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Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony Philharmonia Orchestra
Tue 3 Jun 2008 Symphony Hall
Gustavo Dudamel's sensational debut at the 2005 Proms came just one day after his UK debut at Symphony Hall. The critics raved and, at the age of just 24, he became one of the most hotly-tipped young conductors of his generation. He returns to Birmingham with Brahms's epic First Piano Concerto and Shostakovich's defiant Fifth Symphony, a passionate affirmation of individual liberty against totalitarian oppression. *_The most astonishingly gifted conductor I’ve ever come across._* Sir Simon Rattle, from the Telegraph 6.15pm Pre-concert talk with Lyndon Jenkins
*Gustavo Dudamel* Conductor *Piotr Anderszewski* Piano
*Brahms* Piano Concerto No 1 45' *Shostakovich* Symphony No 5 50'
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Celebrating Messiaen
Fri 20 Jun Town Hall
The Conservatoire’s end of year concert celebrates the centenary of the birth of Olivier Messiaen in tremendous style, while marking the end of the New Generation Arts Festival and the start of Messiaen 2008, a weekend of concerts and a major international conference devoted to the composer, hosted by Birmingham Conservatoire. Ranging from his first published orchestral work, the remarkable Les Offrandes oubliées, written when he was just twenty-one years old, to the musical souvenirs of Japan of Sept Haïkaï, the evening provides a glimpse of the diversity of Messiaen’s music. £10, 60 plus/Under 16’s/Unwaged £8, Students £2.50
*Birmingham Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra* *Lionel Friend* conductor *Rebeca Omordia* piano *Colin Scott* piano
Messiaen Les Offrandes oubliées Messiaen Sept Haïkaï Debussy Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune Messiaen L’Ascension Messiaen Oiseaux exotiques
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Celebrity Piano Recital: Alfred Brendel Alfred Brendel
Tue 24 Jun 2008 Symphony Hall
"Keeper of the flame" is how The Guardian recently described Alfred Brendel. At seventy-six he is unchallenged as the greatest living exponent of the classical keyboard tradition of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, bringing not only extraordinary depth and humanity but also quirky humour to the music. His recital includes Beethoven's startlingly original E flat Sonata and the powerful serenity of Schubert's great B flat Sonata. It's difficult to think of a more satisfying concert to close this season.
Alfred Brendel
*Haydn* Variations in F minor 8' *Mozart* Piano Sonata in F major K533/494 16' *Beethoven* Piano Sonata in E flat major, Op 27 No 1 15' *Schubert* Piano Sonata in B flat major, D960 45'
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The Final of the Robert William & Florence May Brant International Pianoforte Competition 2008
Sat 12 Jul Town Hall
With an illustrious list of former winners, including Mark Bebbington and Roger Owens, and a first prize of £3000, this prestigious international piano competition provides young pianists with the opportunity to further their careers and perform in world-class venues. In tonight’s concert three finalists, selected at the end of the semi-final stage, will each perform a varied programme of no more than 40 minutes’ duration consisting of their own choice of works by three different composers. £10, 60 plus/full-time students/under 16s/ unwaged £7.50 (unreserved seating) Entry details and more information can be found at www.thsh.co.uk/brantcompetition.
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Celebrity Piano Recital: Paul Lewis
Thu 30 Oct Town Hall
Few other pianists have identified themselves so closely with the great Viennese classics as Paul Lewis. A protégé of the legendary Alfred Brendel, his award-winning recordings of the Schubert Sonatas have been highly acclaimed. Tonight he combines Schubert’s majestic G major Sonata with two of Mozart’s most profound piano works and Ligeti’s scintillating _Musica ricercata_, parts of which were used in Stanley Kubrick’s film _Eyes Wide Shut_. This is a chance to hear at first hand one of today’s most celebrated young pianists. 6.15pm pre-concert talk Tickets £5-£20
*Mozart* Fantasia in C minor, K475 12’ *Ligeti* Musica ricercata-11 Pieces for Piano 27’ *Mozart* Rondo in A minor, K511 9’ *Schubert* Sonata in G major, D894 30’
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Uchida Plays Mozart
Sun 23 Nov Symphony Hall
Few pianists today command the respect and awe accorded to Mitsuko Uchida. “One of today’s great pianists,” wrote The Times, while The Independent summed her up as simply “sublime”. In this concert she directs two of Mozart’s greatest concertos from the keyboard-the serenity and poise of the A major Concerto contrasting with the tragedy of the C minor. Uchida’s lucid Mozart playing is ideally suited to the perfect acoustic of Symphony Hall, uniting performer and audience in an experience of crystal-clear intensity. *Classic FM’s Anne-Marie Minhall says of tonight’s recommended concert:* _Tonight the pianist Mitsuko Uchida joins forces with the orchestra formed in in 1981 and made up of fifty players from fifteen countries-The Chamber Orchestra of Europe. A chance for you to enjoy two of Mozart’s Piano Concertos written at the same time, but in very distinct moods. Mitsuko Uchida gained her international reputation by playing and recording the music of Mozart-there’s nothing she doesn’t know about the composer’s best-loved works for keyboard._ "Classic FM":http://www.classicfm.co.uk Tickets £5-£37.50
*Chamber Orchestra of Europe* *Mitsuko Uchida* piano/director
*Stravinsky* Apollon Musagète 30’ *Mozart* Piano Concerto No 23 in A Major, K488 24’ *Mozart* Piano Concerto No 24 in C minor, K491 30’
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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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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’
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Celebrity Piano Recital: Peter Donohoe
Thu 5 Mar 2009 Town Hall
Peter Donohoe’s performances are a dazzling fusion of passion, virtuosity and intellectual rigour. His recital ranges from the majesty of Bach to the superhuman demands of Liszt’s B minor Sonata. Before that come magical works by Brahms reflecting the mature wisdom of the composer’s old age and the untamed ardour of his youth. *BBC music magazine’s editor, Oliver Condy, explains why he has recommended tonight’s concert:* _"The indefatigable Peter Donohoe launches into a brave programme here - Busoni’s technically astounding transcription of one of Bach’s great organ works sits next to Liszt’s greatest piece for the piano - the colossal Sonata. And as Donohoe is one of the most skilled musicians in this repertoire, the evening’s music-making should be full of plenty of memorable pyrotechnics…” "BBC Music Magazine":http://www.bbcmusicmagazine.com *6.15pm pre-concert talk* Tickets £5-£20
*Brahms* Six Pieces, Op 118 20’ *Brahms* Sonata No 3 in F minor, Op 5 28’ *Bach-Busoni* Toccata, Adagio and Fugue, BWV564 15’ *Liszt* Sonata in B minor 27’
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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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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’
