Wigmore Hall kicked off a two-week festival celebrating its 125th anniversary with a gala concert that partially recreated the venue's inaugural programme from May 1901. The evening began with God Save the King, performed by soprano Louise Alder and pianist Joseph Middleton, echoing the original concert which had opened with the national anthem following the death of Queen Victoria.
The concert featured a starry lineup including Thomas Adès, who played a new piano version of his 2023 guitar piece Vesper (for Henry Purcell) and Beethoven's Op 109 piano sonata. Violinist Alina Ibragimova performed Bach's first Partita for solo violin, while pianist Cédric Tiberghien delivered Brahms's Paganini Variations. The programme was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, with presenter Ian Skelly providing historical context.
Originally built in 1901 by piano manufacturer Bechstein, the hall was intended as a showcase for the finest pianists. It was sold to the Debenhams group in 1916 due to anti-German regulations during World War I, and renamed Wigmore Hall in 1917. The venue has since proven remarkably resilient, hosting concerts through World War II and adapting to changing times, including early performances by David Bowie.
The gala concert highlighted Wigmore Hall's enduring strengths in chamber music, solo recitals, and song. Critics praised the performances as celebratory and polished, with Adès bringing drama to Beethoven, Alder and Middleton delivering a mini-opera-like rendition of Schubert's Erlkönig, and Tiberghien displaying 'old-school Busoni-style dazzle' in the Brahms variations.
