Published: 6 October, 2011
by SEBASTIAN TAYLOR

LEADING Russian mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina is singing at the Barbican tomorrow evening (Friday), opening a week of some memorable singing around town.

Her voice – dark, velvety and powerfully dynamic – has won her acclaim since her string of operatic debuts in the 1990s.

At the recital, however, she’ll be singing music by Russian composers including Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, Mussorgsky and Shostakovich.

Also tomorrow, the Wigmore Hall has the first of concert in its series of William Byrd’s sacred music performed by The Cardinall’s Music.

The series will be the largest-ever celebration of the English Renaissance master’s music in London.

On Sunday, back at the Barbican, there’ll be some fine singing in the Britten War Requiem by soprano Savina Cvilak, tenor Ian Bostridge and baritone Simon Keenlyside in a performance with the LSO and LSO Chorus, to be repeated on Tuesday.

Next Wednesday at Kings Place, there’ll be a rare opportunity to hear some of Mozart’s finest liturgical works written during his years in Salzburg, the performance ending with the glorious motet Ave verum corpus written in the last years of his life. Singing will be the choir of King’s College Cambridge, with instrumental support from the Dante Quartet and two horn players.

Next Thursday at Union Chapel, Islington, the first book of Monteverdi exquisite madrigals is to be sung in its entirety by leading Baroque ensemble Les Arts Florissants, their performance including other works by Monteverdi and his contemporaries.