What's On — SymphonyHall events

• Century!  

  Thu 11 Dec Symphony Hall

  Today the musical world salutes the centenary of the birth of the great American composer Elliott Carter, the only major composer ever to reach his 100th year and still be creating new work. His new horn concerto is a perfect example of his art, and is played here by the CBSO’s own Elspeth Dutch. Tonight’s concert is actually a triple celebration of December 1908: the great French composer Olivier Messiaen was born just a day before Carter, and Elgar’s magnificent First Symphony had been premiered just a week before that. 6.15pm Pre-concert talk - Premiere! - Elliott Carter’s Horn Concerto Anthony Burton introduces the music of this great American survivor.
  Sakari Oramo - conductor Elspeth Dutch - horn
  Messiaen: L’Ascension 19’ Carter: Horn Concerto (UK premiere) 11’ Elgar: Symphony No. 1 52’
  

• Jason Donovan plus support 

  Fri 12 Dec Symphony Hall

  Jason Donovan has enjoyed a very successful and varied career in film, television and theatre plus a record-breaking international solo career in which he made over 13 million record sales. Most famous for his role as Scott Robinson in _Neighbours_, Jason won nearly every Australian award during his time on one of Australia’s most successful drama series and the hearts of millions. Jason’s vocal career began in 1988 when he released ‘Especially for You’ with Kylie Minogue and a debut solo album, _Ten Good Reasons_. Following the release of his second album in 1989, Jason became the biggest selling UK and European artist. In the same year he was voted Best Male Singer and Britain’s Best Album at the Smash Hits Awards. Jason has performed internationally to sell-out audiences of thousands. Jason triumphed in the West End when he starred as Joseph in _Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat_ at the Palladium. Jason played to critical acclaim and sell-out business. In 1998, Jason again drew sell-out crowds for his performance as Frank ‘N’ Furter in The Rocky Horror UK Tour, during the show’s 25th Anniversary.
  
  
  

• Great Romantics  

  Sat 13 Dec Symphony Hall

  Last Christmas Sakari Oramo brought us all some seasonal cheer with highlights from The Nutcracker; this year it’s the turn of another of Tchaikovsky’s great ballets. It shares the first half with possibly the most popular of all piano concertos, played by the Russian pianist with whom the CBSO has made an acclaimed series of Rachmaninov recordings. Elgar said that his First Symphony expressed ‘a wide experience of human life with a great charity (love) and a massive hope in the future’ how better to celebrate the festive season?
  Sakari Oramo - conductor Nikolai Lugansky - piano
  Tchaikovsky: Sleeping Beauty (highlights) 10’ Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 32’ Elgar: Symphony No. 1 52’
  

• A London Symphony  

  Wed 17 Dec Symphony Hall

  For our final tribute to Vaughan Williams in this 50th anniversary year of his death, we are joined by one of his leading interpreters for a rare hearing of the original 1913 version of his ‘London’ Symphony. This extraordinary work was subsequently dedicated to his friend George Butterworth, who unlike Vaughan Wiliams never returned from the trenches of World War I • as a result we only have a few pieces, of which tonight’s is the best known, to remember him by. The dazzling 1920s concerto by Vaughan Williams’ teacher Ravel completes the programme. 6.15pm Pre-concert talk - “A Symphony by a Londoner” English music specialist Michael Foster explores the genesis of Vaughan Williams’ colourful symphony.
  Richard Hickox - conductor Kirill Gerstein - piano
  Butterworth: Banks of Green Willow 6’ Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major 21’ Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony (original version) 61’
  

• Rattle Conducts Schumann  

  Fri 19 Dec Symphony Hall

  Earlier this year, Sir Simon Rattle picked music by Schumann as one of his eight choices on Desert Island Discs. Now he turns his attention to two of the composer’s most popular works: the fresh and vibrant _Spring Symphony_ and the _Rhenish Symphony_ - a joyous celebration of the Rhineland, the awe-inspiring gothic architecture of Cologne Cathedral and, of course, the river itself. *Classic FM’s Anne-Marie Minhall says of tonight’s recommended concert:* _Fresh from his role as one of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s Artists Laureate 2008 for the European Capital of Culture, Sir Simon Rattle returns to his former stomping ground here in Birmingham. This evening he’ll be conducting the OAE, an orchestra he’s been closely associated with for many years now. Rattle is one of just six conductors who’ve been key in the development of this self-governing orchestra established more than twenty years ago. It was he who took the OAE to Glyndebourne for the first time in 1989 with Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro; the orchestra is now a regular visitor to the East Sussex festival._ "Classic FM":http://www.classicfm.co.uk Tickets £5-£45
  *Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment* *Sir Simon Rattle* conductor
  *Berlioz* King Lear overture 15’ *Schumann* Symphony No 1, Spring 32’ *Schumann* Symphony No 3, Rhenish 33’
  

• A Christmas Carol  

  Sat 20 Dec Symphony Hall

  It simply wouldn’t be Christmas without the CBSO’s celebrations, hosted this year by presenter Carol Smillie and featuring the CBSO and its massed choirs. Packed with festive music and your favourite carols, plus stories, readings and plenty of audience participation, these concerts are the perfect way to kick-start your Christmas holidays and put you in the festive spirit.
  Simon Halsey - conductor Carol Smillie - presenter City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus & Youth Chorus City of Birmingham Young Voices
  
  

• A Christmas Carol  

  Sun 21 Dec Symphony Hall

  It simply wouldn’t be Christmas without the CBSO’s celebrations, hosted this year by presenter Carol Smillie and featuring the CBSO and its massed choirs. Packed with festive music and your favourite carols, plus stories, readings and plenty of audience participation, these concerts are the perfect way to kick-start your Christmas holidays and put you in the festive spirit.
  Simon Halsey - conductor Carol Smillie - presenter City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus & Youth Chorus City of Birmingham Young Voices
  
  

• A Christmas Carol  

  Sun 21 Dec Symphony Hall

  It simply wouldn’t be Christmas without the CBSO’s celebrations, hosted this year by presenter Carol Smillie and featuring the CBSO and its massed choirs. Packed with festive music and your favourite carols, plus stories, readings and plenty of audience participation, these concerts are the perfect way to kick-start your Christmas holidays and put you in the festive spirit.
  Simon Halsey - conductor Carol Smillie - presenter City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus & Youth Chorus City of Birmingham Young Voices
  
  

• A Christmas Carol  

  Mon 22 Dec Symphony Hall

  It simply wouldn’t be Christmas without the CBSO’s celebrations, hosted this year by presenter Carol Smillie and featuring the CBSO and its massed choirs. Packed with festive music and your favourite carols, plus stories, readings and plenty of audience participation, these concerts are the perfect way to kick-start your Christmas holidays and put you in the festive spirit.
  Simon Halsey - conductor Carol Smillie - presenter City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus & Youth Chorus City of Birmingham Young Voices
  
  

• A Christmas Carol  

  Mon 22 Dec Symphony Hall

  It simply wouldn’t be Christmas without the CBSO’s celebrations, hosted this year by presenter Carol Smillie and featuring the CBSO and its massed choirs. Packed with festive music and your favourite carols, plus stories, readings and plenty of audience participation, these concerts are the perfect way to kick-start your Christmas holidays and put you in the festive spirit.
  Simon Halsey - conductor Carol Smillie - presenter City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus & Youth Chorus City of Birmingham Young Voices
  
  

• Viennese New Year  

  Sat 3 Jan 2009 Symphony Hall

  Tap your toes into 2009 with the CBSO’s traditional Viennese concerts. With jubilant works by Mozart, and much-loved waltzes, polkas and arias by members of the Strauss family, let the CBSO whisk you off your feet to a world of dashing dancers and swirling ballgowns.
  Carlos Kalmar - conductor Sarah Tynan - soprano
  Mozart: La Clemenza di Tito - Overture Strauss: Acceleration Waltz Mozart: Exsultate Jubilate Strauss: Dragonfly Polka Strauss: Furioso Polka Suppé: Poet and Peasant Mozart: Idomeneo - Ballet Music Strauss: Village Swallows from Austria Strauss: Im Krapfenwaldl Strauss: Plappermäulchen! Strauss: Operetta Arias Strauss: Anvil Polka Strauss: Blue Danube Waltz
  

• Viennese New Year  

  Sat 3 Jan 2009 Symphony Hall

  Tap your toes into 2009 with the CBSO’s traditional Viennese concerts. With jubilant works by Mozart, and much-loved waltzes, polkas and arias by members of the Strauss family, let the CBSO whisk you off your feet to a world of dashing dancers and swirling ballgowns.
  Carlos Kalmar - conductor Sarah Tynan - soprano
  Mozart: La Clemenza di Tito - Overture Strauss: Acceleration Waltz Mozart: Exsultate Jubilate Strauss: Dragonfly Polka Strauss: Furioso Polka Suppé: Poet and Peasant Mozart: Idomeneo - Ballet Music Strauss: Village Swallows from Austria Strauss: Im Krapfenwaldl Strauss: Plappermäulchen! Strauss: Operetta Arias Strauss: Anvil Polka Strauss: Blue Danube Waltz
  

• National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain  

  Tue 6 Jan 2009 Symphony Hall

  There is nothing quite like the excitement of an orchestra of young musicians - and when they’re as talented as the National Youth Orchestra, we can expect extraordinary results. Many of these young performers are having their first encounters with great orchestral music, experiencing it onstage at Symphony Hall with a freshness and passion never to be recaptured - it’s like being in love for the first time! Tickets £5-£37.50
  
  *Programme to be announced*
  

• Celebrating Nielsen: The Inextinguishable  

  Wed 7 Jan 2009 Symphony Hall

  After last season’s acclaimed cycle of Sibelius symphonies, this season we feature the equally impressive cycle by his exact contemporary Carl Nielsen. His varied output holds the same central place in Danish music as Sibelius does in Finland, and his six symphonies are full of struggle, reflection and strong emotion - just like real life. Principal guest conductor Sakari Oramo begins this series with a charming picture-postcard overture and the composer’s best-known work. Written at the height of the First World War, this symphony is a volcanic musical struggle between the forces of destruction and the energy of life itself, culminating in one of the most uplifting - and thrilling - endings in all music. 6.15pm Pre-concert talk - Nielsen: The Inextinguishable An introduction to the CBSO and the Hallé’s joint Nielsen Cycle and tonight’s concert.
  Sakari Oramo - conductor Nikolai Lugansky - piano
  Nielsen: A Fantasy Trip to the Faroes 12’ Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 32’ Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 (The Inextinguishable) 36’
  

• Celebrating Nielsen: The Four Temperaments  

  Sat 10 Jan 2009 Symphony Hall

  For Nielsen, music was all about exploring what it means to be human. And this second concert in the CBSO and the Hallé’s joint Nielsen Symphony Cycle does exactly that. Nielsen’s extraordinary Second Symphony, “The Four Temperaments”, is a musical attempt to paint an entire personality in wonderfully colourful music; his deceptively tuneful Sixth is a musical self-portrait as haunting and unforgettable as anything by Mahler. To these masterpieces Oramo adds Nielsen’s picturesque tribute to the sun, and Prokofiev’s equally warm-hearted violin concerto played by an outstanding soloist. 5.45pm Pre-concert talk - Nielsen: The Four Temperaments Find out more about tonight’s symphonies and overture by this great Dane.
  Sakari Oramo - conductor Akiko Suwanai - violin
  Nielsen: Helios Overture 12’ Nielsen: Symphony No. 6 (Semplice) 31’ Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 22’ Nielsen: Symphony No. 2 (The Four Temperaments) 35’
  

• Celebrating Nielsen: Pride & Power  

  Sat 17 Jan 2009 Symphony Hall

  We have invited the Hallé to give the second half of our Nielsen cycle with its music director Mark Elder. Nielsen might have written his First Symphony while he was working as a second violinist, but there’s nothing bashful about it - he even marked the score “Proudly”! It bursts with energy and freshness. His mighty Fifth Symphony is even more powerful - a gripping musical battle between order and chaos, triggered by one of the all-time great drum solos. It’s one of the greatest symphonies of the 20th century, so it’s only fitting that our guests are playing it alongside two dramatic masterpieces by Nielsen’s hero - Ludwig van Beethoven. 5.45pm Pre concert talk - Nielsen: Pride and Power An introduction to tonight’s pieces by these two musical power-houses.
  Hallé Mark Elder - conductor Anja Kampe - soprano
  Beethoven: Overture, Egmont 8’ Nielsen: Symphony No. 1 27’ Beethoven: Ah, Perfido! Scene and Aria 15’ Nielsen: Symphony No. 5 35’
  

• Pure Gold  

  Tue 20 Jan 2009 Symphony Hall

  Unfairly derided by snootier critics as ‘more corn than gold’ on account of the composer’s successful Hollywood career, the lush music of Erich Wolfgang Korngold has won a huge audience in recent years. His 1945 violin concerto, which draws on three of his film scores, has become a particular favourite with violinists, while his music for a 1920 Vienna production of Shakespeare’s comedy also contains music of great charm and wit. Korngold’s father Julius was an important supporter of Brahms in Vienna, and his majestic First Symphony concludes a warmly romantic programme. 6.15pm Pre concert talk - Pure Gold Critic, biographer and blogger Jessica Duchen introduces the music of E.W. Korngold.
  Michael Seal - conductor Anthony Marwood - violin
  Korngold: Much Ado About Nothing - Suite 15’ Korngold: Violin Concerto 23’ Brahms: Symphony No. 1 45’
  

• Friday Night Classics: The Gershwins in Hollywood  

  Fri 23 Jan 2009 Symphony Hall

  No-one wrote a hit-tune like George and Ira Gershwin. And when the brothers left Manhattan for the bright lights of Hollywood, the results were bound to be showstopping! Conductor John Wilson loves the great movie musicals of the 1930s; join him and star West End vocalists Kim Criswell and Gary Williams for an evening of pure jazz-age glamour. Featuring I Got Rhythm, ’Swonderful, The Man I Love, An American in Paris, Strike Up The Band, Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off, They All Laughed and many more, it’s just hit after hit after hit!
  John Wilson - conductor Kim Criswell - vocalist Gary Williams - vocalist
  
  

• Wagner: Passion Beyond Reason  

  Wed 28 Jan 2009 Symphony Hall

  Andris Nelsons has already won great acclaim for his interpretations of Wagner’s operas in Riga, and next year he makes his debut at the Bayreuth Festival. For his first CBSO Wagner outing, he has chosen contrasting extended sequences from three of the composer’s greatest operas, culminating in the apocalyptic climax of the entire Ring cycle. Acclaimed Swedish soprano Iréne Theorin takes the roles of Isolde and Brünnhilde - two of the very greatest operatic heroines, both driven by a love more powerful than life itself.
  Andris Nelsons - conductor Iréne Theorin - soprano
  Wagner: Tannhäuser - Overture and Venusberg Music 24’ Wagner: Tristan und Isolde - Prelude and Liebestod 17’ Wagner: Götterdämmerung - Siegfried’s Rhine Journey, Siegfried’s Funeral March & Brünnhilde’s Immolation
  

• Wagner: Passion Beyond Reason  

  Thu 29 Jan 2009 Symphony Hall

  Andris Nelsons has already won great acclaim for his interpretations of Wagner’s operas in Riga, and next year he makes his debut at the Bayreuth Festival. For his first CBSO Wagner outing, he has chosen contrasting extended sequences from three of the composer’s greatest operas, culminating in the apocalyptic climax of the entire Ring cycle. Acclaimed Swedish soprano Iréne Theorin takes the roles of Isolde and Brünnhilde - two of the very greatest operatic heroines, both driven by a love more powerful than life itself.
  Andris Nelsons - conductor Iréne Theorin - soprano
  Wagner: Tannhäuser - Overture and Venusberg Music 24’ Wagner: Tristan und Isolde - Prelude and Liebestod 17’ Wagner: Götterdämmerung - Siegfried’s Rhine Journey, Siegfried’s Funeral March & Brünnhilde’s Immolation
  

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