ASMF & Stella Chen
25 September 2026, 19:30
Church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London
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25 September 2026, 19:30
Friday
Church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London
Programme:
Beethoven Violin concerto in D major, OP.61
-interval-
Caroline Shaw Punctum
Mozart Symphony No.39 in E-flat major, K.543
“They say the Beethoven Violin Concerto takes time to love – it isn’t always a young violinist’s first infatuation. But even at eighteen, it was, for me, the ultimate ideal: a marriage of compositional perfection and devastating beauty.” – Stella Chen
Gramophone Young Artist of the Year 2023, violinist Stella Chen, joins the Academy of St Martin in the Fields to perform one of the greatest violin concertos of the nineteenth century. From the opening drumbeats, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto unfolds into a journey from wind chorales to warm string chords and orchestral climaxes, all woven together by Chen’s lyrical and expressive violin playing. Her recent recording of the concerto with ASMF showcases her clarity and poetic intensity, capturing both the work’s grandeur and its intimate lyricism.
After the interval, Caroline Shaw’s Punctum reaches across the centuries for inspiration from J.S. Bach’s St Matthew Passion, drawing us into a musical conversation between the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and the great Baroque master, whose music was admired by both Beethoven and Mozart.
Mozart Symphony No. 39, the first of Mozart’s final three symphonies, brings this season-opening concert to its conclusion. In the key of E-flat major – shared with Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and Shaw’s Punctum – the symphony omits oboes and features clarinets and shows the influence from Haydn in its mischievous final movement.
Tickets: £10, £16, £25, £37.50, £50
This evening’s concert is supported by the Strings Section Supporters of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
This evening’s concert marks the start of ASMF’s 2026/27 London Season. Tickets including pre-concert and interval receptions, as well as an exclusive post-concert reception at Larry’s at the National Portrait Gallery (with thanks to our Opening Night Sponsors, Larry’s and the Daisy Green Collection) can be ordered by e-mailing development@asmf.org.
Academy of St Martin in the Fields is the principal orchestral partner of the St Martin-in-the-Fields, which is its historic home.
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