cbso 2013-14 season brochure
DESCRIPTION
CBSO 2013-14 Season BrochureTRANSCRIPT
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2013–14 SEASON: SEPTEMBER 2013
SUMMER CONCERTS 2013
OCTOBER 2013
Tuesday 9 July, 7.30pm Mark Kermode: Film Music Live 12
Friday 12 July, 7.30pm Friday Night Classics: John Williams Blockbusters 12
Sunday 21 July, 3pm, Town Hall CBSO Youth Orchestra Academy 12
Thu 15 Aug, 7.30pm, Town Hall Andris and Kristine in Concert 13
Wednesday 4 September, 7.30pm The Music of A. R. Rahman 13
Wednesday 11 September, 7.30pm CBSO Benevolent Fund Concert 13
Thursday 19, 7.30pm Opening Concert: The Rite of Spring 14
Saturday 21, 7pm Opening Concert: Anne-Sophie Mutter plays Dvorák 14
Wed 25, 7.30pm/Fri 27, 2.15pm Totally Tchaikovsky 15
JANUARY 2014
Saturday 4, 3pm Viennese New Year 25
Thursday 9, 7.30pm Russian Classics 25
Saturday 11, 7pm Tuned In: Stravinsky’s Petrushka 26
Wed 15, 7.30pm/Thu 16, 2.15pm Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet 26
Wednesday 22, 2.15pm British Classics with John Wilson 28
Friday 24, 7.30pm Friday Night Classics: ABBA Symphonic Spectacular 28
Mon 27/Fri 31 - see p29 for times Schools Concerts: The CBSO’s Guide to the Orchestra 29
Thursday 3, 7.30pm Mahler’s First Symphony 15
Wed 9, 7.30pm/Thu 10, 2.15pm Beethoven’s Violin Concerto 16
Saturday 12, 7.30pm Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis 16
Wednesday 16, 7.30pm Carmen and Boléro 17
Saturday 19, 3pm, Town Hall Mendelssohn in Birmingham: the Italian Symphony 17
Thursday 24, 2.15pm, Town Hall Mendelssohn in Birmingham: the Scottish Symphony 18
Sunday 27, 2.30pm Family Concert: The Great Enormo with Michael Rosen 18
Thursday 31, 7.30pm Russian Masters 19
DECEMBER 2013
Thursday 5, 7.30pm Nelsons conducts Brahms’s Third 23
Wed 11, 2.15pm/Sat 14, 7pm Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony 23
Friday 13, 7.30pm Friday Night Classics: Wonderful Christmastime 24
Thu 19, 7.30pm/Sun 22, 3pm & 7.30pm/
Mon 23, 7.30pm Festive Favourites with Mark Williams 24
NOVEMBER 2013
Friday 1, 7.30pm Friday Night Classics: Classics at the Movies 19
Sunday 3, 3.30pm CBSO Youth Orchestra 21
Wednesday 6, 7.30pm Nelsons conducts Brahms’s Fourth 21
Thursday 7, 2.15pm The Best of Brahms 21
Friday 22, 7.30pm Britten 100: Centenary Concert 22
Saturday 30, 7pm Bach to the Future 22
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JANUARY 2014 continued
Thursday 30, 7.30pm The Organ Symphony 29
FEBRUARY 2014
Saturday 1, 3pm The Organ Symphony 29
Wednesday 5, 7.30pm Ultimate Vaughan Williams 30
Friday 7, 7.30pm Friday Night Classics: Gilbert and Sullivan Gala 30
Sunday 9, 7pm Singalong with the CBSO: Carmina Burana 31
Thursday 13, 7.30pm Mendelssohn in Birmingham: Hymn of Praise 31
Wed 19, 2.15pm/Thu 20, 7.30pm Mozart and Elgar 33
Sunday 23, 7pm CBSO Youth Orchestra 33
Wednesday 26, 7.30pm Mozart’s Gran Partita 34
Friday 28, 7.30pm Friday Night Classics: Songs for Swingin’ Orchestra 34
MARCH 2014
Sunday 2, 2.30pm Family Concert: Carnival of the Animals 35
Thursday 6, 7.30pm Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto 35
Saturday 8, 7pm Tuned In: Shostakovich’s Fifth 36
Wed 12, 7.30pm/Thu 13, 2.15pm Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony 36
APRIL 2014
Saturday 26, 7pm Belshazzar’s Feast 37
MAY 2014
Thursday 1, 2.15pm Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade 38
Thursday 8, 7.30pm Rachmaninov and Shostakovich 38
Friday 9, 7.30pm Friday Night Classics: Silent Heroes - Buster Keaton 39
Sunday 11, 2.30pm Family Concert: Bite-size Classics 39
Wednesday 14, 7.30pm Haydn and Mozart 40
Thursday 15, 2.15pm Haydn and Mozart 40
Saturday 24, 4pm Der Rosenkavalier 41
Wednesday 28, 2.15pm Andris and Håkan in concert 41
Thursday 29, 7.30pm Pictures at an Exhibition 42
JUNE 2014
JULY 2014
Thursday 5, 2.15pm Summer Serenade 42
Friday 6, 7.30pm Friday Night Classics: Heroes and Superheroes 43
Wednesday 11, 7.30pm Thomas Adès: New Horizons 43
Thursday 12, 11.30am & 1.30pm Schools Concerts: Carnival of the Animals 44
Wednesday 18, 7.30pm Strauss and Shakespeare 44
Thursday 19, 2.15pm Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto 45
Thu 26, 7.30pm/Sat 28, 7pm Mozart’s C minor Mass 45
Wednesday 2, 7.30pm Bluebeard’s Castle 47
Friday 4, 7.30pm Friday Night Classics: New York, New York - 47A Gershwin and Bernstein Gala
WHAT’S ON
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WELCOME
Dear Friends
As I begin my sixth season with the CBSO, Ifeel truly at home here in Birmingham. Sothis season we’re playing some of the musicthat’s most personal to me. 2014 is RichardStrauss’s 150th birthday – so I didn’t needany excuse to conduct a full concertperformance of Der Rosenkavalier, withsome of the greatest Strauss singers. And asa new father, it’s easy for me to enjoyStrauss’s Symphonia Domestica – family lifeportrayed in the warmest of music.
In fact, lots of the pieces we’re playing tell alife story. I’m really looking forward toTchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony – such apassionate piece – and Mozart’s C minormass, written as a sort of wedding present!And our whole CBSO family will be joining in:principal guest conductor Edward Gardnerwill conduct Elgar’s First Symphony, and allfive symphonies by a composer with a strongBirmingham connection: Felix Mendelssohn.
I know that my associate conductor MichaelSeal will bring all his energy toShostakovich’s Fifth Symphony. Ourwonderful chorus will sing Rachmaninov’sThe Bells, and they’ll celebrate BenjaminBritten’s 100th birthday under Simon Halsey.And we’re all so proud of our world-famousyouth choruses and youth orchestra: sothey’ll be taking part in the Richard Strausscelebrations too.
And so I’d like to set you a challenge. You’resure to find some familiar favourites in ourseason. Each time you go to hear one, whynot also make a point of coming to hearsomething you didn’t already know? In return,we promise to perform it with all our heartand soul. Everyone in our Birminghammusical family loves this music – and we’repassionate about sharing it with you.
Andris NelsonsCBSO Music Director
““
I believe that music nourishes the soul- that it’s vital to our very wellbeing.
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We hope you like what you see in this brochure- we know you’ll love what you hear!
CONCERT PACKAGES
Symphonic SelectionPlus: 11+ concerts
If you come to 11+ concertstake advantage of everythingabove, plus:
SAVE
on additional CBSO ticketsthroughout the season with yourSymphonic Selection Plus card.
on CDs from Symphony HallMusic Shop - 12.5% discountwhen you show your card.
FREE CONCERT
Choose a free bonus concertfrom the list on p58 if you returnyour booking to us by 21 June.
Symphonic Selectionconcert packages If you love music, and want to get more out of life, buy a concertpackage (3 or more concerts) with the CBSO now:
GET ORGANISED
Never miss the fantastic music you want to hear again. Get thedates in your diary and secure good seats for performances youwant to go to now.
BE FLEXIBLE
You choose the concerts you want now. But we know plans canchange. That’s why you can use our free ticket exchangeservice if your diary changes later.
SAVE MONEY
5%–30% off tickets, depending on how many concerts you choose.
SPREAD THE COST
You can spread the cost of your musical diary over 9 monthswith interest-free direct debit instalments.
LITTLE EXTRAS
Get £1 off a printed concert programme on each of yourconcerts.
Enjoy discounted car parking at the car park,Brindleyplace.
Feel part of the family and receive all the latest newsfrom the CBSO in our magazine MusicStand.
Get the best deals so you can come back toenjoy our music again and again.
Save with our Symphonic Selection concert packages, and seepp52–3 for our other great value tickets for groups, youngaudiences and those on a budget.
Extraordinary Symphonies
Every CBSO season is packed with great symphonies -but some go just that bit further. Throughout the
season, we’ll be playing the masterpieces that changedthe way we think about the symphony. Tchaikovsky’s
Manfred is an epic emotional drama, VaughanWilliams’s London Symphony turns the orchestra into a
gigantic harmonica, and Saint-Saëns’ OrganSymphony... well the clue’s in the name, really! Mahler’s
First, Brahms’s Fourth, Shostakovich’s Fifth, andStravinsky’s dazzling Symphony in Three Movements -they’re all proof that there are as many different ways
to write a symphony as there are composers.
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Benjamin Britten would have been 100 in November 2013, andour choruses celebrate with a concert devoted to his brilliantlyoriginal choral music. Richard Strauss had a bit of a headstarton Britten and, 150 years after Strauss’s birth in 1864, AndrisNelsons revels in some of the most sumptuous music evercomposed. As our ten-year CBSO:2020 project towards our owncentenary moves from 1913 to 1914, join us to explore musicthat defined the twentieth century: from Stravinsky’s shatteringRite of Spring to Dohnányi’s enchanting nursery tune variations,with some delightful rediscoveries along the way.
Musical Milestones
Felix Mendelssohn loved Birmingham - and the feeling was mutual. This season
principal guest conductor Edward Gardnerpresents all five of Mendelssohn’ssymphonies, from the brilliant First
(composed when he was still a teenager), tohis roof-raising choral tribute to Beethoven,
the stirring “Hymn of Praise”. We’ll beperforming two of our all-Mendelssohn
concerts in the beautiful surroundings ofTown Hall, Birmingham - on the very spot
where Mendelssohn himself scored some ofhis greatest triumphs. Grand passions,
magical journeys, and tune after glorious tune: we think Birmingham’s ready
to fall in love with Felix all over again!
Mendelssohn inBirmingham
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
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There’s no better way to hear opera than inthe superb acoustic of Symphony Hall, andthe CBSO’s concert performances ofclassic operas have won internationalacclaim. The highlight this season will beAndris Nelsons’s performance of RichardStrauss’s gorgeous Viennese comedy DerRosenkavalier. As music director ofEnglish National Opera, Edward Gardnershould give a gripping performance ofBartók’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle - thedarkest of fairy tales, set to shatteringmusic. If you’re completely new to opera,we've got the ideal place to start: with thevery British wit of Gilbert and Sullivan’sTrial by Jury, conducted with a sparkle inhis eye by the one and only John Wilson.
The World’sGreatest Music -On Your Doorstep
Nights atthe Opera
The CBSO has always been aproud ambassador for Birmingham -taking our city’s name and reputationto audiences around the world. Thisseason is no different, so as Andris
and the Orchestra pack for theirtravels, come and hear the music we’llbe taking to Germany and Switzerland
(15 August), to Taiwan and Japan(6 and 7 November) and to France,Austria, Germany and Luxembourg(9, 11, 15 and 16 January). That’s
eight countries, and 22 cities - but itwill never sound better than right here
at home in Symphony Hall.
For the great composers, music was life itself. So it’s no surprise thatsome of the greatest masterpieces we’re playing this season deal withshared human experiences. Wagner celebrated the birth of his sonwith the lovely Siegfried Idyll, and Richard Strauss’s SymphoniaDomestica features a musical guide to bathing a baby! Young love hasnever sounded more passionate than in Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet,while Olivier Messiaen captured the joy of his new marriage in hisenchanting Poèmes pour Mi. And at the age of 84, Richard Strausspoured a lifetime’s experience into the radiant Four Last Songs.Rachmaninov’s The Bells, meanwhile, turns all four seasons of lifeinto one heartfelt choral symphony. Which one speaks to you?
Life’s Journey
RELAX AND REVITALISE with our Classical CollectionRELAX ANDREVITALISE
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Unsure what to pick? Let us guide you.
RAISE THE ROOF with Symphonic Blockbusters
Forget recordings: there’s nothing to match the sheer sonic thrill ofa live symphony orchestra blazing away with the volume turned upto 11. From the shattering rhythms of Stravinsky’s revolutionaryThe Rite of Spring, to Tchaikovsky’s 1812 and the heaven-storming climax of Mahler’s epic First Symphony, these are theconcerts that will dazzle, astonish and knock you backwards withsome of the biggest and most brilliant sounds you’ll ever hear.
RAISE THEROOF
Classical music can evoke all kinds of feelings and emotions, so whetheryou want to relax and soothe your soul, feel your heart pounding and
shivers running down your spine, or simply share a fun night out, we’vegot the performances for you. Look out for these badges throughout the
brochure, to help you find your perfect choice of concerts.
At the end of a tiring day,we all need to relax. Andnothing restores the soulquite like classical music.Soar free with VaughanWilliams’s serene The
Lark Ascending, escapeinto nature with our
Mendelssohn series, or letyour spirit be cleansed by
the beautiful mind ofWolfgang Amadeus
Mozart... the choice isyours. But whichever yougo for, our musicians will
see to it that you’resoothed, refreshed, and
thoroughly indulged.
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PURE EMOTION with the Great Romantics
PUREEMOTION
Pure emotion - it’s whatclassical music does best.The great composers wore
their hearts on their sleeves.Tchaikovsky’s Manfred rages
against a forbidden love;Brahms’s First PianoConcerto detonates avolcano of passion.
Richard Strauss’s Don Juansurrenders to his senses and
Rachmaninov’s SecondSymphony gives voice to atenderness too deep for
words. This music uncoversthe feelings we sometimesforget we had: love, sorrow,ecstasy, longing... you just
have to listen.
DISCOVER amazing music
We’ll never tire of the greatclassics. But there’s a lot of goodmusic out there – and ourmission is to share it with you. Ifyou enjoy Elgar, Tchaikovsky andBritten, we think you’ll likeIreland, Glazunov and Adès. Andif you’re keen to explore, butwant a helping hand, our ‘TunedIn’ concerts will show you theway. Or just take the plunge witha living composer, and hearsounds that might change yourlife. Discover the greatest musicyou’ve never heard.
DISCOVER
CELEBRATEAND SHARE CELEBRATE AND SHARE with friends and family
All music is about enjoyment - so ifyou’re looking for a great night out,we’ve got the concert for you. Getinto the party mood with a night offilm themes or showtunes, have agood old Christmas singalong atone of our famous seasonal carolconcerts, even catch a silent moviewith a live score. And enjoy classicsyou already knew, even if you didn’trealise it - played live and withpassion by Birmingham’s veryown musical superstars!
Notelets
at CBSO Centre
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Concerts Childrenfor
Sat 5 October - I love stories!Fri 6/Sat 7 December - Festive TreatsSat 1 March - Animal FavouritesSat 14 June - Hooting and Tooting
Three performances per day at 11am, 1.30pm & 3.30pm.See p55 for booking details.
Bring the youngest members of the familyto CBSO Centre for these special toddler-friendly mini-concerts.
“We know Notelets audiences need to move:they are active, they want to join in, there isnothing passive about a three-year old! Atour performances they get up close to theaction, they dance, sing, march and listen.No wonder tickets are hard to come by!”
Catherine Arlidge, CBSO violinist andNotelets presenter
Come along an hour early to take part in craft activities.
Bring your class to one of our schoolsconcerts for a truly inspirationalexperience to enrich their learning.
schools Concerts
at Symphony Hall
Find out about great deals for children and young people at other CBSO concerts: see p52.
Family Concerts at Symphony Hall
Family concerts are perfect to inspire a love ofmusic in the young. These performances with thewhole orchestra offer an afternoon of fun-filled
musical discovery for all the family, with plenty ofmusic you’ll know, plus some musical surprises.
They last about two hours, including the interval.You can come in fancy dress, and take part in
workshops before the concert.
“I’ve loved Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 since I was a kid - just beautiful,beautiful music. This one will be sure to give you
goose pimples...”
Catherine Ardagh-Walter,cello, on 3 October - see p15
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On stage at Symphony Hall
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Mark Kermode:Film Music LiveRobert Ziegler - conductorMark Kermode and special guest
Critic, music-lover and film-buff extraordinaire…no-one understands great cinema better thanMark Kermode. Tonight he joins movie maestroRobert Ziegler and the full City of BirminghamSymphony Orchestra to present a personalchoice of classic film music – from Mary Poppinsto The Exorcist – and to welcome a very special
CBSO Youth OrchestraAcademyMichael Seal - conductor
Revueltas: Homenaje a Federico García Lorca 12’Ravel: Mother Goose (complete) 28’Korngold: Much Ado About Nothing - suite 21’Mozart: Symphony No. 36 (Linz) 26’
Friday 12 July, 7.30pm
Sunday 21 July, 3pmTown Hall
movie-businessguest star. It’s thestuff of dreams:classic tunes andunforgettableemotions, all
performed in the cinema-quality sound ofBirmingham’s stunning Symphony Hall.
A mariachi band, a French fairy tale, aShakespearean rom-com, and a symphonywritten in four days flat! Under the baton ofMichael Seal, a chamber orchestra drawn fromthe best of the CBSO Youth Orchestra’s superbyoung players explores three extraordinary 20thcentury masterpieces – from the Latin-Americanenergy of Revueltas, to the luscious romance ofHollywood composer Erich Korngold. And did wemention Mozart’s most brilliant symphony?There’s a special electricity about everything ourYouth Orchestra plays – come and share thethrill of discovery.
Tuesday 9 July, 7.30pm
Special prices and seating plan apply:£12.50, £20, £26, £34, £40.
Friday Night Classics: John Williams BlockbustersMichael Seal - conductorTommy Pearson - presenter
No-one writes a big film theme like JohnWilliams – no wonder he’s one of the world’smost popular living composers. And if you thinkhis music is thrilling on the big screen, just waituntil you hear it live at Symphony Hall – as theCBSO plays a blockbuster concert of JohnWilliams’s very greatest themes.
Including music from:Raiders of the Lost Ark • Lincoln • Jurassic Park • Star Wars • War Horse •Hook • Catch Me If You Can • Jaws •Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade •Memoirs of a Geisha • Munich •Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone •Olympic Fanfare and Theme
Special prices apply: £20 all areas.
Special prices and seating plan apply: £12.50, £20, £26, £34, £40.
FREE pre-concert performance - see p48.
Andris and Kristine in concertAndris Nelsons - conductorKristine Opolais - soprano
Dvorák: Symphony No. 8 40’Verdi: The Force of Destiny - Overture 7’Verdi: Otello - Ave Maria • Willow Song 10’Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin - Polonaise and Letter Scene 18’J. Strauss II: Waltzes and Polkas 12’
The Music of A. R. RahmanMatt Dunkley - conductor • CBSO Chorus
Including music from:Slumdog Millionaire • Lord of the Rings •Lagaan • Warriors of Heaven & Earth • The Rising • Passage • Cry of the Rose •127 Hours • Bombay • Swades • Elizabeth: The Golden Age • Meenaxi •Subhash Bose and more
CBSO Benevolent FundConcertAlexander Vedernikov - conductorElisabeth Leonskaja - piano
Glinka: Ruslan and Ludmilla - Overture 5’Grieg: Piano Concerto 30’Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 45’
Wednesday 4 September, 7.30pm
Wednesday 11 September, 7.30pm
SUMMER 2013
Symphonies justdon’t get any happierthan Dvorák’s Eighth,and it’s inspiredAndris Nelsons tocreate a joyous
evening of music making. There’ll be folkdances, birdsong and village fiddles – and that’sbefore he even gets on to irresistible melodies ofthe Strauss family. And then he joins his wife,star soprano Kristine Opolais, for two big,heartfelt helpings of operatic passion.
He’s been called “the Mozart of Madras” - andcomposer A. R. Rahman is a true living legend.His 100-plus film scores include Indian classicssuch as Lagaan, Bombay, Roja and Dil Se,whilst Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours andElizabeth: The Golden Age have brought hisirresistible brand of melody to audiences aroundthe world. Tonight, we present a spectacular fullorchestral tribute to A. R. Rahman, from the filmscores to the hit shows Bombay Dreams andThe Lord of the Rings.
The horns blast out a savage fanfare; thetrumpets scream in reply... Hold tight, becausethis is Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, andyou’re about to witness one of the most inspiredcomposers of all time wrestling with his demonsin music of overwhelming rawness and passion.It’s thrilling and, as the former music director ofthe Bolshoi, conductor Alexander Vedernikovhas this music pounding through his veins. First,though, in this concert in aid of the CBSOBenevolent Fund*, he joins another living Russianlegend for the altogether gentler pleasures ofGrieg’s irresistibly tuneful piano concerto.
Thursday 15 August, 7.30pmTown Hall
Special prices and seating plan apply: £12.50, £20, £26, £34, £40.
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Town Hall seating plan and special prices apply:£10, £20, £26.50, £36, £42.
Special seating plan and prices apply: £10, £15, £20, £24, £26.50, £31.50, £36, £39.50, £42.
* The CBSO Benevolent Fund, registered friendlysociety 735F, exists to support CBSO players and staff,past and present, at times of ill-health or other hardship.
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Opening Concert: Anne-Sophie Mutterplays DvorákAndris Nelsons - conductorAnne-Sophie Mutter - violin
Wagner: Tannhäuser - Overture 14’Dvorák: Violin Concerto 32’Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring 32’
Saturday 21 September, 7pm
RAISE THEROOF
Opening Concert: The Rite of Spring Andris Nelsons - conductorKristine Opolais - soprano
Wagner: Tannhäuser - Overture 14’Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder 25’Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring 32’
When The Rite of Spring was premiered in Parisin 1913, it caused a riot. We don’t expect you toreact quite so violently, but 100 years onStravinsky’s revolutionary ballet will still make anelectrifying opening to our season. Andris Nelsonsconducts it for the first time, and joins his wifeKristine Opolais in music close to both theirhearts - Wagner’s star-crossed WesendonckLieder, and the piece that first made him fall inlove with music: the overture to Tannhäuser.
Special prices apply.
Thursday 19 September, 7.30pmRAISE THEROOF
Centre Stage at CBSO CentreThursday 26 September, 1.10pmDaniel Müller-Schott (cello) & CBSO Players
Schubert: String Quintet
Special prices apply.
With some artists, just the mention of their nameis enough. So Andris Nelsons and the entireCBSO are thrilled to welcome Anne-SophieMutter to Birmingham. “Seeing her perform is anexperience that can make you gasp” wrote onecritic, and that’s just the centrepiece of a concertthat begins with the overture that sparkedNelsons’s love of music, and ends with theelemental power of Stravinsky’s shattering Riteof Spring. Take a deep breath: this should beunforgettable.
Thursday 3 October, 7.30pm
Mahler’s First SymphonyNikolaj Znaider - conductorIngrid Fliter - piano
Mendelssohn: Ruy Blas - Overture 7’Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 33’Mahler: Symphony No. 1 56’
Centre Stage at CBSO CentreThursday 3 October, 1.10pmThe Leo Quartet
Britten: QuartettinoMendelssohn: String Quartet Op. 44 No. 1
RAISE THEROOF
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Totally TchaikovskyAndris Nelsons - conductorDaniel Müller-Schott - cello
Tchaikovsky: Marche Slave 10’Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations 19’Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony 56’
Tormented by forbidden desires, Byron’sManfred takes to the mountains to battle hisdemons. Tchaikovsky knew exactly how he felt,and poured everything into 50 minutes of therawest, most personal and most passionatemusic he ever wrote. The results aretremendous: is this the greatest symphonyyou’ve never heard? It’s certainly a powerfulcontrast to the stirring Marche Slave and thejewel-like Rococo Variations; Andris Nelsonsloves them all equally.
FREE pre-concert talks - see p48.
Wednesday 25 September, 7.30pm& Friday 27 September, 2.15pm
SEASON OPENING
“The symphony must be like the world,” declaredGustav Mahler. “It should embrace everything.”And from its breathtaking opening vision of thedawn of time itself, to a truly heaven-stormingfinish, Mahler’s First does exactly that. Norecording does it justice - just as pianist IngridFliter’s deeply personal way with Chopin issomething you simply have to experience foryourself. Nikolaj Znaider opens with Mendelssohn’sgloriously gothic overture. He’s already world-famous as a violinist; we think you’ll beastonished by what he can do with a baton.
PUREEMOTION
Saturday 12 October, 7.30pm
Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis Ex CathedraJeffrey Skidmore - conductorSophie Bevan - sopranoJennifer Johnston - mezzoAndrew Tortise - tenorRoderick Williams - bass
Beethoven: Missa Solemnis 81’
Beethoven laboured for nearly four years tocomplete his Missa Solemnis, and nothing hecomposed surpasses it for scale, sincerity orsheer vision. No single performance can captureevery aspect of this work, but under JeffreySkidmore, Ex Cathedra and a team of first-ratesoloists will surely come closer than most torealising Beethoven’s wish that this music shouldcome ‘from the heart, that it may go to the heart’.
This concert also forms part of Ex Cathedra and theBirmingham International Concert Seasons, and can bebooked under each organisation’s concert packages.Other discounts may vary; please check when booking.
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Special prices and seating plan apply: £9.50, £15, £20, £25, £30, £35, £40
Beethoven’s Violin ConcertoOlari Elts - conductorChristian Tetzlaff - violin
Mozart: Idomeneo - Ballet Music 12’Haydn: Symphony No. 86 28’Beethoven: Violin Concerto 42’
Wednesday 9 October, 7.30pm& Thursday 10 October, 2.15pm
Master, pupil and friend: between them, Haydn,Beethoven and Mozart transformed the historyof music. Tonight’s concert begins with thewhite-hot inspiration of Mozart’s breakthroughopera, and ends with soloist Christian Tetzlaffsoaring high above the sunlit romantic landscapeof Beethoven’s great Violin Concerto. No-oneconducts this music with more panache thanOlari Elts; so when he turns toHaydn’s exuberant 86thSymphony, the results should belittle short of explosive.
RELAX ANDREVITALISE
Centre Stage at CBSO CentreThursday 17 October, 1.10pm CBSO Players
Crusell: Divertimento in C, Op. 9Finzi: Interlude for oboe and stringsBax: Oboe Quintet
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Mendelssohn in Birmingham:the Italian SymphonyEdward Gardner - conductorVeronika Eberle - violin
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 (Italian) 26’Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor 27’Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5 (Reformation) 30’
Prodigy, dreamer and master of melody - it’s nowonder that Felix Mendelssohn was VictorianBritain’s favourite composer. And when theItalian Symphony bursts into sparkling life,you’ll understand the reason, as EdwardGardner launches our Mendelssohn SymphonyCycle in exuberant style. Veronika Eberle is thesoloist in Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto,performed today on the very spot whereMendelssohn conducted some of his greatestworks: Town Hall, Birmingham.
FREE pre-concert talk - see p48.
Saturday 19 October, 3pmTown Hall, Birmingham
RELAX ANDREVITALISE
Carmen and BoléroAlain Altinoglu - conductorNora Gubisch - soprano
Bizet: Carmen - Suite No. 2 20’Ravel: Shéhérazade 17’Bizet: Symphony in C 31’Ravel: Boléro 14’
The nights are lengthening in Birmingham - butwith some composers, it’s always summer!Bizet’s Carmen suite isn’t just a parade of someof the best tunes in all opera; it’s practicallySpain in a bottle - and his Symphony in C is puresunshine. Conductor Alain Altinoglu dishes it upwith a truly Gallic joie de vivre, and joins his wifeNora Gubisch for Ravel’s wickedly seductivesongs. Talking of seduction... well, Ravel’sBoléro says it better than any words!
FREE pre-concert performance - see p48.
CELEBRATEAND SHAREWednesday 16 October, 7.30pm
OCTOBER
Sunday 27 October, 2.30pm
Family Concert:- The GreatEnormo with Michael RosenJames Morgan - conductorJuliette Pochin - mezzoMichael Rosen - presenter
The Great Enormo - A Kerfuffle in B flat forOrchestra, Wasps and Soprano originally commissioned by the Brighton Festival; written
by Michael Rosen, James Morgan & Juliette Pochin
Popular children’s writer Michael Rosen (ofWe’re Going on a Bear Hunt) presents aninteractive guide to the orchestra for children andfamilies. Be ready to be surprised, have lots offun, go a little bit mad, be a little bit scared, andto help Michael and his crew perform some ofthe music. To begin, we introduce musicconnected to well-known stories – includingHarry Potter and A Midsummer Night's Dream –to celebrate the opening of the Library ofBirmingham this autumn. Then travel throughtime on a whirlwind musical tour to find a themetune for Mr Enormo Biggins’ Great Theme Park– packed full of rides from the wild west tointergalactic space, and pirates to roller coasters.
18 Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
“It went well for me in Birmingham. I’ve neverseen an audience so enthusiastic about mymusic.” Mendelssohn loved our city - andBirmingham loved him back! Hear why asEdward Gardner conducts the romantic ScottishSymphony, and pianist Martin Helmchen takesFelix’s own place in the brilliant piano concertothat Mendelssohn wrote specially for Birmingham,performed in the very hall where he scoredsome of his most glorious triumphs. You’ll neverget closer to his spirit.
FREE pre-concert talk - see p48.
RELAX ANDREVITALISE
FREE craft workshops and music in the foyersfrom 1pm. Why not come dressed up as acharacter from your favourite book?
Special prices apply.
Mendelssohn in Birmingham:the Scottish SymphonyEdward Gardner - conductorMartin Helmchen - piano
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 1 32’Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 2 23’Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 (Scottish) 43’
Thursday 24 October, 2.15pmTown Hall, Birmingham
19Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Friday Night Classics: Classics at the MoviesMichael Seal - conductorClaire Rutter - soprano Barry Norman - presenter
Including music from:Verdi: The Force of Destiny (Jean de Florette)Catalani: Ebben? Ne andrò lontana (Diva) Puccini: O mio babbino caro (A Room with a View) Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake (Black Swan & Billy Elliot)Barber: Adagio for Strings (Platoon & The Elephant Man)Herrmann: Salaambo’s Aria (Citizen Kane) Sibelius: Finlandia (Die Hard 2)Wagner: The Ride of the Valkyries (Apocalypse Now)Korngold: Glück das mir verblieb (The Big Lebowski) Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro (Trading Places)Strauss: Blue Danube Waltz (2001: A Space Odyssey)Britten: Playful Pizzicato (Moonrise Kingdom)Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana (Raging Bull)Puccini: Madam Butterfly (Fatal Attraction) Saint-Saëns: Organ Symphony (Babe)
Friday 1 November, 7.30pm
Centre Stage at CBSO CentreWednesday 6 November, 1.10pm, Trio SevernIreland: Phantasie TrioBrahms: Piano Trio No. 3
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You know that moment at the cinema when you realisethat you’ve heard that tune before - but you can’t quiteput your finger on it? Well, tonight, movie legend BarryNorman reveals all, in the sensational 3D-sound ofthe CBSO. You might think of the music of Sibelius,Puccini and Barber as the soundtracks to Die Hard,Fatal Attraction and Platoon - but it sounds evenbetter when you hear it for real!
FREE pre-concert talk - see p48.
Russian MastersVassily Sinaisky - conductorEkaterina Scherbachenko - sopranoVsevolod Grivnov - tenorElchin Azizov - baritoneCBSO Chorus
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture 16’Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1 31’Rachmaninov: The Bells 37’ (sung in Russian, with English surtitles)
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER
“Hear the bells ring out, with their singing andringing... they tell of oblivion.” For SergeiRachmaninov, the sound of bells embodied thesoul of Old Russia. Judging from the spectacularfinish of his 1812 Overture, Tchaikovsky agreed- though you haven’t really heard 1812 untilyou’ve heard it performed with full chorus! ThenShostakovich’s fiery First Symphony providesthe upbeat to The Bells: music of heartfelt joysand deep, dark sorrows which uses the bells ofchildhood, marriage, war and death to chart ourjourney through life. Tonight's soloists from theBolshoi Theatre have it in their blood.
RAISE THEROOFThursday 31 October, 7.30pm
NOVEMBER
20 Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
“Andris Nelsons, anotherLatvian and still only 34, is the hottest conductingproperty in Europe today.”
Martin Kettle, The Guardian, January 2013
Andris Nelsons
21Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
CBSO Youth OrchestraIlan Volkov - conductorAllison Bell - soprano
Debussy: La Mer 23’Messiaen: Poèmes pour Mi 27’Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 31’
Nelsons conductsBrahms’s Fourth Andris Nelsons - conductorValeriy Sokolov - violin
Wagner: Lohengrin - Prelude to Act 1 9’Sibelius: Violin Concerto 31’Brahms: Symphony No. 4 40’
Wednesday 6 November, 7.30pm
Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony was inspired by aflight of swans. Debussy was drunk on thebeauty of the sea. And the young Messiaen putall his love for his new wife into nine blissfulsongs. Gorgeous colours and big, big emotions:exactly what the CBSO Youth Orchestra doesbest. So join Ilan Volkov and our superb youngplayers and share the joy of discovery, as togetherthey bring this glorious music vibrantly to life.
Brahms’s Fourth Symphony begins with a sigh -and ends with a tempest. It might have been hislast symphony, but Brahms wasn’t going gentlyinto the night, and Andris Nelsons will bringeverything he has to a musical tragedy ofShakespearean power. It’s a long journey fromthe serene beauty of Wagner’s LohengrinPrelude, but with Valeriy Sokolov as the soloist inSibelius’s lyrical Violin Concerto, there’ll be noshortage of drama along the way.
PUREEMOTION
Sunday 3 November, 3.30pm
Thursday 7 November, 2.15pm PUREEMOTION
DISCOVER
Special prices apply.
The Best of BrahmsAndris Nelsons - conductorDejan Lazic - piano
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 45’Brahms: Symphony No. 4 40’
As a young man, Johannes Brahms had his heartshattered by an impossible love. He spent therest of his life trying to find some kind of peace.In one concert, Andris Nelsons and the CBSOsweep us through that whole incredible journey;from the volcanic passion of the mighty FirstPiano Concerto – played by the superb DejanLazic – to Brahms’s last and greatest symphony:a musical tragedy of Shakespearean power.
FREE pre-concert talk - see p48.
22 Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Centre Stage at CBSO CentreThursday 28 November, 1.10pm CBSO PlayersFauré: Piano TrioMozart: Piano Quartet in G minor, K.478
“Blessed Cecilia, appear in visions to all musicians,appear and inspire.” Britten’s originality never blazedmore brightly than when it was most firmly rooted inthe English choral tradition. As the Orchestra tours toJapan, 100 years to the day since Britten’s birth,Simon Halsey directs the CBSO’s world-famouschoruses in some of Britten’s most striking choralinspirations - all interspersed with his magical SixMetamorphoses for solo oboe. A universe in a grainof sand: music to leave audiences stirred, beguiledand thoroughly entertained.
Saturday 30 November, 7pmRELAX ANDREVITALISE
DISCOVER
Britten 100: Centenary Concertby the CBSO’s family of choruses
Simon Halsey - conductorNicholas Daniel - oboe • David Goode - organCBSO Chorus, Youth Chorus & Children’s Chorus
Jubilate in C 3’Six Metamorphoses after Ovid 12’3 Two-Part Songs 7’Friday Afternoons 20’Hymn to St Cecilia 10’Missa Brevis 10’Prelude & Fugue on a Theme of Vittoria 5’Rejoice in the Lamb 16’
Friday 22 November, 7.30pm
Part of Birmingham’s celebrationsof Britten’s centenary year:www.birminghambritten.co.uk
Special prices apply.
Vibrant, colourful, and buzzing with energy: theAmerican minimalist music of John Adams andSteve Reich has swept through contemporaryculture like a blast of pure oxygen. But there’snothing minimalist about its emotional power,and in this life-affirming programme directed bythe inspirational Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto,it’s the perfect complement to two of Bach’smost tuneful masterpieces. Three masters speakto each other across three centuries: this is musicto refresh heart and soul in equal measure.
FREE pre-concert talk - see p48.
Bach to the FuturePekka Kuusisto - director / violin
Reich: Triple Quartet 15’Bach: Violin Concerto in E major 17’Reich: Violin Phase 15’Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 12’Adams: Shaker Loops 28’
Can also be booked as part of a BirminghamInternational Concert Season concert package.
Pre-concert talk - see p48.
23Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Nelsons conductsBrahms’s ThirdAndris Nelsons - conductorIsabelle Faust - violin
Wagner: Siegfried Idyll 20’Britten: Violin Concerto 32’Brahms: Symphony No. 3 37’
Part of Birmingham’s celebrations of Britten’scentenary year: www.birminghambritten.co.uk
Tchaikovsky’s PathétiqueSymphonyAndrew Litton - conductorBenjamin Grosvenor - piano
Rachmaninov: The Rock 13’Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 23’Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique) 45’
DECEMBER
Wednesday 11 December, 2.15pm& Saturday 14 December, 7pm
Tchaikovsky didn’t stint on emotion, and with hisshattering Pathétique Symphony, he wrote outhis very soul. Music simply doesn’t get moreoverwhelming than this, so we’ve paired it with acomplete contrast: Saint-Saëns’s outrageouslyentertaining Second Piano Concerto, playedtonight by the brightest new star of British pianoplaying, the 21-year old Benjamin Grosvenor,who opened the BBC Proms last year.
FREE pre-concert talks - see p48.
Two chords ring out, the orchestra gathers itsstrength - and with the force of a summer storm,Brahms’s Third Symphony crashes upon you.“Free but happy” was Brahms’s motto for thismusic, and there’s a whole lifetime of tendernessand passion before its radiant sunset finish.What happier ending for a concert in which thewonderful Isabelle Faust contemplates one ofBritten’s finest works - and which opens with themost beautiful gift any composer ever gave to hisbeloved?
FREE pre-concert performance and post-concerttalk - see p48.
PUREEMOTION
PUREEMOTION
Thursday 5 December, 7.30pm
Centre Stage at CBSO CentreThursday 12 December, 1.10pmBenjamin Grosvenor (piano) & CBSO Players
Brahms: Piano Quintet
24 Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
A Christmas Overture • White Christmas •Santa Claus is Coming to Town • Winter Wonderland • When A Child is Born •Wonderful Christmastime • The Snowman -Walking in the Air • I Wonder As I Wander •I Believe in Father Christmas • Let It Snow •The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting) • The Twelve Days of Christmas • Jingle Bells • Mary’s Boy Child • I’ll Be Home for Christmas •Lieutenant Kijé - Suite • Baby, It’s Cold Outside •Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas • Happy Christmas (War Is Over)
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Friday Night Classics:
Wonderful ChristmastimeCarl Davis - conductorLance Ellington, Katy Treharne - vocalists
When Carl Davis steps onto the podium andopens his musical selection box for a Christmasparty like no other, entertainment is guaranteed!With all-time family favourites and LanceEllington from Strictly Come Dancing, maestroDavis knows exactly how to get your festiveseason off to a swinging start.
Thursday 19 December, 7.30pm,Sunday 22 December, 3pm & 7.30pm,& Monday 23 December, 7.30pm
Friday 13 December, 7.30pm
Centre Stage at CBSO CentreThursday 19 December, 1.10pm Berkley Salon EnsembleCBSO Youth Chorus
A Palm Court Christmas Party!
Special prices apply: £15
Christmas prices apply.
Festive Favourites withMark WilliamsSimon Halsey - conductorMark Williams - presenterCBSO Choruses
Christmas begins at home, so join us atSymphony Hall, as we gather the whole CBSO‘family’ – including over 250 voices of theCBSO’s massed choruses – for our annualchoral Christmas concerts. Local lad MarkWilliams – Harry Potter’s Arthur Weasley, andstar of Doctor Who and The Fast Show – is ourhost; there’ll be festive favourites, seasonalstories and of course lots and lots of classiccarols: the whole family gets to sing along. It’s areal Birmingham tradition - it wouldn’t beChristmas without it!
CELEBRATEAND SHARE
25Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Thursday 9 January, 7.30pm
JANUARY
Centre Stage at CBSO CentreFriday 10 January, 1.10pmLars Vogt (piano) with CBSO Players
Programme to include: Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1
Viennese New YearStephen Bell - conductorElin Manahan Thomas - soprano
Fatherland March • Die LibelleThe Merry Widow - Vilja Song | Love UnspokenOn My Lips Every Kiss Is Like WineWhy Did You Kiss My Heart Awake?Excursion Train Polka • Pizzicato PolkaDie Fledermaus - Overture | Laughing SongVienna Bonbons Waltz • Egyptian MarchThe Blue Danube • I Give My HeartMorning, Noon and Night in Vienna - OvertureMy Fair Lady - I Could Have Danced All NightRadetzky March
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It isn’t New Year without a trip to Vienna, thecity of silver and gold, where waltzes aresweeter than sachertorte, polkas sparkle likechampagne and every song carries athousand tender memories. The CBSO’sannual New Year party has all the tunes youlove, with favourites by the Strauss family,Lehár and Suppé, plus soprano Elin Manahan Thomas singing some of Viennese operetta’smost mouth-watering numbers. Prosit!
Friday Night Classics prices apply.
RELAX ANDREVITALISE
Saturday 4 January, 3pm
Russian ClassicsAndris Nelsons - conductorLars Vogt - piano
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 (Classical) 14’Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 27, K. 595 32’Stravinsky: Petrushka 34’
It’s springtime in old Russia, and as crowdsthrong the Shrovetide Fair, passions are rising.But how serious can it get? After all, a puppetdoesn’t have feelings... does it? 100 years on,Stravinsky’s brilliantly original ballet continues tostartle and delight; while Prokofiev’s firecrackerof a first symphony proves that a real popularclassic can still spring a few surprises. Mind you,Mozart’s last piano concerto gives them both arun for their money - especially in the supremelyskilled hands of Lars Vogt.
26 Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Prokofiev’s Romeo andJulietAndris Nelsons - conductorErin Wall - soprano
Strauss: Don Juan 18’Strauss: Four Last Songs 22’Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet (highlights) 50’
Wednesday 15 January, 7.30pm& Thursday 16 January, 2.15pm
Love never dies. Richard Strauss’s career wentoff like a rocket with Don Juan, and you canalmost smell the testosterone. A lifetime later,Strauss gazed into the sunset and heard hisFour Last Songs; ardour turned to serenity, inmusic of transcendent beauty. As for Romeoand Juliet... let’s just say that there’s a lot moreto Prokofiev’s romantic ballet score than thetheme from The Apprentice. Andris Nelsonswill give it his all.
FREE pre-concert talk on 16 January - see p48.
PUREEMOTION
Special prices apply.
Tuned In: Stravinsky’sPetrushkaAndris Nelsons - conductorPaul Rissmann - presenter
Stravinsky: Infernal Dance from The Firebird Suite (1919) 4’An introduction to Stravinsky’s Petrushka 35’intervalStravinsky: Petrushka 34’
Puppets in love? Sounds delightful. But there’s asinister secret to Stravinsky’s ballet Petrushka -something that makes it far more than just oneof the most entertaining pieces in 20th centurymusic. In this special Tuned In concert,presenter Paul Rissmann tells the story behindthe story, using illustrations, anecdotes and a100-piece symphony orchestra to bringPetrushka to life, whether you’ve heard it ahundred times - or never before. And then AndrisNelsons conducts the CBSO in a fullperformance of this extraordinary score.
DISCOVERSaturday 11 January, 7pm
27Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
JANUARY
“I think this is my favouritepiece of music. The
music is incredible, sopowerful. It’s romantic,
passionate, beautiful andachingly sad. Every time Ihear the end I get goose-bumps and usually cry.”
Jane Wright, violin, on Der Rosenkavalier - p41
Andris Nelsons conducts Britten’sWar Requiem at Coventry Cathedral
28 Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Friday 24 January, 7.30pm
British Classics with John WilsonJohn Wilson - conductorPaul Watkins - cello
Ireland: A London Overture 12’Walton: Cello Concerto 30’Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony 48’
Wednesday 22 January, 2.15pm
Vaughan Williams may have loved thecountryside, but he couldn’t resist the capital.Listen out for street-songs, buskers and even thechimes of Big Ben as conductor John Wilsondrives us through the fog - and enjoy JohnIreland’s gloriously tuneful take on the samebustling scene. Walton’s Cello Concerto,meanwhile, comes from warmerclimes; with Paul Watkins as thesoloist, this is one trip to Londonwhere sunshine is guaranteed!
FREE pre-concert talk - see p48.
Centre Stage at CBSO CentreFriday 24 January, 1.10pmNew Birmingham String Quartet
McEwen: Nugae (Seven bagatelles for string quartet)Brahms: String Quartet No. 1
DISCOVER
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Friday Night Classics: ABBASymphonic SpectacularStephen Bell - conductorCapital Voices directed by Annie Skates
Mamma Mia! Here we go again, with asensational, evening-long tribute to ABBA. Youknow them, you love them: Waterloo, DancingQueen, Knowing Me Knowing You... So why notdress 70s-style? Dig out those flares, put onyour dancing shoes and get ready to party, asthe CBSO says “Thank you for the Music”.
ABBA Overture • Waterloo • One of Us •Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! • SOS • Super Trouper • The Name of the Game • The Winner Takes It All • Fernando •Mamma Mia • I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do • Money, Money, Money • Dancing Queen •Lay All Your Love • Voulez Vous • Does Your Mother Know • Chiquitita •Take A Chance On Me • I Have A Dream •Knowing Me, Knowing You • Angel Eyes •Thank You For The Music
29Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Schools Concerts:: TheCBSO’s Guide to the OrchestraMichael Seal - conductorAlasdair Malloy - presenter
CBSO Schools programme supported by
We are working with The Birmingham MusicEducation Partnership to enable all Year 7children in Birmingham schools to experiencethe CBSO live in Symphony Hall.
Monday 27 January, 11.30am & 1.30pm& Friday 31 January, 11am & 1pm
The Organ SymphonyKazuki Yamada - conductorFrancesco Piemontesi - pianoStephen Farr - organ
Fauré: Pelleas and Melisande - Suite 19’Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini 24’Widor: Toccata 6’Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 (Organ) 35’
JANUARY/FEBRUARY
Thursday 30 January, 7.30pm& Saturday 1 February, 3pm
What sound does a piccolo make? Why is adouble bass so huge? And do they really needquite so many violins? The symphony orchestrais the most amazing piece of music technologyever devised; today, in a concert of music fromBeethoven to Harry Potter specially devised forKey Stage 3 students, presenter Alasdair Malloyexplains how it all works - with the help ofconductor Michael Seal and the full City ofBirmingham Symphony Orchestra.
RAISE THEROOF
Special prices apply.
You might have heard it in the film Babe, buttrust us - when the Symphony Hall organcrashes in at the end of Saint-Saëns’ mightyOrgan Symphony you won’t be thinking abouttalking pigs! It’s a long way from the gentleperfumes of Fauré’s lovely Pelleas andMelisande suite - though when Kazuki Yamadajoins forces with the award-winning pianistFrancesco Piemontesi in Rachmaninov’s super-romantic Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini,there’ll be fireworks aplenty amidst the poetry.
1 February: evening prices apply.
Centre Stage at CBSO CentreFriday 7 February, 1.10pmBrass Explosion!
Berio: Call (St Louis Fanfare)Saint-Saëns: Sérénade d’hiverPrevin: Four OutingsGershwin: Porgy and Bess - suite
Friday 7 February, 7.30pm
Friday Night Classics: Gilbert and Sullivan GalaJohn Wilson - conductorSarah Fox - sopranoBenjamin Hulett - tenorRichard Suart - baritoneMatthew Hargreaves - bassBirmingham University Singers
Fresh, fizzy and sparkling with wit, G&S are asEnglish as a G&T - and just as enjoyable.Mouth-watering tunes meet eye-watering wordsas tonight we welcome John Wilson and an all-star cast for an evening-long celebration of theSavoy Operas. With a selection of favouritesongs, plus a full concert performance of Trial byJury, we’ve got a little list. And it’s definitely notto be missed!
Gilbert & Sullivan: Trial By Jury (complete)The Gondoliers - Overture | Once MoreGondolieri • The Sorcerer - Ring Forth,Ye Bells • The Yeomen of the Guard -Is Life A Boon? • The Pirates Of Penzance- Climbing Over Rocky Mountain •Princess Ida - Oh Goddess Wise •Iolanthe - Overture • The Mikado -As Someday It May Happen •H.M.S. Pinafore - Never Mind the Why &Wherefore | When I Was A Lad... •Ruddigore - Painted Emblems of a Race |When The Night Wind Howls
30 Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
RELAX ANDREVITALISE
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Ultimate Vaughan Williams Andrew Manze - conductorLaurence Jackson - violin
Vaughan Williams: Overture, The Wasps 9’Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis 15’The Lark Ascending 14’Job, A Masque for Dancing 44’
Wednesday 5 February, 7.30pm
“He rises and begins to round / he drops the silverchain of sound…” When The Lark Ascendingtakes wing, so do our spirits. But that’s just oneside of the genius of Ralph Vaughan Williams.Andrew Manze has a special connection with thismost English of composers; tonight he shares therollicking fun of The Wasps, the timeless passionof the Tallis Fantasia and, to top it all, Job: ablockbuster of a ballet score that’ll change theway you think about English music.
FREE pre-concert performance - see p48.
31Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Thursday 13 February, 7.30pm
Mendelssohn in Birmingham:Hymn of Praise Edward Gardner - conductorSophie Bevan - sopranoMary Bevan - sopranoRobert Murray - tenorCBSO ChorusCBSO Youth Chorus
Mendelssohn: Overture, Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage 13’Mendelssohn: Two Motets, Op. 39 12’Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 2 (Hymn of Praise) 65’
Felix Mendelssohnwas one of thegreatest naturaltalents in the historyof music. So whenhe challenged Beethoven at his own game...well hear for yourself! Hymn of Praise isMendelssohn’s very own Choral Symphony.Birmingham audiences of 1840 adored it - andyou will too, as Edward Gardner, the massedCBSO choruses and three first-rate soloistsbring our Mendelssohn cycle to Symphony Hall.Two delightful rediscoveries complete a reallyjoyous evening of music.
FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.
RELAX ANDREVITALISE
Singalong with the CBSO:Carmina Burana Simon Halsey - conductorCBSO Chorus & CBSO Children’s Chorus
Sunday 9 February, 7pm
Information for singers: rehearsals start at 1.30pm;further details will be sent with singer tickets. Scores:we will be using the Schott edition. To hire a score withSimon Halsey’s rehearsal markings, please purchasethe all-inclusive Singer & Score Hire ticket whenbooking. NB If you’re not bringing your own score, pre-booking of score hire via this ticket is essential.Pre-booked scores can be collected on the day from12.30pm by showing your score ticket.
FEBRUARY
CELEBRATEAND SHARE
Special prices apply.
Ever wondered what it’s like to sing live at SymphonyHall with the full CBSO? Now’s your chance to findout, in this one-off performance from scratch of CarlOrff’s uproarious Carmina Burana - 60 outrageouslytuneful minutes of life, lust and monks behavingbadly! And whether you’re a choral society veteranor have only ever sung it in the shower, you’rewelcome to rehearse and perform it today, under theCBSO’s world-famous chorus director Simon Halsey.
FEBRUARY
32 Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Amy Fawcett, viola
“Coaching the CBSOYouth Orchestra is one of the most rewarding
aspects of my job. You’vejust got to see this group ofamazing young musiciansperforming Strauss - my
favourite composer!”
CBSO Youth Orchestra inrehearsal at CBSO Centre
33Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Mozart and ElgarEdward Gardner - conductorSteven Osborne - piano
Mozart: The Magic Flute - Overture 7’Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 24, K. 491 31’Elgar: Symphony No. 1 52’
Wednesday 19 February, 2.15pm& Thursday 20 February, 7.30pm
At the premiere of Elgar’s First Symphony in1908, the audience rose to its feet and simplyyelled with excitement. So prepare yourself forraw emotion, desperate beauty, and of course,one of the greatest tunes ever written by anEnglishman. The CBSO has a specialrelationship with Elgar; today, Edward Gardnerwrites a new chapter. Mozart’s darkest pianoconcerto makes a wonderfully aptprelude, played by theincomparable Steven Osborne.
FREE pre-concert talks - see p49.
Sunday 23 February, 7pm
RELAX ANDREVITALISE
DISCOVER
Richard Strauss wanted Also sprach Zarathustrato portray “the entire history of humanity”. Well,our Youth Orchestra likes a challenge! Jac vanSteen has a special rapport with our superbyoung players; so he’s the perfect guide as theytackle one of the most breathtaking showpiecesin all music - and surrender to the life-changingpassion of Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde. Andmeet Charlotte Bray: the Birmingham-trainedcomposer whose music caused such a stir at the2012 Proms.
FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.
CBSO Youth OrchestraJac van Steen - conductor
Bray: New Work (CBSO/Feeney Trust commission: World premiere) 10’Wagner: Tristan and Isolde, Symphonic Synthesis 35’Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra 32’
Special prices apply.
34 Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Friday 28 February, 7.30pm
In the film Amadeus, when Mozart’s arch-rivalSalieri hears his Gran Partita, he thinks he’shearing the voice of God. Tonight, Karl-HeinzSteffens – a former principal clarinettist of theBerlin Philharmonic itself – leads the CBSO’swind players to heaven. That’s just for starters,in a concert that features a rare performance ofthe luscious violin concerto by the ‘RussianMendelssohn’ Alexander Glazunov, andStravinsky’s punchy wartimesymphony; music of chrome andsteel, from the streets of LA.Pure sonic indulgence.
FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.
Friday Night Classics: Songsfor Swingin’ Orchestra Richard Balcombe - conductorCatherine Porter - vocalistGraham Bickley - vocalist
Well, ring-a-ding-ding! For one night only,Symphony Hall transforms itself into the SandsHotel, Vegas for this sensational tribute to thelegendary crooners of the 1950s. We’ve got allthe classics, by composers including GeorgeGershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Nat KingCole and Richard Rodgers. With vocalistsGraham Bickley and Catherine Porter backedby the full CBSO, they’ll never sound silkier,sassier or more fabulously swinging. There’sno more glamorous party in town - so join us,and get happy!
Programme includes:Let’s Do It • The Lady is a Tramp •Let’s Face the Music and Dance • Get Happy • I’ve Got You Under My Skin •Luck Be A Lady • Nature Boy •Straighten Up And Fly Right •Fancy Meeting You Here • I’ve Got The World On A String • What’s New? • Sinatra Film Suite •Beginner’s Luck • Mona Lisa • Ambulatory Suite • My Favourite Beau •My Heart Stood Still • Pal Joey - theme •Lover, Come Back to Me • Sea of Dreams •Dance Ballerina, Dance • Lush Life • Can’t We Be Friends?
Presented in association with GRB Concerts.
Centre Stage at CBSO CentreThursday 27 February, 1.10pm CBSO Players
Beethoven: Piano Quartet in CMendelssohn: Piano Quartet No. 2
DISCOVER
CELEBRATEAND SHARE
Mozart’s Gran PartitaKarl-Heinz Steffens - conductorRenaud Capuçon - violin
Mozart: Gran Partita (Serenade for 13 wind instruments, K.361) 49’Glazunov: Violin Concerto 20’Stravinsky: Symphony in Three Movements 20’
Wednesday 26 February, 7.30pm
35Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Rachmaninov’s SecondPiano ConcertoMichael Seal - conductorGabriela Montero - piano
Bizet / Shchedrin: Carmen Suite 25’Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 32’Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 46’
Thursday 6 March, 7.30pm
Shostakovich staked his life on his FifthSymphony - and you can tell. From angst-tornopening to all-too-triumphant finish, there’s nosymphony more powerful – or more personal –than this musical response to Stalin’s terror.Under Michael Seal, it’ll strike home withdevastating power: a gripping contrast toRachmaninov’s hugely popular piano concerto(of Brief Encounter fame) and Shchedrin’shilarious Carmen suite, based on Bizet's original.Imagine Bizet’s opera after a Smirnoff too many- it’s as outrageous as it sounds!
FREE pre-concert performance - see p49.
RAISE THEROOF
Family Concert::
Carnival of the AnimalsMichael Seal - conductorNikky Smedley - presenterCBSO Young Voices
FREE craft workshops and music in the foyersfrom 1pm. Why not come dressed up as yourfavourite animal?
Sunday 2 March, 2.30pm
MARCH
Never been to a concert? Don’t worry, neitherhas Puppet Sam - but with the aid of his palNikky (famous as Laa Laa from Teletubbies) and80 friendly musicians, he’s about to find out allthere is to know about the CBSO! And once sheand Sam have introduced us the orchestra,we’re all off to the zoo - with a full performanceof Saint-Saëns’ wacky and wonderful Carnival ofThe Animals. A double bass turns into anelephant, flutes become birds and tortoisesdance the can-can - it’s a perfectly beastly wayto get to know the instruments of the orchestra.Just don’t feed the fossils!
Special prices apply.
36 Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Rachmaninov’s SecondSymphony Mikhail Tatarnikov - conductorPeter Donohoe - piano
Mussorgsky: Night on a Bare Mountain 12’Dohnányi: Variations on a Nursery Song 25’Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2 55’
Wednesday 12 March, 7.30pm & Thursday 13 March, 2.15pm
Tuned In: Shostakovich’s FifthMichael Seal - conductorPaul Rissmann - presenter
An introduction to Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 40’
intervalShostakovich: Symphony No. 5 46’
In Stalin’s Russia, writing the wrong kind ofmusic could carry a terrible price. SoShostakovich’s Fifth Symphony was more thanjust a thrilling piece of music - it was a life-or-death gamble. In this special Tuned In concert,presenter Paul Rissmann uses illustrations,anecdotes and the full CBSO to explain howShostakovich beat the system - and unlock thesecret story behind the music. Then MichaelSeal conducts a full performance of theSymphony. There’s no better way to get underthe skin of one of most powerful testimonies in20th-century music.
PUREEMOTION
DISCOVERSaturday 8 March, 7pm
Special prices apply.
Think Russian and you think epic. Rachmaninov’sSecond is exactly that: a symphony as grandand expansive as Russia itself, full-to-overflowingwith some of the most gorgeous love music everwritten. It could have been written for our guestconductor Mikhail Tatarnikov. And Dohnányi’sdelightful Variations on a Nursery Tune couldhave been written for today’s soloist - becauseour latest rediscovery from 1913 demands bothspectacular artistry and a cheeky sense ofhumour. Peter Donohoe has both!
FREE pre-concert talks - see p49.
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CENTRE STAGE at CBSO Centre
Belshazzar’s Feast John Storgårds - conductorMark Stone - bassCBSO ChorusCBSO Youth Chorus
Holst: The Hymn of Jesus 23’Bernstein: Chichester Psalms 19’Walton: Belshazzar’s Feast 34’
1931: William Walton takes a huge choir and amassive symphony orchestra, adds a couple ofbrass bands - and blows English music sky-high.Big, brassy and shamelessly savage,Belshazzar’s Feast caused outrage back then,and it still knocks you backwards today! It’s astunning showcase for the CBSO’s famouschoruses; and John Storgårds gets thingsbuzzing with two joyous choral classics by thecomposers behind West Side Story and ThePlanets. We think you’ll love them.
Saturday 26 April, 7pm
APRIL
RAISE THEROOF
Friday 11 April, 1.10pm, CBSO Baroque Ensemble (on period instruments)
The Royal Society of MusiciansEngland’s first charity formusicians came into being in1739. This concert exploresmusic by some of its foundermembers: William Boyce,Thomas Arne, William Hayesand George Frederick Handel.
Friday 25 April, 1.10pm CBSO Players
Schubert: Octet in F, D.803
Wednesday 12 March, 1.10pm CBSO Players
Haydn: String Quartet Op. 33 No. 2 (Joke)Mozart: String Quartet K.465 (Dissonance)
Centre Stage at CBSO CentreFriday 9 May, 1.10pmCBSO Players
Rossini: Duetto for cello and bassDvorák: String Quintet Op. 77
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Rachmaninov andShostakovich Andrés Orozco-Estrada - conductorSimone Lamsma - violin
Ravel: Alborada del gracioso 7’Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1 38’Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances 37’
Far from all he loved,Sergei Rachmaninovdreamed of anotherworld. The result washis SymphonicDances: half-symphony, half-ballet, allRachmaninov. Andrés Orozco-Estrada has beena real hit with Birmingham audiences; tonight hewhirls the CBSO through a vision of ghostlywaltzes, life-or-death gambles, and those great,unforgettable Rachmaninov melodies – and joinsstar soloist Simone Lamsma in Shostakovich’stense political thriller of a First Violin Concerto.
Thursday 8 May, 7.30pmRAISE THEROOF
Thursday 1 May, 2.15pm
Rimsky-Korsakov’sScheherazadeRafael Payare - conductorJonathan Biss - piano
Brahms: Tragic Overture 13’Schumann: Piano Concerto 31’Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade 45’
Brahms found strength in the depths of despair.Schumann poured out his feelings for hisbeloved Clara. And Scheherazade just wantedto keep her head! But every one of them told anunforgettable musical story, and from Brahms’sepic drama to Rimsky-Korsakov’s fantasticallytuneful musical fairytale on One Thousand andOne Nights, Rafael Payare – the latest graduateof Venezuela’s legendary El Sistema – will makeeach one blaze with colour. PianistJonathan Biss finds poetryamidst the passion in thisconcert of much-loved classics.
FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.
PUREEMOTION
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Friday Night Classics: SilentHeroes - Buster KeatonCarl Davis - conductor
Davis: The Play House 22’Davis: The General 76’
Sunday 11 May, 2.30pm
When you’re into classical music, you’ve got more than300 years of great tunes to choose from! So where doyou start? Well, how about this concert of bite-sizeclassics for the whole family, as presenter AlasdairMalloy, maestro Mike Seal and the 80 super-talentedmusicians of the CBSO whisk you from Beethoven to Freddie Mercury in just two fun-packed hours!
FREE craft workshops and music in the foyers from 1pm. Why not come dressed up as something musical?
It doesn’t matter how good your home cinema is.Until you’ve heard a full symphony orchestraaccompanying a film live, you haven’t experiencedthe ultimate in movie surround sound! Veteranmovie maestro Carl (‘Cranford’) Davis conductsthe CBSO in a live soundtrack to one of thegreatest film comedies of all time, Buster Keaton’srunaway-train classic The General. We’ve evengot a ‘B’ feature too. They don’t make ’em likethat any more? Well, at Symphony Hall, we do!
Family Concert:
Bite-size Classics Michael Seal - conductorAlasdair Malloy - presenterCBSO Children’s Chorus
Highlights from:Strauss: Also sprach ZarathustraGlinka: Ruslan and Ludmila - OvertureFauré: Dolly Suite Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 Copland: Rodeo - Hoe DownProkofiev: Classical Symphony Mercury: Bohemian Rhapsodyand more
Special prices apply.
Special prices apply.
MAY
CELEBRATEAND SHAREFriday 9 May, 7.30pm
Thursday 15 May, 2.15pm
Haydn and MozartAndris Nelsons - conductorGraham Sibley - tubaRainer Gibbons - oboeChristopher Richards - clarinetGretha Tuls - bassoonElspeth Dutch - horn
Haydn: Symphony No. 101 (The Clock) 27’Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante for Oboe,Clarinet, Bassoon and Horn, K.297B 30’Vaughan Williams: Tuba Concerto 13’Haydn: Symphony No. 102 23’
Take a clarinet, an oboe, a bassoon and a horn.Add one tuba - and the result is a matinée with adelightful difference, as a quartet of the CBSO’sworld-class woodwind players tackles Mozart’sbubbly four-way concerto. Andris Nelsons sets aplayful mood with two of Haydn’s deliciouslywitty ‘London’ symphonies, and then whisks usinto the era of the Festival of Britain, as CBSOtuba player Graham Sibley flies high in VaughanWilliams’s rare and lovely concerto.
FREE pre-concert and post-concert talks- see p49.
40 Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Centre Stage at CBSO CentreThursday 22 May, 1.10pmCBSO Players
Beethoven: String Quartet Op. 130Grosse Fuge Op. 133
RELAX ANDREVITALISE
Four’s company! Mozart may or may not havewritten this Sinfonia Concertante - but who’scounting, when it brings four of the CBSO’s starplayers together in one delightful musicalmultiple pile-up? This is going to be fun, soAndris Nelsons gets us smiling with two of thedeliciously witty symphonies Haydn wrotespecially for British audiences, and then throwsin a very special bonus: the fantasticallyinventive concerto that JohnWoolrich wrote specially for theCBSO’s contrabassoonist,Margaret Cookhorn.
FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.
RELAX ANDREVITALISE
Haydn and MozartAndris Nelsons - conductorMargaret Cookhorn - contrabassoon Rainer Gibbons - oboeChristopher Richards - clarinetGretha Tuls - bassoonElspeth Dutch - horn
Haydn: Symphony No. 101 (The Clock) 27’Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante for Oboe,Clarinet, Bassoon and Horn, K.297B 30’Woolrich: Falling Down 15’Haydn: Symphony No. 102 23’
Wednesday 14 May, 7.30pm
41Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Wednesday 28 May, 2.15pm
Love conquers everything, so they say... but whatabout Time? In a fairytale Vienna, the beautifulMarschallin and her teenage lover are about todiscover that a single silver rose can turn the worldupside down. Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalieris an opera that ravishes the ear, then breaks yourheart to the sound of a waltz. Andris Nelsons hasassembled a truly world-class cast for what is sureto be a highlight of the season, in his first everconcert performance of the sweetest and mostsensuous opera of all time.
Andris and Håkan in concertAndris Nelsons - conductorHåkan Hardenberger - trumpet
Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin 17’Haydn: Trumpet Concerto 14’A selection of miniatures for trumpet and orchestra 15’Mussorgsky (orch. Ravel): Pictures at an Exhibition 34’
A hut on hen’s legs, luminous skulls, baroquewatercolours... sounds spectacular? It’s amazingwhat you can achieve with a head full of tunesand a few shots of vodka! Andris Nelsonsunlocks a real jewel-box of a concert, with twohugely popular classics providing a glitteringframe for a true living treasure as the world’sgreatest trumpeter brings his gleaming sound toHaydn’s much-loved concerto - and shares a fewjazzy surprises from his recent album BothSides, Now.
FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.
The approximate running times of Acts 1, 2 & 3 are75’, 63’ and 68’ respectively. There will be a 30-minuteinterval after Act 1 and a one-hour interval after Act 2.
RAISE THEROOF
Special prices apply.
Der RosenkavalierAndris Nelsons - conductorSoile Isokoski - MarschallinAlice Coote - OctavianSophie Bevan - Sophie Franz Hawlata - OchsMark Stone - FaninalBonaventura Bottone - ValzacchiPamela Helen Stephen - AnninaJi-Min Park - Italian TenorEddie Wade - Notary / Police Inspector / ServantCBSO Chorus & Youth Chorus
Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier 206’(sung in German, with English surtitles)
Saturday 24 May, 4pm
MAY
PUREEMOTION
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Centre Stage at CBSO CentreFriday 30 May, 1.10pmCBSO Players
Steve Reich: Marimba PhaseJan Bradley: Chieba Radiohead: Pyramid Song Stephen Rush: Rebellion
When Maurice Ravel arranged Mussorgsky’sPictures at an Exhibition, he created one ofthe few adaptations that’s better than theoriginal! From its opening Promenade to themajestic Great Gate of Kiev, it’s one of the all-time great orchestral showpieces. AndrisNelsons unlocks a real jewel-box of a concertas Håkan Hardenberger, probably the world’sgreatest trumpeter, gives the first UKperformance of an imaginativenew concerto by Brett Dean.History in the making...
FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.
Thursday 5 June, 2.15pm
Summer SerenadeLaurence Jackson - director / violin
Grieg: Holberg Suite 21’Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 3 24’Dvorák: Nocturne in B major 9’Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings 29’
Once upon a time, serenades were played in theopen air. This afternoon, you’ll almost feel thesummer sunshine as the CBSO’s leaderLaurence Jackson becomes first amongst equalsin some of the loveliest music ever penned for apocket-sized orchestra. Tchaikovsky’s endlessmelodies and Grieg’s mock-baroque revels framethe teenage Mozart’s most perfect violin concerto;timeless elegance, gentle humour, and tune aftertune after tune. All you have to do is relax!
FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.
DISCOVER
RELAX ANDREVITALISE
Pictures at an ExhibitionAndris Nelsons - conductorHåkan Hardenberger - trumpet
Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin 17’Dean: Dramatis Personae (CBSO co-commission: UK premiere) 20’Mussorgsky (orch. Ravel): Pictures at an Exhibition 34’
Thursday 29 May, 7.30pm
43Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Thomas Adès:New HorizonsThomas Adès - conductorNicolas Hodges - piano
Ravel: Mother Goose (complete) 28’Barry: Piano Concerto (CBSO co-commission: UK premiere) 20’Coll: Piano Concertino (UK premiere) 10’Adès: Tevot 22’
Wednesday 11 June, 7.30pm
As both internationally-renowned composer andvisionary conductor, Thomas Adès is one of themost compelling figures in the contemporary arts,bringing a unique insight to everything heperforms. Today, Ravel’s fairy-tale ballet and hisown orchestral tour de force Tevot (composed forthe Berlin Philharmonic) book-end two fantasticpremieres from renowned contemporary pianistNicolas Hodges: the exuberant Concertino by theyoung Spanish composer Francisco Coll, and anew Piano Concerto by musical maverick and all-round entertainer Gerald Barry. Be ready foranything - except the routine!
FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.
DISCOVER
Special prices apply.
Friday Night Classics: Heroes and Superheroes Richard Kaufman - conductor
We need a hero! Enter movie maestro RichardKaufman – a true Hollywood insider – with an all-star salute to the biggest, boldest and baddeststars of the silver screen. Re-live the adventuresof all of our heroes, and savour the sonic thrill asKaufman gives them the deluxe treatment - in fullsymphonic sound!
JUNE
Featuring music from:SupermanDances with Wolves633 SquadronThe Magnificent SevenSaving Private RyanThe Sea HawkSpider-Man • SilveradoRaiders of the Lost ArkThe High and the MightyHarry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Batman • Star TrekAustin Powers • James Bond
CELEBRATEAND SHAREFriday 6 June, 7.30pm
44 Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Schools Concerts: Carnival of the Animals Michael Seal - conductorNikky Smedley - presenter
CBSO Schools programme supported by
Thursday 12 June, 11.30am & 1.30pm
Strauss and Shakespeare Andris Nelsons - conductorBarbara Hannigan - soprano
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream - Overture 11’Abrahamsen: let me tell you (UK premiere) 30’Strauss: Symphonia Domestica 44’
Wednesday 18 June, 7.30pm
Famous as Laa Laa from Teletubbies, NikkySmedley has over 30 years’ experience ofcreating work for children. Today, she teams upwith the full CBSO to give a guided tour ofSaint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals - a wildand wonderful musical zoo complete withelephants, lions, swans and... pianists? Theselively, hour-long concerts offer a colourfulintroduction to the instruments of the orchestra,specially devised for students at Key Stage 2.
Special prices apply.
Richard Strauss wasn’t one to throw the babyout with the bathwater. His extraordinarySymphonia Domestica is a no-holds-barredmusical diary of a day with the Strauss family,from morning lie-in through to bathtime for baby!It’s hilarious, heartwarming, and utterly OTT, andAndris Nelsons can’t wait to conduct it. First,though, come two enchanting classics - one amuch-loved favourite, one freshly-written for thesoprano Barbara Hanningan, but both inspiredby the magic of Shakespeare.
FREE pre-concert talk - see p49. DISCOVER
Centre Stage at CBSO CentreFriday 20 June 1.10pmCBSO Cellos
Spanish surprises from eight of theCBSO’s cellos - including music by Falla,Albéniz and Pau Casals.
45Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Beethoven’s EmperorConcertoAndris Nelsons - conductorPaul Lewis - piano
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) 38’Strauss: Symphonia Domestica 44’
Thursday 19 June, 2.15pm
Thursday 26 June, 7.30pm& Saturday 28 June, 7pm
“What could be more serious than family life?”asked Richard Strauss, and promptly composedhis extraordinary Symphonia Domestica: awonderfully over-the-top celebration of family lifein all its splashy glory - from the baby’s bathtimethrough to a date-night for mum and dad! It’sheartwarming, humorous and irresistibly tuneful.Andris Nelsons can’t wait to conduct it; anunexpected but surprisingly suitable match forBeethoven’s majestic Emperor Concerto, playedby a true poet amongst British pianists.
FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.
JUNE
RELAX ANDREVITALISE
RAISE THEROOF
Mozart’s C minor MassAndris Nelsons - conductorSarah-Jane Brandon - sopranoLisa Milne - sopranoBen Johnson - tenorVuyani Mlinde - bassJohn Tattersdill - double bassCBSO Chorus
Mozart: Symphony No. 40 26’Mozart: Misero! O sogno - Aura, che intorno spiri 11’Mozart: Per questa bella mano 7’Mozart: Mass in C minor 51’
When Mozart got married, he made a pact withheaven - and Mozart took his promises seriously.The result was the tremendous C minor Mass: asoul-shaking choral epic on the grandest possiblescale. If you love Mozart’s Requiem, you’ll beknocked backwards when Andris Nelsons, theCBSO Chorus and a top-notch team of soloistscome together for a concert that also featuresMozart’s best-loved symphony and his only solofor double bass, featuring the CBSO’s popularsection leader. Hearing is believing.
46 Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
JULY
“ ‘Imagine shaking achampagne bottle with allyour might and then ...popping the cork!’ - the
image Andris uses to inspireus to create his vision forthe opening of Don Juan.Such energy, passion,speed, tension, drama -
you need to hear it!”
Catherine Arlidge, violin, on 15/16 January
with Andris; see p26
In rehearsal at CBSO Centre
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue • SummertimeI’ll Build a Stairway to ParadiseGirl Crazy - Overture • I’ve Got a Crush on YouOur Love is Here to StayPromenade (Walking the Dog)Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off • The Man I LoveFascinatin’ Rhythm • Swanee
Bernstein:West Side Story: Mambo | Tonight | Something’s Coming | Somewhere | A Boy Like That
Candide: Overture
On the Town: Lonely Town | Carried Away | Times Square 1944 | I Can Cook Too | Some Other Time | New York, New York
Wonderful Town: A Little Bit in Love | One Hundred Easy Ways to Lose A Man
Friday Night Classics: NewYork, New York - A Gershwinand Bernstein GalaMartin Yates - conductorWest End vocalistsVictor Sangiorgio - piano
New York, New York! George Gershwin wrotethe soundtrack to the Jazz Age Big Apple.Lennie Bernstein turned its mean streets intothrilling song and dance. Together, they add upto one fabulous night out on the Fourth of July inthe greatest city on earth... Birmingham, ofcourse! We’re talking songs like Summertimeand Fascinatin’ Rhythm, and shows like WestSide Story and On the Town, not forgetting thetheme tune of Manhattan itself, Rhapsody inBlue. So let’s go - it’s a helluva town!
Produced in association with West End International Ltd.
Friday 4 July, 7.30pm
47Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
CELEBRATEAND SHARE
Bluebeard’s CastleEdward Gardner - conductorEkaterina Gubanova - mezzoGábor Bretz - bass
Janácek: Sinfonietta 25’Bartók: Duke Bluebeard’s Castle 60’(sung in Hungarian with English surtitles)
Wednesday 2 July, 7.30pm
“In wars outside the blood runs redly / Here issomething far more deadly / Ladies and gentlemen.”Bluebeard’s castle has seven doors. Judith isdetermined to open them all. But some questionsare best left unanswered... Edward Gardner, musicdirector of English National Opera, brings all hissense of theatre to Bartók’s dark fairytale, andbrings up the curtain with Janácek’s ear-tinglingSinfonietta. Imagine 14 trumpeters blasting the roof off - now experience that ultimate sonicthrill in Europe’s most brilliant acoustic!
FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.
RAISE THEROOF
48 Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Friday 12 July, 6.15pmA performance by CBSO SO Vocal and ournewly-formed Handsworth Community Choir
Wednesday 25 September, 6.15pmFriday 27 September, 1pmManfred SymphonyGavin Plumley, author of the blog EntarteteMusik, introduces Tchaikovsky’s neglected‘seventh symphony’.
Wednesday 16 October, 6.15pmConservatoire Showcase: 2020Holst: St Paul’s SuiteBax: The Garden of FandHear the Birmingham Conservatoire SymphonyOrchestra, conducted by Michael Seal, performtwo masterpieces of British music from 1913.
Saturday 19 October, 1.45pmMendelssohn in Birmingham (1)Novelist, critic and blogger Jessica Duchenintroduces our Mendelssohn symphony cycle.
Thursday 24 October, 1pmMendelssohn in Birmingham (2)Jessica Duchen talks about Mendelssohn’sspecial relationship with Birmingham - andintroduces today’s concert.
Thursday 31 October, 6.15pmThe BellsCritic, broadcaster and Tchaikovsky biographerDavid Nice explores the connections betweentonight’s three Russian masterpieces.
Thursday 7 November, 1pmThe Players’ Perspective: Brahms’s FourthCBSO violinist David Gregory and orchestralcolleagues explain Brahms’s final symphony.
Friday 22 November, 6.15pmBritten at 100CBSO chorus director Simon Halsey offers anexpert perspective on Britten’s choral music.
Saturday 30 November, 5.45pmBach to the FutureViolinist and conductor Pekka Kuusistointroduces tonight’s novel programme - inconversation with the CBSO’s Simon Webb.
Thursday 5 December6.15pm: Conservatoire ShowcaseFan Yu (piano)Chopin: Ballade No. 4 in F minor
Lucy Chang (piano)Debussy: Two Arabesques Strauss / Schulz-Evler: Concert Arabesqueon The Blue Danube
A FREE 30-minute piano recital, performed bytwo rising stars of Birmingham Conservatoire.
c9.45pm: Post-concert chatStay on for a post-concert conversation withAndris Nelsons and Stephen Maddock.
Wednesday 11 December, 1pmSaturday 14 December, 5.45pmThe Player’s Perspective: The PathétiqueCBSO violinist David Gregory offers amusician’s angle on this great symphony -with help from orchestral colleagues.
Thursday 16 January, 1pmRichard Strauss at 150Writer and broadcaster Stephen Johnsonintroduces Richard Strauss’s Don Juan andFour Last Songs.
Wednesday 22 January, 1pmA London SymphonyThe popular British conductor John Wilson talksabout Vaughan Williams, in conversation withthe CBSO’s Simon Webb.
Wednesday 5 February, 6.15pmConservatoire ShowcaseMalcolm Arnold: Symphony No. 5 Hear the Birmingham Conservatoire SymphonyOrchestra, conducted by Michael Seal, performthis great post-war British symphony.
Get more from your listening with these FREE pre-concert talks at Symphony Hall, givenby musicians, composers, writers, bloggers, critics and conductors - all sharing theirperspectives on the music to follow. Also, enjoy music-making from the next generationwith free pre-concert performances by students from Birmingham Conservatoire.
Discovermore about
music
49Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
PRE-CONCERT TALKS
Thursday 13 February, 6.15pmMendelssohn in Birmingham (3)Jessica Duchen of The Independent introducesMendelssohn’s rarely-heard choral symphony,Hymn of Praise.
Wednesday 19 February, 1pmThursday 20 February, 6.15pmEdward Gardner on ElgarThe CBSO’s principal guest conductor and chiefexecutive Stephen Maddock discuss Elgar’sFirst Symphony.
Sunday 23 February, 5.45pmPremiere: Charlotte BrayThe young British composer Charlotte Brayintroduces her new work for the CBSO YouthOrchestra - interviewed by Simon Webb.
Wednesday 26 February, 6.15pmAlexander GlazunovWriter and critic David Fanning and musicologistMichelle Assay tell the story of this neglectedRussian composer.
Thursday 6 March, 6.15pmConservatoire ShowcaseA FREE piano recital by the rising stars ofBirmingham Conservatoire.
Wednesday 12 March, 6.15pmThursday 13 March, 1pmDonohoe on DohnányiThe great British pianist Peter Donohoe talksabout tonight’s rarely-heard but delightfulconcerto - in conversation wth Simon Webb.
Thursday 1 May, 1pmThe Players’ Perspective: ScheherezadeCBSO violinist David Gregory and orchestralcolleagues give an insider’s guide to Rimsky-Korsakov’s popular musical fairytale.
Wednesday 14 May, 6.15pm Thursday 15 May, 1pmWoodwind ClassicsProfessor George Caird, oboist and formerprincipal of Birmingham Conservatoire, talks aboutthe colourful world of 18th-century wind playing.
Thursday 15 May, c4.30pmPost-concert chatStay on for a post-concert conversation withAndris Nelsons and Stephen Maddock.
Wednesday 28 May, 1pmThe Players’ Perspective: Pictures at anExhibitionCBSO violinist David Gregory offers amusician’s angle on this colourful showpiece -with help from orchestral colleagues.
Thursday 29 May, 6.15pmPremiere: Brett DeanComposer Brett Dean talks about his new workDramatis Personae - which receives its UKpremiere tonight. In conversation with StephenMaddock.
Thursday 5 June, 1pmThe Players’ Perspective - String SerenadesViolinist David Gregory and orchestralcolleagues share their insights on thisafternoon’s programme.
Wednesday 11 June, 6.15pmPremiere: Gerald BarryThe Irish composer introduces his brand newPiano Concerto - interviewed by StephenMaddock.
Wednesday 18 June, 6.15pmPremiere: let me tell youComposer Hans Abrahamsen and librettist PaulGriffiths discuss their new song cycle let me tellyou - which receives its UK premiere tonight.
Thursday 19 June, 1pmSymphonia DomesticaWriter and broadcaster Stephen Johnson shareshis enthusiasm for Strauss’s musical familyportrait.
Wednesday 2 July, 6.15pmBluebeard’s CastleEdward Gardner and Simon Webb shine a lighton Bartók’s sinister operatic masterpiece.
50 Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
BE THE FIRST TO HEARReceive advance information and take advantage of prioritybooking for all of the CBSO’s Birmingham performances, givingyou the chance to plan your concert-going ahead of our mainlaunches.
GET INSIDE THE ORCHESTRAExperience the CBSO preparing for its concerts and learn moreabout the music by attending one of our exclusive, members-onlyopen rehearsals at Symphony Hall. These are working sessionsand provide a special insight into life inside the Orchestra thatvery few people ever get the chance to see.
TREAT YOURSELFWith delicious sandwiches and cakes, anecdotes from ourplayers, and tales of musical life from some of the CBSO’s mostpopular conductors and soloists as guest speakers, our regularafternoon teas are the perfect mid-week treat for members.
FOLLOW THE BANDMaking travel arrangements? Why not plan a mini-break or day trip alongside the CBSO’s thrilling concerts? With speciallyarranged trips and events for members, you can join theOrchestra on tour to some of Europe’s most prestigious venues in wonderful locations.
MEET THE MUSICIANSCBSO musicians attend all of our members’ receptions and dinners, as well as afternoon teas. Whether they answer questions about life in the CBSO or share musical memories, each event is a lovely opportunity to meet this extraordinarily talented group of people away from the Symphony Hall stage.
Becoming a CBSO member, whether as an individual or abusiness, is a fantastic way to get to know the Orchestra better.In return for your generosity, we’ll give you access to a wholehost of exclusive benefits and a very warm welcome from theCBSO family – musicians, staff and fellow members alike.
For further information and to join, please go online towww.cbso.co.uk/getinvolved, call Claire Watts on 0121 616 6533 or email [email protected].
Join the CBSO family - become a member
51Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Every single membership and donation makes a difference by enabling us to shareour love of music with people of all ages and backgrounds through inspirationalperformances – whether that’s in local schools and communities or at SymphonyHall – and to train the next generation of musicians through our youth orchestra,choruses, student training scheme and education programmes.
Thank you for your support - we look forward to welcoming you soon.
WOW YOUR CLIENTSIf you’re looking for something different for your clients or colleagues, then a corporatepackage with the CBSO is the perfect way to stand out. With exceptional hospitality andevent management, exclusive introductions to musicians, conductors and soloists, and awide range of bespoke training and CSR opportunities, we can help give your companythe wow factor.
MAKE A DIFFERENCEEvery year, the CBSO has to secure over £9million to deliver our extraordinaryprogramme of concerts, commissions, education and training, with around 10% of thiscoming from private investment from individual donors, businesses and trusts.
52 Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
Bulk-buy discounts
CONCERT PACKAGES: Choose 3 or moreconcerts and simply book them all in one go toenjoy money off and a range of great benefits.See p5 for full details. (Symphony Hall and TownHall concerts only.)
By phone - THSH Box Office: 0121 345 0603from 28 May.By post - using the form at the back of thisbrochure.Please note online booking is not currentlyavailable for concert packages.
GROUPS: Bring a group of 11 or more people –family, friends, colleagues or members of a groupor society – and receive a 20% discount plus onefree ticket for every 10 tickets purchased (perperformance). Plus take advantage of: • a free reservation facility• discounted concert programmes • chance to meet a CBSO musician at the concert• £5 tickets for accompanied children aged 16 or under
• copy of the CBSO’s regular MusicStandmagazine for the organiser.
By phone - call group bookings FREE on0800 358 7070 By post - write to Group Bookings, THSH BoxOffice, Symphony Hall, Broad Street, BirminghamB1 2EA. Please note online booking is notcurrently available for group bookings.
Young audiences - £5 tickets
FAMILIES: CHILD TICKETS £5Families are very welcome. Child tickets forCBSO concerts for children aged 16 or under canbe purchased at £5 (except Family Concerts,where all tickets are £10) - up to three for everyadult ticket purchased. Maximum family group of
six; available in all areas, subject to availability.Family tickets can be booked by phone and inperson. To check the suitability of a performancefor your family, please enquire when booking.
STUDENTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE: £5Anyone in full-time education, and all youngpeople aged 25 and under, can purchase oneticket (per performance) at the reduced price of£5, from one month before the concert date.Please note proof of eligibility will be required,and if you are booking online or by phone you willneed to collect your ticket from the Box Office, onpresentation of valid and suitable identification.The CBSO reserves the right to allocate thesetickets in certain areas of the hall and to withdrawthis discount on concerts that are selling out.
SCHOOLS AND YOUTH MUSIC GROUPS: £5A certain number of discounted tickets priced £5are available to schools and youth music groupsthrough our Stay Tuned scheme. If you want tobring a group of young people to a concert, orfind out about other ways to get involved with theCBSO, contact the Learning and Participationteam on 0121 616 6546.
On a budget
£5 TICKETS FOR BENEFIT RECIPIENTSIf you are in receipt of income support, jobseeker’s allowance, pension credit and disabilitytax credit (or their future equivalents), you canpurchase one ticket (per performance, at all threevenues) at the reduced price of £5, from onemonth before the concert date. Please note proofof eligibility will be required, and if you are bookingonline or by phone you will need to collect yourticket from the Box Office, on presentation of validand suitable identification. The CBSO reservesthe right to allocate these tickets in certain areasof the hall and to withdraw this discount onconcerts that are selling out.
Ways to SaveWhichever concerts you fancy, and whatever the occasion, we’ve got a rangeof tickets to give you a good deal.
Please note that these discounts apply to CBSO-promoted concerts at Symphony Hall, Town Hall and CBSOCentre, unless otherwise stated. Special offers, discounts and concessions cannot be combined. For furtherdetails on all our discounts, please enquire when booking or go to www.cbso.co.uk.
53Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
ACCESSIBILITY
THSH ACCESS SCHEME FOR DISABLEDPATRONS: A range of tickets – including a freeticket for disabled patrons who need theassistance of a companion – and services areavailable for CBSO concerts at Symphony Hall,Town Hall and CBSO Centre under THSH’s newAccess Scheme for all concerts from 1 September2013. If you register on the scheme, you won’thave to tell the Box Office and venue staff aboutyour practical needs every time you book ticketsand come to a concert. To find out more, or to jointhe Access Scheme, please visitwww.thsh.co.uk/your-visit/information-for-disabled-visitors, email [email protected] orcall 0121 780 4949.
FACILITIES: For further information on facilitiesfor patrons with disabilities, including the infra-redsystem for the hearing impaired, please contactSymphony Hall (for Symphony Hall/Town Hall) on0121 780 4949 or CBSO Centre on 0121 616 6532.Receivers are available from the PerformanceManager at the concert. Guide dogs welcome.
WHEELCHAIR POSITIONS: Spaces for patronswho need to remain in their wheelchair during theperformance are located on the Stalls & UpperCircle levels of Symphony Hall, and Stalls &Circle levels of Town Hall, and are available atCBSO Centre. Please book in advance forSymphony Hall & Town Hall by calling 0121 780 4949 during opening hours.
DROP-OFF FACILITY & PARKING FOR BLUEBADGE HOLDERS: Blue Badge holders can pre-book the drop-off facility at Symphony Hall bycalling 0121 780 4949. You will be issued with aticket to present on arrival to the barrier SecurityOfficer. NB drop-offs must be pre-booked at least24 hours in advance.
A limited number of parking spaces for disabledpeople driving themselves is available at TownHall & Symphony Hall. Demand for these spacesis high: parking spaces will be allocated by ballot.
Deadline for applications is 10 June: to enter, call0121 780 4949. Any spaces left following theballot can be booked from 10 July on 0121 7804949. Have your vehicle registration and BlueBadge number ready. Limited space is availableat CBSO Centre for Blue Badge holders drivingthemselves. Call 0121 616 6532 in advance withyour Blue Badge number & vehicle registration.
Due to the demand for spaces, please note thatparking reservations cannot be made for concertsfor which you are not also booking tickets, oralready hold tickets.
Call 0121 616 6534 for a freebrochure on audio-CD.
BUDGET SEATSIf you’re on a budget and don’t mind a seat in aless favourable area of the hall (such as restrictedview), there are limited numbers of Budget seatspriced at £12.50 for many (but not all) of ourconcerts at Symphony Hall. These are located atthe back of the Grand Tier and Upper Circle, inthe Stalls Terrace and at the very front of theStalls when a stage extension is not in use.Please enquire about availability when booking byphone, or check online.
STANDBY TICKETSUnder the CBSO’s standby tickets, Patrons aged60+ receive a 10% discount (Symphony Hall/TownHall concerts only). Holders of Birmingham CityCouncil’s ‘Passport to Leisure’ cards can
purchase Circle tickets for £28, and seats on allother levels for £20 at Symphony Hall (one ticketper Passport holder), and receive £1 off a full-priceticket at CBSO Centre. Available in person and byphone from 1pm on the day of each eveningperformance and 10am for matinée concerts(Symphony Hall & Town Hall concerts), and fromCBSO Centre one hour before CBSO Centreperformances. Please come early to avoid queues.
All standby tickets are issued subject toavailability and on production of valid and suitableidentification (one standby ticket per valididentification used). Please note the CBSOreserves the right to allocate standby tickets incertain areas of the hall and to withdraw standbytickets for concerts that are selling out.
TICKET PRICES
Seating area Evening, Friday Night MatinéeClassics, Christmas
SYMPHONY HALL TICKET PRICES
NB Letters relate to Seating Areas (not row names), which often containmore than one row.
*Wheelchair positions are available on the Stalls and Upper Circle levelsin Symphony Hall, Stalls and Circle levels of Town Hall.
£12.50 Budget Seats for Symphony Hall concerts: available for selectedconcerts / seats, in less favourable areas of the hall. See p53 for details.
F
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ChorusBoxes
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I T V W £42 £39
F G J K M S £37.50 £32.50
E H L N O Y £32.50 £27.50
C D P Q X Z ZZ Choir Chorus Boxes £24 £22.50
A B R U Wheelchair positions* £18.50 £15
Please note that a £2.50 transaction fee is charged by THSH Box Officeon all bookings except those made in person.
Opening Concerts of theSeason, 19 & 21 September: £20, £27.50, £35, £40, £45
Singalong with the CBSO, 9 February: *Singer £22 /*Singer including score hire £29.Audience £12. *If you’re singingplease book in advance bytelephone or in person to tellthe Box Office your voice type.
Silent Movie, 9 May:£10, £15, £17.50, £20, £24.50,£27.50, £30. Special seatingplan applies.
Der Rosenkavalier, 24 May:£24.50, £32.50, £39.50, £47.50,£55
Thomas Adès: New Horizons,11 June: £20 all areas.
Family Concerts: £10 all areas/ Group of 4: £32.
Youth Orchestra Concerts:£20 all areas.
Tuned In Concerts:£20 all areas, including a freeprogramme.
Schools Concerts:£5 per ticket for children,teachers, and home-schoolingchildren and parents. To book:please call Group Bookings on0800 358 7070.
Through our Stay Tunedprogramme, receive furtherdiscounted school tickets andenjoy activities throughout theyear to enhance students’concert-going experiences.Contact [email protected] /0121 616 6546 to find out more.
Please note that special pricesapply to some concerts in thisbrochure, as follows:
VENUE ADDRESSES:Symphony Hall, Broad Street,Birmingham B1 2EA
Town Hall, Victoria Square,Birmingham B3 3DQ
CBSO Centre, Berkley Street,Birmingham B1 2LF
54 Box office: 0121 345 0603 | visit: www.cbso.co.uk
How to Book
Online - www.cbso.co.uk/concertsPlease note not all discounts are available online; see the discount information on pp52–3.
By phone - THSH Box Office: 0121 345 0603
In person - Symphony Hall Box Office: 10am–6pm Monday to Saturday & 12pm–4pmSunday & Bank Holidays. Opening hours maybe extended on concert days.
By post - please use the form at the back ofthis brochure, following the instructions carefully.Send your form to: THSH Box Office, SymphonyHall, Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2EA.
By minicom - 0121 644 6140
How to Pay
By credit/debit card: MasterCard, Visa,Maestro and Amex.
By cheque: please make cheque payable to‘Performances Birmingham Limited’. If you wishto send a cheque in the post but are unsure ofthe total amount, please call the box office todiscuss your booking.
By monthly direct debit: for SymphonicSelection concert packages of 3+ concerts.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND CASH THROUGHTHE POST.
Photos: CBSO photos by Mysticpuma, [email protected]. p6: Town Hall - Mike Gutteridge; p12: Mark Kermode - Adam Prosser; p13: Kristine Opolais -Marco Borggreve; p14: Anne-Sophie Mutter - Harald Hoffmann/DG; p15: Daniel Müller-Schott - Uwe Arens; p17: Veronika Eberle - Bernd Noelle; p18: EdwardGardner - Benjamin Ealovega; p20 & p41: Andris Nelsons - Marco Borggreve; p23: Benjamin Grosvenor - Sussie Ahlburg; p24: Mark Williams - Getty Images; p26: Erin Wall - Alexander Vasiljev; p28: John Wilson - Chris Christodoulou; p31: Sophie Bevan - Sussie Ahlburg; p35: Gabriela Montero - Colin Bell; p36: Peter Donohoe - Sussie Ahlburg; p38: Simon Lamsma - Otto van den Toorn; p42: Håkan Hardenberger - Marco Borggreve; p43: Thomas Adès - Brian Voice; p44: Barbara Hannigan - Elmer de Haas; p45: Paul Lewis - Josep Molina/Harmonia Mundi.
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, CBSO Centre, Berkley Street, Birmingham B1 2LFTel: 0121 616 6500 • Fax: 0121 616 6518 • www.cbso.co.uk Registered in England no. 1262018. Registered Charity no. 506276All performance timings are approximate. The information in this brochure was correct at the time of going to press.The CBSO reserves the right to alter programmes and artists without notice. All tickets subject to availability.Design: wow! creative, 01793 250053, and Helen Tabor, CBSO Publications Manager; concert descriptions: Richard Bratby; print: Menzies Nunn Ltd, 01384 262148. This brochure is manufactured from pulp containing 50% recycled fibres.
Church Stretton and District:Contact Graham Heath on 01694 [email protected]
Leominster & Hereford:Contact Mary Seldon on 01885 [email protected]
Ludlow and District Theatre & Arts Group(South Shropshire Concerts Coach):Contact Bronwen Coldwell on 01584 831323
Newport Music Coach (Newport, Telford, Shropshire):Contact Anita Davies on 01952 [email protected]
Shropshire & Mid-Wales:Contact Frank North on 01743 [email protected] • www.artsforall.info
BOOKING INFORMATION CONCERTS BY COACHThe CBSO offers coach services from Cheltenham(selected weekday matinées) and Lichfield / SuttonColdfield (selected Wednesday evenings). Pleasecall 0121 616 6544 for more information.
In addition, the following coach schemes areorganised by regular concert-goers:
DATA PROTECTION: Once you have booked tickets for a CBSO concert, your contact details will be held on the CBSO’sand THSH’s marketing databases and, from time to time, you may receive details from both organisations about their futureactivities, using any of the contact methods you provided, unless you specify otherwise when booking.
RETURNS & RESALES: Tickets are accepted at the discretion of the Box Office but all CBSO sales take priority. There is aservice charge of 10% of the face value and money resulting from a resale will be forwarded by gift voucher.
LOST TICKETS: There is a £2 charge for printing duplicate tickets.
F
CIRCLE
E
DG
G
G
G
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G
C
B
A
E £42
B F G £37.50
A £32.50
C £24
D £18.50
TOWN HALLTICKET PRICES
CBSO CENTRE TICKET PRICES
CBSO Centre is a flexible auditorium withunreserved seating.
Centre Stage: £9.50 unless otherwise marked.
Notelets: £7.50 / £25 group of 4. Book 3Notelets concerts in one go by phone or inperson and save 20%.
Public booking opens on 28 May.
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Thank you
60
Birmingham Music EducationPartnership
93 years of enlightened support
Esmée Fairbairn FoundationCharles Henry Foyle Trust
The Justham TrustCity of Birmingham Orchestral Endowment Fund
The R.C. and F. M. Young TrustGarfield Weston FoundationDouglas Turner Foundation
G J W Turner TrustAllan & Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust
Eveson Charitable TrustLord Austin Trust
George Fentham TrustMFPA Trust
Thank you also to our many Chair Endowers, Music Director’s Circle members, Benefactors, Patrons and Friends for their generous support.
Broadcast partner:
Academic Partner
Partners in Orchestral Development
Major Sponsors
Gold Patrons
Silver Patrons
Bronze Patrons
Supporters
Baker Tilly Deloitte Marriott Birmingham
Major Sponsor ofInternational Tours
Major Supporter of CBSO Schools Programme
Associated ArchitectsThe Eaton Hotel
Supporter of Centre Stage
William King Ltd
Partners Corporate Supporters
Trusts & Foundations
The incredible support we receive from thousands of individual donors, public funders, businesses and privatefoundations allows us to maintain our extraordinary performances and continue to create exciting activities inschools and communities. Your support makes such a difference and is much appreciated.
Genesys Human Resource SolutionsMenzies Nunn Ltd
The Saintbury TrustGrimmitt Trust
Perry Family Charitable TrustAndor Charitable Trust
Baron Davenport’s CharityThe Bevis Foundation
Beatrice A V Cadman Charitable TrustWilmcote Charitrust
Misses C M Pearson & M V Williams CTBernarr Rainbow TrustGrantham Yorke TrustS & D Lloyd Charity
Angus Allnatt Foundation
Dumbreck CharityBryant TrustPenny Trust
Edward & Dorothy Cadbury TrustGeorge Henry Collins Charity
Lillie C Johnson Charitable TrustW E Dunn Trust
Sir Cliff Richard Charitable TrustBirmingham Bodenham TrustJoseph Hopkins Charity
1000th Man Charitable TrustMatthew Hodder Charitable Trust
Charles Brotherton Trust