Martha Argerich Plays Ravel at Oxford's Historic Sheldonian

By Alyssa | WhatsOn local events writer Alyssa picks out timely events, local favourites and useful places to eat, stay and explore.

Few occasions in the international concert diary stir quite as much anticipation as a live appearance by Martha Argerich, and seeing her perform Maurice Ravel’s jazz-tinted Piano Concerto in G major alongside the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra inside Sir Christopher Wren’s 17th-century Sheldonian Theatre is nothing short of a landmark cultural event. Widely hailed as one of the greatest pianists of our time, Argerich pairs her legendary intensity and mercurial touch with an orchestral programme that also showcases Camille Saint-Saëns’s whimsical The Carnival of the Animals, featuring narration by Annie Dutoit-Argerich under the baton of Music Director Marios Papadopoulos. For lovers of live music, securing a seat beneath the painted canvas ceiling of Oxford’s ceremonial heart to witness an artist of Argerich’s calibre offers an intimate, electrifying encounter that simply cannot be replicated in a standard modern arena.

Ravel’s Kinetic Spark and Whimsical Menageries

The energy inside the Sheldonian during a premier orchestral engagement is palpable well before the conductor lifts his baton. Ravel’s concerto bursts into life with a literal whip-crack, launching an exhilarating sweep of Basque rhythms, syncopated blues flourishes, and luminous, glass-clear lyricism that demands supreme technical finesse. Hearing Argerich navigate the work’s dizzying outer movements and float the haunting, extended adagio across the Sheldonian’s tight wooden galleries delivers absolute goosebumps. Complementing the concerto’s driving pulse, Saint-Saëns’s playful suite transforms the acoustic space with dancing double basses portraying elephants, twinkling glass-harmonica scales suggesting an underwater aquarium, and Annie Dutoit-Argerich’s spoken text bringing witty character to every musical vignette.

An Electric Gathering Beneath Wren’s Painted Skies

The audience inside the Sheldonian for an event of this stature brings an electric, expectant hush rarely felt in routine concert settings. Music lovers, visiting scholars, and international concertgoers sit practically shoulder-to-shoulder on historic tiered oak benches, completely engrossed by the proximity of the players. With no proscenium arch separating the staging from the house, listeners in the lower tier are just paces away from the grand piano, while those perched up in the curving balconies look straight down over the orchestra’s shoulders. The collective focus in the room is total; when the final cadenza resolves, the applause builds from an initial intake of breath into an ear-ringing ovation that reverberates off the stone pilasters and hand-carved woodwork.

Know Before You Go

• Book immediately via the official Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra booking page; seats for world-class guest soloists at the Sheldonian regularly sell out weeks in advance.
• Arrive at least 30 minutes before the 19:00 start to clear ticket checks, browse the programme, and navigate the narrow historic stairwells up to your tier.
• Dress in comfortable layers; Sir Christopher Wren’s 1669 hall features original wooden bench seating, and cushions are highly recommended if you have booked gallery benches without backs.
• Keep in mind that while ground-floor access is level, upper gallery levels involve steep, historic timber staircases that may present challenges for visitors with mobility impairments.
• Turn off mobile phones completely before entering, as the pristine acoustics pick up every rustle, cough, and screen glow throughout the auditorium.

Make a Weekend of It

Broad Street sits right at the core of university life, making it remarkably easy to turn this high-calibre concert into an indulgent winter weekend. Before taking your seat, take time to explore the historic quadrangle of the Bodleian Library directly next door, or take in the sweeping art collections at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology on nearby Beaumont Street, home to ancient treasures and world-class temporary exhibitions. If your cultural appetite extends into the following evening, catch a touring production or live staging across town at the Oxford Playhouse or check the roster at the New Theatre Oxford.

For dinner before the music begins, book a table nearby at Côte Brasserie on George Street for comforting French bistro fare like steak frites and warm tarte au citron, or venture over to Victors Oxford on the Westgate rooftop for modern cocktails and vibrant small plates under floral canopies. When it comes to retiring for the night, you can sleep surrounded by historic charm at The Randolph Hotel Oxford, a Graduate by Hilton, situated directly opposite the Ashmolean, or opt for contemporary boutique luxury at the Old Bank Hotel along the High Street, placing you just a tranquil five-minute stroll past Radcliffe Square from the venue.

Alyssa, for What's On Oxford — soak up every second of world-class piano brilliance in one of Britain's most awe-inspiring settings.