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Celebrity Recital: Christian Tetzlaff & Lars Vogt
Fri 24 Apr 2009 Town Hall
This partnership between two of today’s finest soloists is one of the great musical success stories of recent years. Each is a formidable artist in his own right, and as a duo they combine superb virtuosity and engaging musicianship. They are playing three of the most popular sonatas for violin and piano: a musical journey from the grave beauty of Bach’s F minor Sonata to the full-blooded romantic sweep of Cesar Franck, via the serenity of the much-loved a major Sonata by Brahms. Tickets £5-£20
*Christian Tetzlaff* violin *Lars Vogt* piano
*Bach* Sonata in F minor, BWV 1018 18’ *Brahms* Sonata in A major, Op 100 20’ *Franck* Sonata in A major 30’
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Sunday Morning Coffee Concert -Hendrickje Van Kerckhove & Inge Spinette
Sun 26 Apr 2009 Town Hall
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IgorFest: Orpheus
Thu 30 Apr 2009 Symphony Hall
We enter the final leg of our ground-breaking four-year Stravinsky cycle with a programme featuring two largescale orchestral works: the 1947 ballet Orpheus and the energetic, neo-classical Symphony in C. These frame a pair of religious works: what he called his ‘pocket requiem’, Requiem Canticles, and his exuberant arrangement of the music of J. S. Bach in Vom Himmel Hoch. Two of his many tributes to great contemporaries - in this case the writers T. S. Eliot and Aldous Huxley complete the programme. 6.15pm- Pre Concert Talk- The three final instalments of the CBSO’s epic journey through the complete works of Stravinsky - introduced by BBC Radio 3’s Anthony Burton
Jac van Steen - conductor CBSO Ex Cathedra
Stravinsky: Orpheus 31’ Stravinsky: Introitus - T. S. Eliot in memoriam 4’ Stravinsky: Requiem Canticles 15’ Stravinsky: Chorale Variations on ‘Vom Himmel Hoch’ 11’ Stravinsky: Variations: Aldous Huxley in memoriam 5’ Stravinsky: Symphony in C 28’
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Centre Stage Mozart: Oboe Quartet
Fri 1 May 2009 Book through our ticket office for CBSO Centre
Mozart: Oboe Quartet J. C. Bach: Oboe Quartet Beethoven: Serenade in D, Op. 8
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Centre Stage Rainer Gibbons (oboe) and the Montpellier String Trio
Fri 1 May 2009 Book through our ticket office for CBSO Centre
Rainer Gibbons (oboe) and the Montpellier String Trio Mozart: Oboe Quartet J. C. Bach: Oboe Quartet Beethoven: Serenade in D, Op. 8
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IgorFest: Biblical Works
Wed 6 May 2009 Symphony Hall
Though he was never especially strict in his Church attendance or attitudes, religion played an increasingly important part in Stravinsky’s output, and his later works based on Biblical texts are among his most profound and original. Tonight Sakari Oramo offers up four varied pieces based on Old Testament stories, culminating in Threni, Stravinsky’s extraordinary setting of the Lamentations of Jeremiah. There is also a New Testament counterpart in A Sermon, a Narrative and a Prayer. 6.15pm Pre-concert talk - Biblical Works
Sakari Oramo - conductor Roderick Williams -baritone
Stravinsky: Babel 5’ Stravinsky: Abraham and Isaac 10’ Stravinsky: The Flood 24’ Stravinsky: A Sermon, a Narrative and a Prayer 15’ Stravinsky: Threni 30’
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Dvorák’s New World Symphony
Fri 8 May 2009 Symphony Hall
Libor Pešek is one of a long line of Czech conductors who have the music of Dvorák firmly in their blood. He visits Symphony Hall with the Prague Symphony Orchestra in two of Dvorák’s best-loved works: the Cello Concerto, packed with superb melodies that tug at the heart-strings, and the evocative New World Symphony, one of the most enduringly popular of all symphonies. *Classic FM’s Anne-Marie Minhall says of tonight’s recommended concert:* _I interviewed the cellist Steven Isserlis for The Guest List on Classic FM before he was due to give a series of performances of Dvorak’s Cello Concerto and he had this insight into the work: “I think recordings distort it because actually although the cello is of course the most important instrument, it's really like a big symphony in that there are so many important parts in the orchestra as well. The solo flute part is very, very important, (as is) the solo clarinet part, and there's lots of duets and there's lots of bits where the cello is accompanying the orchestra, so I like to think of it as chamber music on a huge scale." Tonight Nina Kotova is the soloist for the Concerto written by a love-struck and homesick Dvorak._ "Classic FM":http://www.classicfm.co.uk Tickets £5-£37.50
*Prague Symphony Orchestra* *Libor Pešek* conductor *Nina Kotova* cello
*Dvorák* Prague Waltzes 9’ *Dvorák* Cello Concerto 40’ *Dvorák* Symphony No 9, From the New World 40’
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IgorFest: The Fireworks Finale
Sat 9 May 2009 Symphony Hall
For the grand finale of our Stravinsky project, we return to the composer’s Russian roots with some musical fireworks. His 1922 comic opera Mavra - dedicated to Tchaikovsky - is a wickedly witty setting of a Pushkin tale set in a Russian village. In his glittering early Fireworks we can hear the influence of his teacher Rimsky-Korsakov, while his strange, visionary 1912 cantata The King of the Stars (composed at the same time as The Rite of Spring) sounds like nothing else on this earth. And there could be no other way to end this amazing journey than with the Rite - still, nearly a century after its scandalous Paris premiere, a piece which astounds with every performance. 6.15pm Pre-concert talk - The Fireworks Finale
Sakari Oramo - conductor Anita Watson - Parasha Liora Grodnikaite - The Neighbour Elizabeth Sikora - The Mother Robert Gardiner - The Hussar City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Stravinsky: Fireworks 4’ Stravinsky: Four Russian Peasant Songs 4’ Stravinsky: Mavra 27’ Stravinsky: The King of the Stars 5’ Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring 35’
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Orchestra of the Swan: Tasmin Little and Sibelius
Sun 10 May 2009 Town Hall
*Tasmin Little* Violin
*Sibelius* Rakastava *Roxanna Panufnik* Tibetan Winter Violin & Orchestra *Sibelius* The Swan of Tuonela *Sibelius* Violin concerto
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A Pastoral Symphony
Tue 12 May 2009 Symphony Hall
Like so many city dwellers then and now, Beethoven took great pleasure in escaping to the countryside, and captured these feelings in his Pastoral Symphony, premiered 200 years ago in the same concert as his fiery Fifth. Acclaimed Scottish conductor Douglas Boyd also takes us to the French countryside for a selection of Canteloube’s glorious French folk-songs, including the haunting Baïlèro, sung by one of our greatest sopranos. The imposing northern forests of Sibelius’ Tapiola offer a darker view of the natural world.
Douglas Boyd - conductor Joan Rodgers - soprano City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Sibelius: Tapiola 20’ Canteloube: Songs of the Auvergne 25’ Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral) 42’
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Handel's Arianna
Wed 13 May 2009 Town Hall
Handel heaven for lovers of great singing! We present a truly starstudded international cast for Arianna, the last in the academy of ancient music’s series of Handel operas in Birmingham and a fitting celebration of the 250th anniversary of Handel’s death. Since its first recording in 1999 Arianna has emerged as a forgotten masterpiece, full of vital, colourful music. It is the perfect vehicle for the sublime voices of Angelika Kirchschlager, Alice Coote, Lisa Milne and their colleagues, and baroque opera is a wonderful experience in the intimate and beautiful surroundings of Town Hall. Tickets £5-£30 Please note - Concert performance sung in italian. There will be two intervals.
*Academy of Ancient Music* *Christopher Hogwood* conductor *Lisa Milne* _Alceste_ *Angelika Kirchschlager* _Teseo_ *Sonia Prina* _Carilda_ *Alice Coote* _Tauride_ *Antonio Abete* _Minos_
*Handel* Arianna in Creta (1733) 164’
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Centre Stage Briony Shaw (violin), Richard Jenkinson (cello), Robert Markham (piano)
Fri 15 May 2009 Book through our ticket office for CBSO Centre
Briony Shaw (violin), Richard Jenkinson (cello), Robert Markham (piano) Schubert: Piano Trio in B flat, Op. 99
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Symphony Ballroom!
Fri 15 May 2009 Symphony Hall
Dust off those sequins, put on your dancing shoes... after last year’s sell-out performances, Symphony Ballroom is back! The CBSO’s symphonic big band, together with inspirational arranger/conductor John Wilson, will once again be joined by dancers from BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing for a show that combines great music, great dancing and is bound to get your toes tapping.
John Wilson - conductor Camilla Dallerup - dancer Ian Waite - dancer City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
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Symphony Ballroom!
Sat 16 May 2009 Symphony Hall
Dust off those sequins, put on your dancing shoes... after last year’s sell-out performances, Symphony Ballroom is back! The CBSO’s symphonic big band, together with inspirational arranger/conductor John Wilson, will once again be joined by dancers from BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing for a show that combines great music, great dancing and is bound to get your toes tapping.
John Wilson - conductor Camilla Dallerup - dancer Ian Waite - dancer
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Notelets Beasts, Bugs & Butterflies! 11am
Sun 17 May 2009 Book through our ticket office for CBSO Centre
Beasts, Bugs & Butterflies! - a mini concert for 3-5 year olds and their families. Meet our musical selection of weird and wonderful creatures and creepy-crawlies.
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Notelets Beasts, Bugs & Butterflies! 2pm
Sun 17 May 2009 Book through our ticket office for CBSO Centre
Beasts, Bugs & Butterflies! - a mini concert for 3-5 year olds and their families. Meet our musical selection of weird and wonderful creatures and creepy-crawlies.
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Andsnes Plays Mozart and Beethoven
Sun 17 May 2009 Town Hall
The outstanding pianist Leif Ove Andsnes plays and directs a pair of contrasting classical concertos with his native Norwegian musicians: sparkling, sunny Mozart and turbulent Beethoven. Two much-loved works from a later era continue the classical and Norwegian themes - Prokofiev’s dashing Classical Symphony and Grieg’s Holberg Suite. *Classic FM’s Anne-Marie Minhall says of tonight’s recommended concert:* _ Leif Ove Andsnes is one of my favourite musicians. Not only is he one of the best pianists on the planet, he’s also deeply passionate about every project he undertakes from playing Grieg on top of a Norwegian mountain to running his own annual summer music festival in Risor, three hours from Oslo. Andsnes is also a devoted chamber musician and regularly works with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra as their first guest leader._ "Classic FM":http://www.classicfm.co.uk Tickets £5-£30
*Norwegian Chamber Orchestra* *Leif Ove Andsnes* _piano/director_ *Terje Tønnesen* _director_
*Mozart* Piano Concerto No 14 in E flat, K449 22’ *Prokofiev* Classical Symphony 14’ *Grieg* Holberg Suite 21’ *Beethoven* Piano Concerto No 3 in C minor, Op 37 34’
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The Emperor Concerto
Wed 20 May 2009 Symphony Hall
Premiered 200 years ago in 1809, Beethoven’s last and grandest concerto is a work on a truly epic scale, its torrents of notes providing the soloist with both a great challenge and a fantastic opportunity to shine, a task to which Birmingham favourite Freddy Kempf is well equal. 1809 was also the year of Mendelssohn’s birth, and we continue our bicentenary celebrations with his most popular and tuneful symphony. Finally, we stay in Italy for another of Tchaikovsky’s passionate tales of doomed love - this time, the lovers out of Dante’s Inferno.
Vassily Sinaisky - conductor Freddy Kempf - piano City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) 38’ Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 (Italian) 26’ Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini 24’
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Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto
Wed 20 May 2009 Symphony Hall
An evening of dazzling Spanish orchestral showpieces played in truly authentic style by the orquesta Nacional de España. Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez is the most famous of all guitar concertos, suffused with the atmosphere of hot Spanish nights and the animated rhythms of Spanish dance. No less evocative is Ravel’s Rapsodie Espagnole, one of the most captivating musical portraits ever painted of Spain. Ravel’s slow-burning Boléro brings this enjoyable concert to a climactic conclusion. Classic FM’s Anne-Marie Minhall says of tonight’s recommended concert: _The players of the National Orchestra of Spain are fine ambassadors of Spanish music and culture and tonight, together with guitarist Jose Maria Gallardo Del Ray, they’ll be performing the much-loved Rodrigo Concerto. Since its premiere nearly seventy years ago in Madrid, the Concerto De Aranjuez has become a firm favourite. The composer dedicated his most-famous work to the Spanish classical guitarist, Regino Sainz de la Maza, who also gave the first public performance of the work._ "Classic FM":http://www.classicfm.co.uk Tickets £5-£37.50
*Orquesta Nacional de España* *Josep Pons* conductor *José María Gallardo* guitar
*Turina* Danzas Fantásticas 17’ *Rodrigo* Concierto de Aranjuez 21’ *Ravel* Alborada del Gracioso 9’ *Ravel* Rapsodie Espagnole 15’ *Ravel* Boléro 13’
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The Emperor Concerto
Thu 21 May 2009 Symphony Hall
Premiered 200 years ago in 1809, Beethoven’s last and grandest concerto is a work on a truly epic scale, its torrents of notes providing the soloist with both a great challenge and a fantastic opportunity to shine, a task to which Birmingham favourite Freddy Kempf is well equal. 1809 was also the year of Mendelssohn’s birth, and we continue our bicentenary celebrations with his most popular and tuneful symphony. Finally, we stay in Italy for another of Tchaikovsky’s passionate tales of doomed love - this time, the lovers out of Dante’s Inferno.
Vassily Sinaisky - conductor Freddy Kempf - piano City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) 38’ Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 (Italian) 26’ Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini 24’
