Maxim Vengerov plays the Barbican

THE makers of the new Cate Blanchett movie Tár are keen to stress (no doubt on the advice of lawyers) that it’s fiction, but they’ve nonetheless taken enormous pains to make it feel like real. And there’s been much talk in the music world of parallels (up to a point!) between the central character, an American female conductor, and the real-life Marin Alsop – which perhaps explains why Alsop has condemned the film in print. If it were me, I’d sue.

But where Cate Blanchett’s maestra stumbles, Alsop goes from strength to strength as probably the most successful female conductor around. And she’s in London at the Barbican on Feb 8 & 9 to conduct the London Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven and Rachmaninov with the dazzling young pianist Eric Lu. Expect no fighting on the podium as in the film: just first-class music-making. barbican.org.uk

• Unequivocally real is the conductor/pianist Marios Papadopoulos who, 25 years ago, spotted a gap in the market: the absence of a professional orchestra in Oxford. With entrepreneurial flair he set one up, raising the money not just to keep it afloat but to give concerts with the starriest names in music as visiting soloists. And for its silver jubilee the Oxford Philharmonic comes to the Barbican on Feb 6 with one of the most faithful – Maxim Vengerov – to play Mendelsohn’s violin concerto. barbican.org.uk

• If you’ve never heard of élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, she’s one of those forgotten female composers whose work is being rediscovered – with, in her case, some amazing finds. A 17th-century child prodigy at the court of Louis XIV in France, she wrote the first French opera by a woman. Based on a Greek myth of love frustrated by the gods, it’s called Cephale et Procris and gets a rare production by the enterprising Ensemble OrQuesta at the Cockpit Theatre, Marylebone, 7-11 Feb. Worth exploring. ensembleorquesta.com

• A more modern composer, but also worth exploring, is Robert Hugill who makes a personal contribution to LGBT History month (it runs throughout February) with a showcase concert of his vocal music. Setting texts on gay-related themes by Michelangelo, Walt Whitman and others, it’s curated by pianist Nigel Foster and plays Feb 3 at Hinde Street Methodist Church, 19 Thayer Street, W1U 2QJ. Details: roberthugill.com/concerts

• The composer Joseph Horovitz was known for lighter music – like his theme tune for the Rumpole of the Bailey TV series and the jazzy oratorio Captain Noah. But he had a serious output too, and an extraordinary life: rescued from Nazi Austria in 1938, aged just 11, and then brought to Britain where he learned to be English but never quite lost his Austrian accent. Or his memories. Last year he died at the great age of 95. And to mark the first anniversary of his death, this Feb 9, there’s a memorial concert at the Austrian Cultural Forum, Knightsbridge – a remarkable place if you’ve never been there with a fine concert room. Admission free but booking essential: acflondon.org

• Finally, the pianist Dmitri Alexeev ranks high in world-listings but isn’t often heard in London. His only recital here this season is on Feb 7 in the intimacy of Leighton House, Holland Park. Details: 07872 161327