Augustin Hadelich plays Barber’s Violin Concerto

Linton Stephens showcases superb performances from the UK and beyond.

Visits to two of the world’s leading classical music festivals form the bedrock of Classical Live this week: the Edinburgh International Festival and Lucerne Festival in the heart of Switzerland. From the Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh, pianist Alessio Bax is joined by an elite group of musicians from the Berlin Philharmonic to play the Sextet by Erno Dohnanyi. In Lucerne, conductor Klaus Mäkelä joins forces with the sensational violinist Augustin Hadelich for Barber’s exquisite Violin Concerto. There’s also music by Handel and Haydn recorded in concert in Frankfurt earlier this year, with the organist and Baroque specialist Ton Koopman conducting the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra.

George Frideric Handel
Concerto a due cori No. 1 in B flat, HWV332
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra
Ton Koopman (conductor)

From Lucerne Festival 2026:
Samuel Barber
Violin Concerto, Op. 14
Augustin Hadelich (violin)
Lucerne Festival Orchestra
Klaus Mäkelä (conductor)

Ervin T. Rouse
Orange Blossom Special
Augustin Hadelich (violin)

Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 80 in D minor
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra
Ton Koopman (conductor)

From Edinburgh International Festival 2026:
Erno Dohnanyi
Sextet for piano, clarinet, horn and string trio
Alessio Bax (piano)
Members of the Berlin Philharmonic

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