Op. 34
Erwin Schulhoff
5 Pieces for String Quartet
Felix Mendelssohn
Octet in E flat Op. 20

Modigliani Quartet:
Amaury Coeytaux (violin)
Loïc Rio (violin)
Laurent Marfaing (viola)
François Kieffer (cello)

Leonkoro Quartet:
Jonathan Schwarz (violin)
Emiri Kakiuchi (violin)
Mayu Konoe (viola)
Lukas Schwarz (cello)

Introduced by Pertroc Trelawney

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Presented by Mark Forrest

Jean Sibelius
Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105
Danish National Symphony Orchestra
Susanna Mälkki, (conductor)

Jean-Philippe Rameau
Improvisation on Prelude in A minor (from 'Pièces de clavecin, Book 1)
Jean Rondeau, (harpsichord)

Ludwig van Beethoven
Violin Sonata in A major, Op. 30 No. 1
Victoria Mullova (violin)
Alisdair Beatson (piano)

François Couperin
Excerpts from 'Pièces de clavecin, Ordre 3' -
La Ténébreuse (Allemande)
La Lugubre (Sarabande)
La Favorite (Chaconne)
Jean Rondeau (harpsichord)

Jean Sibelius
Symphony No. 6 in D minor, Op. 104
Danish National Symphony Orchestra
Susanna Mälkki (conductor)