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New English Orchestra and Singers Introduce RECREATIO!
Sat 17 Jan 2009 Town Hall
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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 City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Korngold: Much Ado About Nothing - Suite 15’ Korngold: Violin Concerto 23’ Brahms: Symphony No. 1 45’
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Centre Stage CBSO Players
Wed 21 Jan 2009 Book through our ticket office for CBSO Centre
CBSO Players Boccherini: Quintet in C Op. 28 No. 4 Glazunov: String Quintet
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Britten Sinfonia at Lunch - Jan 2009
Thu 22 Jan 2009 Town Hall
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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 City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
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CBSO John Williams Blockbusters
Sat 24 Jan 2009 Symphony Hall
*Extra date added due to popular demand.* No-one writes a big film theme like John Williams - no wonder he’s the world’s most popular living classical composer. And if you think his music is thrilling on the big screen, just wait until you hear it live at Symphony Hall! Join the CBSO for blockbuster music from Star Wars, Schindler’s List, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Superman, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, JFK, Munich, Saving Private Ryan, Jaws and many more! £9.50, £16, £22.50, £28, £32, £36, £39.50
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Faith in the City Expressions of belief
Sat 24 Jan 2009 Town Hall
For around 750 years in Iberia, Catholics, Jews and Muslims enjoyed religious freedom, spoke each others’ languages and shared philosophies, science and cultures. It is a period known as _la convivencia_ - the co-existence. We begin to explore this concept with Bernstein’s overtly Jewish Chichester Psalms which are sung in Hebrew, the devout setting of the Mass by MacMillan and Islamic repertoire performed by Abdul Salam Kheir. _“All the lands, in their diversity, are one, and men are all neighbours and brothers”_ (Al-Zubaidi, tutor of the Andalusian Caliph, Al-Hakam II, 10th century) £30 (£27.50), £23.50 (£21), £15 (£13), £8.50 (£7) Visit Ex Cathedra's website by clicking "here":http://www.ex-cathedra.org/
Ex Cathedra Choir *Conductor* Jeffrey Skidmore *Oud & Vocals* Abdul Salam Kheir *Chichester Psalms* Bernstein *Mass* MacMillan
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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 City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
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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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 City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
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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Celebrity Piano Recital: Murray Perahia
Sat 31 Jan 2009 Symphony Hall
Murray Perahia is simply one of the greatest living pianists. “The soul of a poet, the mind of a thinker, the hands of a virtuoso; no wonder the audiences love this guy,” wrote one critic recently. As a young man Perahia played chamber music with Rudolf Serkin and Pablo Casals, was befriended by the legendary Vladimir Horowitz, and was Peter Pears’ accompanist. His music-making is marked not only by its depth and maturity but also by its sheer _joie de vivre_ - don’t miss this recital. Tickets £5-£30
*Programme to be announced*
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Family Concert: All Aboard!
Sun 1 Feb 2009 Symphony Hall
Hop on board as we launch into gear and jet off around the world for an incredible musical journey on planes,trains, automobiles and much more besides. This funpacked afternoon will have you going round the bend and looping the loop, as we thrill and swerve with fast rides and whacky races, and sail on the ocean blue. Be transported by music including Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine, Villa-Lobos’ Little Train of the Caipira, Honegger’s Pacific 231 and more. Don’t miss the boat- buy your return ticket now, and join the CBSO as we go full steam ahead! FREE CREATIVE WORKSHOPS AND MUSIC in the foyers from 1.30pm. Why not come in fancy dress?
Andris Nelsons -conductor Michael Collie - presenter City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
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Celebrating Nielsen: Sinfonia Espansiva
Tue 3 Feb 2009 Symphony Hall
Nielsen’s music is so fresh and clear that it’s not hard to hear it as musical landscape painting - inspired by the countryside and folklore of his native Denmark. He dubbed his Third Symphony “Expansive”, and it’s easy to hear why; this is simply some of the most radiant music of modern times with an ecstatic slow movement featuring wordless parts for singers. In this final instalment of the CBSO and the Hallé’s joint Nielsen Symphony Cycle, conductor Mark Elder and the Hallé return to pair the Symphony with two more great Scandinavian landscapes - the fire and ice of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto and Grieg’s much loved Peer Gynt suite; just four of the most irresistible tunes ever written!
Hallé Mark Elder - conductor Nadine Livingston - soprano Matthew Brook - baritone Alina Pogostkina - violin
Grieg: Peer Gynt - Suite No. 1 13’ Sibelius: Violin Concerto 31’ Nielsen: Symphony No. 3 (Espansiva) 38’
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Dvorák’s New World
Thu 5 Feb 2009 Symphony Hall
Was there ever a more evocative, nostalgic work than the New World Symphony? Right from the opening bars it is clear that the composer’s thoughts were more of his beloved Bohemia than of the exciting city of New York in which he found himself. Rachmaninov also had his moments of homesickness after he moved to the USA, but the bubbly brilliance of his ever-popular Paganini Rhapsody makes it one of his most extrovert works. Sometimes musicians simply choose to ignore their surroundings: Prokofiev’s equally brilliant first symphony was composed, amazingly, against the stormy background of the Russian Revolution!
Michal Dworzynski - conductor Alexander Kobrin - piano City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 (Classical) 15’ Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini 25’ Dvorák: Symphony No. 9 (From the New World) 40’
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Centre Stage Eduardo Vassallo and Laurence Jackson
Fri 6 Feb 2009 Book through our ticket office for CBSO Centre
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Friday Night Classics: A Night at the Oscars
Fri 6 Feb 2009 Symphony Hall
Put the champagne on ice and roll out the red carpet as silver-screen showman Carl Davis hosts this evening of Oscar-winning movie soundtracks. With themes that include The Lord of the Rings, Dr Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia, Dances with Wolves, Titanic, Robin Hood, The Godfather and much more, join us for a night that celebrates the soundtrack to all our lives.
Carl Davis- conductor City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
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Dvorák’s New World
Sat 7 Feb 2009 Symphony Hall
Was there ever a more evocative, nostalgic work than the New World Symphony? Right from the opening bars it is clear that the composer’s thoughts were more of his beloved Bohemia than of the exciting city of New York in which he found himself. Rachmaninov also had his moments of homesickness after he moved to the USA, but the bubbly brilliance of his ever-popular Paganini Rhapsody makes it one of his most extrovert works. Sometimes musicians simply choose to ignore their surroundings: Prokofiev’s equally brilliant first symphony was composed, amazingly, against the stormy background of the Russian Revolution!
Michal Dworzynski - conductor Alexander Kobrin - piano City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 (Classical) 15’ Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini 25’ Dvorák: Symphony No. 9 (From the New World) 40’
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Nash Ensemble
Tue 10 Feb 2009 Town Hall
Rarely has a composer produced a work of such effortless genius as the sixteen-year-old Mendelssohn’s _Octet_ - a miraculous stream of wonderful melody. The Nash Ensemble marks the 200th anniversary of Mendelssohn’s birth (February 1809) with a performance of this masterpiece in the hall in which the composer once played and conducted. It is heard next to the delicious Sextet from Strauss’s _Capriccio_ and the dark tragedy of Mozart’s great G minor String Quintet. 6.15pm pre-concert talk Tickets £5-£20
*Strauss* Sextet (_Capriccio_) 6’ *Mozart* Quintet in G Minor, K516 33’ *Mendelssohn* Octet 38’
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Bruch's Violin Concerto
Wed 11 Feb 2009 Symphony Hall
The latest in a long line of outstanding young conductors to emerge from Finland, Pietari Inkinen makes his Birmingham debut with the youthful First Symphony by his compatriot Sibelius. The passionate sweep of this music ends a programme full of romantic ardour for the week of Valentine’s Day: Bruch’s timeless concerto is played by the CBSO’s leader, and a selection of Mendelssohn’s music for Shakespeare’s beloved romantic comedy provides a perfect companion.
Pietari Inkinen - conductor Laurence Jackson - violin City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream - Overture, Scherzo and Wedding March 20’ Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 26’ Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 38’
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Schools Concert: New World Symphony 11.30am and 1.30pm
Fri 13 Feb 2009 Symphony Hall
Set sail for America with the CBSO, to hear the New World as the Czech Antonín Dvorˇák experienced it in 1893 - full of promise and new sounds. The slow movement of this most popular of symphonies is renowned for featuring on the Hovis advertisement, and today’s performances - devised especially for Key Stage 2 children (years 5 & 6) - make this a perfect introduction to the sights and sounds of symphony orchestra. “I might be able to play as good as you, if I keep practising.” Child at The Planets Schools Concert, February 2008 Special prices apply: £4 per ticket for children and teachers, and home-schooling* children and parents. To book please call Group Bookings on 0800 358 7070. For information on pre-concert support packages and other opportunities available for schools with the CBSO, please contact the CBSO’s Education Department by email (education@cbso.co.uk) or telephone (0121 616 6530). *proof of eligibility, eg registration with your Local Authority, will be required.
Michael Seal - conductor Tommy Pearson - presenter City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
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Tchaikovsky & Shostakovich
Fri 13 Feb 2009 Symphony Hall
The Russian State Philharmonic has the music of their homeland running strong in their blood. And with tonight’s celebrity soloists we can expect the powerful music of Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich to come to life in vivid technicolour: the illicit passion of Tchaikovsky’s Francesca da Rimini offset by the Mozartian elegance of the Rococo Variations; the brilliance of Shostakovich’s Second Piano Concerto in stark contrast to the despair and joy of his Sixth Symphony. Tickets £5-£37.50
*Russian State Philharmonic Orchestra* *Valery Poliansky* conductor *Julian Lloyd Webber* cello *Tatyana Polianskaya* piano
*Tchaikovsky* Francesca da Rimini 22’ *Shostakovich* Piano Concerto No 2 20’ *Tchaikovsky* Variations on a Rococo Theme 18’ *Shostakovich* Symphony No 6 33’
