Under a new artist-first model, Wigmore Hall will pay the full production costs for every release and will take no share of recording income, passing on 100% of royalties received directly to the performing artists, reaffirming the Hall’s longstanding commitment to supporting its artists. Wigmore Hall Live will release four digital-only recordings per year, developed in close collaboration with artists and drawn from live performances at the Hall.

Under a new partnership with Apple Music Classical each new Wigmore Hall Live release will première exclusively on the platform for three months in an environment designed specifically for classical music, where recordings are curated and discovered with the depth, context and sound quality the repertoire demands. Apple Music Classical’s partnerships with the world’s leading venues, festivals, opera houses and orchestras enables artists to transform their international profile and connect to new audiences. With Apple Music Classical’s global reach and advanced audio capabilities, this new partnership allows Wigmore Hall to bring some of the atmosphere and detail of live performance in the Hall’s acoustic to a wide international audience.

The first release, out Friday 5 June, features pianist Boris Giltburg performing Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas Nos. 4, 8 (“Pathétique”), 9, 20 and 26 (“Les Adieux”), recorded live at Wigmore Hall in February 2025. The release is accompanied by an artist commentary track from Giltburg offering deeper insight into the repertoire. A free preview track from “Les Adieux” is available to stream now.

John Gilhooly, Director of Wigmore Hall, said:

“Wigmore Hall Live has always sought to capture something unique – the intimacy and spontaneity of live performance in the Hall, so we are delighted to partner with Apple Music Classical. Its advanced sound quality will allow listeners everywhere to experience Wigmore Hall concerts as close to the live event as possible. Central to all of this are our artists and our new model for Wigmore Hall Live gives us the opportunity to support their recordings and to share their exceptional artistry with audiences around the world.”

Jonathan Gruber of Apple Music Classical, said:

“Apple Music Classical is thrilled to be partnering with the iconic Wigmore Hall, a true trailblazer in bringing live performances to audiences around the world. With the largest catalogue and best-in-class search capabilities, we share the same passion for giving artists the widest and most accessible platform possible for music lovers everywhere. We can't wait to support the exciting lineup of releases Wigmore Hall Live has coming in the years ahead."

A pioneering label

Founded in 2005 as one of the first record labels established and run by a concert venue, Wigmore Hall Live was created to preserve the immediacy and intimacy of performances in the Hall’s renowned acoustic. It was awarded Label of the Year at the Gramophone Awards in 2011 and has continued to innovate, producing pioneering livestreamed concerts in the UK during the first national lockdown in 2020 and presenting dozens of livestreamed concerts each season since, reaching audiences worldwide.

In this new artist-led phase for Wigmore Hall Live, the Hall will be able support artists by absorbing all production costs for new releases and paying 100% of the royalties received, whilst presenting their work in an environment designed around classical music, to a wide global audience.

Forthcoming Wigmore Hall Live releases are planned with:

• Alexander Gadjiev
• The English Concert with Lucy Crowe and Hugh Cutting
• Anja Mittermüller and Richard Fu
• Cyrille Dubois and Tristan Raës
• Johannes Moser and Andrei Korobeinikov
• Pavel Haas Quartet

Further releases to be announced.

Wigmore Hall Live’s existing catalogue of recordings is available on Apple Music Classical, as well as other digital service providers.