Maxim Vengerov plays Beethoven

Maxim Vengerov is back in Oxford on Saturday 13 February 2027, playing at Olivier Hall in St Edward's School on Woodstock Road. He's taking the lead on Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D major, a piece the composer was inspired to write after meeting the young virtuoso Franz Clement in 1794. It's paired with Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 in F major, the most concise of his later symphonies and known for its wit, invention and rhythmic vitality. The orchestra is the Oxford Philharmonic, conducted by Marios Papadopoulos.

Before the music starts, there's a pre-concert talk called 'Beethoven yesterday and today', given by Sir Nicholas Kenyon. He'll be looking at the composer's changing place in the classical music canon, so if you've ever wondered how we've come to view Beethoven the way we do, that's the bit to arrive for. The whole evening runs about two hours, with the talk at 18:00 and the concert following at 19:00.

The night is part of the Oxford Beethoven Festival 2027, put together to mark the 200th anniversary of Beethoven's death. It also sits within the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra's 2026/27 season. The orchestra itself was founded in 1998 by Music Director Marios Papadopoulos, who's conducting here.

Tickets are £20, £35, £45 and £65, with student tickets from £5. The talk starts at 18:00 and the concert at 19:00, with the whole thing running for about two hours.