The year will be long remembered for recitals to an empty Wigmore Hall, car-park Puccini, Ravel as animation – and one man and his piano…
1. Igor Levit’s livestreamed house concerts
March-May
In an empty room, often in socks or slippers, the Russian-born pianist’s spontaneous response to global lockdown was to give nightly recitals – more than 50 in total – from his flat in Berlin, watched by a worldwide audience: the classical cult event of year, but incredible music-making too.
2. Wigmore Hall
London; From June
The revered London venue proved itself an agile pioneer in making live concerts free for all to watch online (or to hear via BBC Radio 3), with or without audiences. On 1 June the pianist Stephen Hough made headlines when he broke the 11-week lockdown silence across UK concert halls with a live lunchtime concert to an empty hall. His performance of the Bach-Busoni Chaconne felt like a moment in Covid-19 history.
