Russian Masters

Saturday 6 February 2010 at 7.00pm

Symphony Hall, Birmingham +44 (0)121-780 3333

Andris Nelsons  conductor
Baiba Skride  violin

Liadov: Kikimora 7′
Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1 36′
Stravinsky: The Firebird 44′

Stravinsky’s The Firebird is one of the most popular of all ballet scores, conjuring a sumptuous fairy-tale world of glittering colours, enchanted melodies and blood-curdling thrills. It’s already become something of a signature-work for Andris Nelsons, so if you haven’t yet heard his interpretation, prepare to be astonished – and to be delightfully surprised by Liadov’s Kikimora, another Russian fairytale from the man who was originally supposed to write The Firebird. We welcome back the superb young Latvian violinist Baiba Skride, as soloist in Shostakovich’s powerful First Concerto. www.cbso.co.uk

Celebrity Piano Recital: Lang Lang

Thursday 4th February 7:30pm at Symphony Hall

Lang Lang piano

Beethoven Piano Sonata in C, Op 2, No 3 26’
Beethoven Piano Sonata in F minor, Op 57, Appassionata 24’
Albéniz Iberia Book 1 21’
Prokofiev Piano Sonata No 7 18’

Encore – Chopin

Lang Lang is a superstar of the piano, hailed as “the hottest artist on the classical music planet” by the New York Times. For this return visit to Symphony Hall, his programme ranges from the Appassionata’s stormy turbulence and the sultry Spanish landscapes of Albéniz to the pyrotechnics of Prokofiev’s Seventh Sonata. Book your seat now!

Classic FM’s Anne-Marie Minhall, says of tonight’s recommended concert:

“The Chinese pianist Lang Lang is feted as a national hero and inspiration to millions of children in his homeland. He performed live at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony to an estimated worldwide audience of four billion and sells out every venue he’s booked for.” www.thsh.co.uk

Barenboim plays Beethoven

Staatskapelle Berlin
Daniel Barenboim conductor/piano

Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht 20’
Beethoven Piano Concerto No 5, Emperor 38’

Encore Chopin Nocturne

Few names are more prestigious in music today than that of Daniel Barenboim. A musical colossus and legend in his own lifetime, he is one of the world’s leading pianists and conductors, with barely a corner of musical life that he has not touched in some way. Steeped in Beethoven’s music – arguably its greatest living exponent -Barenboim’s performance of the Emperor Concerto with the Berlin Staatskapelle is eagerly anticipated. www.thsh.co.uk

Review by David Hart, Birmingham Post:

http://www.birminghampost.net/life-leisure-birmingham-guide/birmingham-culture/music-in-birmingham/2010/02/08/daniel-barenboim-staatskapelle-berlin-symphony-hall-65233-25788134/

…”More than that it was a triumph, both for Barenboim himself and the remarkable Staatskapelle Berlin he has directed since 1992.

Few string works are more emotionally draining than Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht, and as the electrifying opener it seethed wonderfully with transparent multipart textures and solo lines that erupted from the musical cauldron of expressionistic brooding.”  …

Review by Geoff Read, MusicWeb:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/SandH/2010/Jan-Jun10/Barenboim_in_Birmingham_3001.htm

…”The first half featured Verklärte Nacht, an early string sextet from Schoenberg, heard here in the later full string version. We saw a mature and relaxed Barenboim, in complete control of the massed forces of the Staatskapelle; there were few histrionics from their Chief Conductor for Life. He’s long had the Tee shirt. Barenboim, prising out some amazing effects I had not experienced before in this piece, vividly recreated the Richard Dehmel text on which the composition is based. The stark opening phrases portrayed Dehmel’s ‘walk through a bare, cold grove’, and reminded me of my own chilly January promenade from train station to auditorium foyer.  …

… Much as the Schoenberg piece was appreciated, it was the second half that the Midlands had come to see and hear – the well-loved Piano Concerto No 5 in Eb Major by Beethoven. All high expectations were fulfilled. No doubt Barenboim has played the Emperor countless times, and many with the Staatskapelle Berlin (catch them together on a DVD live performance) but he made it sound as fresh and vibrant as perhaps he has ever done. The nobility and power of Beethoven were immediately conveyed in the opening Allegro.” …

An Alpine Symphony

Thursday 28 January 2010 at 7.30pm

Symphony Hall, Birmingham +44 (0)121-780 3333

Andris Nelsons  conductor
Martin Helmchen  piano

Mozart: Symphony No. 33 19′
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor K491 31′
Strauss: An Alpine Symphony 51′

Richard Strauss once boasted that he could depict a knife and fork in music – so when he sets out to paint the Alps themselves, you’d expect the results to be spectacular! His Alpine Symphony is a vast, sun-drenched musical panorama – with everything from a trickling mountain stream to a mighty glacier, painted in music of dazzling colour and breathtaking power. Hear why Andris Nelsons has such a passion for this extraordinary score. Mozart was Strauss’s favourite composer, so his spirited 33rd Symphony and 24th Piano Concerto make the perfect musical hors d’oeuvre. www.cbso.co.uk

Oh what a journey in the Alpine Symphony- lush and wonderful!

Review by Rian Evans, Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jan/29/cbso-nelsons-review

“Andris Nelsons’s dynamic ­performances of Richard Strauss with the City of ­Birmingham Symphony Orchestra have been one of the strongest indicators of his exceptional gifts as a conductor. The latest Strauss score to get the ­Nelsons treatment is An Alpine Symphony, ­colossal in scale – for at least 125 players – yet intricate in detail. A CD recorded live from this concert will doubtless confirm, if not quite replicate, the thrill of hearing this orchestra in full musical flood.

With Nelsons, it’s never a case of throwing caution to the wind – even with a wind-machine in the ­percussion section to whip up the ­fearsome storm. Nelsons controls everything ­precisely. His instinct for sculpting the phrases with exactly the right ­emotional weight, while still driving the music forward is what holds your attention.  …

…The rich expanse of sound in On the ­Summit was ­luxuriant; this was the CBSO on peak form, but the dark ­colours of night ­dissolving together had a ­quality of mystery, and ultimately realised ­something even more profound. ” …..

Review by Norman Stinchcombe, Birmingham Post:

http://www.birminghampost.net/life-leisure-birmingham-guide/birmingham-culture/music-in-birmingham/2010/02/08/cbso-alpine-symphony-at-symphony-hall-65233-25788114/

…”They bowed, plucked, blew, banged and rattled – on everything from Wagner tubas to a hecklephone and wind-machine – as if their lives depended on it.

With Andris Nelsons as our guide it was as if we had trekked up and down the alpine peak ourselves. He ensured we lived every minute of the journey.

Here was a sunrise that made you squint; a thunderstorm which stirred the hair and a shower where the raindrops were almost palpable.” …

Elgar’s Enigma

Wednesday 20 January 2010 at 7.30pm

Symphony Hall, Birmingham +44 (0)121-780 3333

 Edward Gardner  conductor
Alison Balsom  trumpet
Christopher Yates  viola

Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis 15′ Listen
requires Real Player
MacMillan: Epiclesis 25′
Britten: Lachrymae 15′
Elgar: Enigma Variations 29′

To begin our series featuring the amazing musical decade leading up to the CBSO’s birth in 1920, we have one of the jewels of English music – Vaughan Williams’ luminous Tallis Fantasia, premiered in 1910. Britten’s late work for viola and strings also draws on older English music, while James Macmillan’s striking trumpet concerto is a prayer inspired by the composer’s Christian faith. This concert of deeply personal British music ends with Elgar’s brilliant tribute to his friends. www.cbso.co.uk

Review by Christopher Morley, Birmingham Post:

http://www.birminghampost.net/life-leisure-birmingham-guide/birmingham-culture/music-in-birmingham/2010/01/21/review-elgar-vaughan-williams-cbso-at-symphony-hall-birmingham-65233-25653248/

 Review by Andrew Clements, Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jan/24/cbso-edward-gardner-review

“Gardner prefaced the Vaughan Williams with a brass arrangement of Tallis’s original theme, and did as much as he could to enhance the work’s ­in-built spatial effects by ­placing the second string orchestra off stage and increasing Symphony Hall’s ­reverberation as much as he dared.” …

CBSO January Sale

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s ticket sale begins tomorrow -16th Jnauary 2010 and runs until 24th January 2010, during which you can get 25% off ticket prices. Bargain!

http://www.cbso.co.uk/?page=concerts/januarysale2010.html

http://www.birminghampost.net/life-leisure-birmingham-guide/birmingham-culture/music-in-birmingham/2010/01/15/cbso-launches-cut-price-concert-ticket-sale-65233-25611165/

And lots of great concerts to come, so get booking:

http://www.cbso.co.uk/?page=concerts/index.html

Brahms and Sibelius

Thursday 14 January 2010 at 7.30pm

Symphony Hall, Birmingham +44 (0)121-780 3333

Vassily Sinaisky  conductor
Laurence Jackson  violin
Ulrich Heinen  cello

Brahms: Academic Festival Overture 10′
Brahms: Double Concerto 31′
Sibelius: The Swan of Tuonela 10′
Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 31′ Listen
requires Real Player

Lots of composers have been given honorary degrees – but only Johannes Brahms responded by writing an overture full of student drinking songs! His Academic Festival Overture is a hilarious one-in-the-eye for those who think of Brahms as stuffy – and so’s his gorgeous, deeply romantic Double Concerto. And then, conductor Vassily Sinaisky tackles two real CBSO trademarks. The Swan of Tuonela is a darkly beautiful meditation on mortality; the mighty Fifth Symphony, meanwhile is one of 20th century’s most dynamic and life-affirming masterpieces – with a finale that will stay with you forever. www.cbso.co.uk

Review by Christoper Morley, Birmingham Post:

http://www.birminghampost.net/life-leisure-birmingham-guide/birmingham-culture/music-in-birmingham/2010/01/17/review-laurence-jackson-cbso-at-symphony-hall-birmingham-65233-25622723/

…”This was a reading of the utmost empathy, unforced and subtle, with Heinen bringing a Bachian inwardness to Brahms’ cello writing, Jackson a sweet purity which must surely have come from the spirit of Joseph Joachim, the great violinist to whom the piece was a peace-offering after a huge rift between Brahms and this man who was one of his greatest advocates.
 
Vassily Sinaisky conducted an attentive and willing CBSO, preceding the Concerto with a deliciously understated, ultimately assertive Brahms Academic Festival Overture. “…

New Year from Vienna

Saturday 9 January 2010 at 7.00pm

Symphony Hall, Birmingham +44 (0)121-780 3333

Barry Wordsworth  conductor
Elizabeth Atherton  soprano

Strauss: Die Fledermaus – Overture & Czardas • Tritsch-Tratsch Polka • Perpetuum mobile • Champagne Polka • Emperor Waltz • Egyptian March • Voices of Spring • Cuckoo Polka • Pizzicato-Polka • Thunder and
Lightning Polka • The Blue Danube

Lehár: Gold & Silver Waltz • The Merry Widow – Vilja Song

Suppé: Overture, Morning, Noon & Night in Vienna

Kalman: Gräfin Mariza – Czardas

Tap your toes into 2010 with the CBSO’s effervescent New Year celebrations in traditional Viennese style, featuring much-loved waltzes, arias and polkas. A concert to put a smile on your face and tunes in your heart!www.cbso.co.uk

Review by David Hart, Birmingham Post:

http://www.birminghampost.net/life-leisure-birmingham-guide/birmingham-culture/music-in-birmingham/2010/01/15/review-new-year-in-vienna-at-the-symphony-hall-65233-25610593/

…”Other highlights among the succession of familiar waltzes and polkas – and a couple of overtures, including a dramatically charged Morning, Noon and Night of Suppé – were a beautifully paced and deliciously crafted Emperor Waltz (arguably the greatest of them all), and an extremely tight Pizzicato Polka.” …

Symphony Hall needs your vote!

Symphony Hall, Birmingham’s internationally renowned concert hall, has been announced as a nominee for the Best Arts & Entertainment Venue Award in this year’s Best of Broad Street Awards, after winning the category in 2009 – as voted by the public.

The Best of Broad Street Awards [BOBS], supported by the Birmingham Post and Birmingham Mail, honour the achievements and contributions of the many bars, venues and restaurants west of the city centre through 23 award categories.

To vote for Symphony Hall, simply email entry@mrn.co.uk with BOBS POST as the subject name and Symphony Hall in the body of the email.

The closing date for votes is Tuesday 12 January 2010.

Thank you for your support! www.thsh.co.uk

CBSO, Andris Nelsons, Richard Strauss CD

to be released 11th January 2010, though some copies available from THe SHop at Symphony Hall, now!

Review by Christopher Morley, Birmingham Post:

http://www.birminghampost.net/life-leisure-birmingham-guide/birmingham-culture/music-in-birmingham/2009/12/18/review-strauss-heldenleben-rosenkavalier-suite-cd-cbso-nelsons-65233-25424177/

…”After hearing this extraordinary account of the Rosenkavalier Suite I literally had to stop for breath after so much visceral, almost physical excitement, about which more anon. So be advised.   …

In this performance Nelsons and the CBSO give us a roller coaster ride through a kaleidoscope of emotions where hedonism, regret and reflection all combine in an irresistible creamy concoction.

And, forgive the imagery, that is where we begin, with a prelude in which orgasmic horns, foaming, quivering woodwind, and strings wedging inwards towards each other depict the final ecstasies of the gracious Marschallin and her young lover Octavian.  …

 

…. And it is her complex character that the solo violin has to represent, and Jackson does this with virtuosity, brightness of articulation, and a remarkable sweetness and depth of tone.

The opening of Ein Heldenleben is notoriously difficult to bring off, with its unison strings needing to phrase and breathe as one. Nelsons achieves this magnificently….. and proceeds to unfold the music’s picaresque paragraphs with a firm strength of vision and grasp. “…

Review by Geoff Brown, The Times:

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article6979428.ece

“Still, those clapping hands were deserved, for this account of Strauss’s orchestral epic, edited from two Birmingham concerts last June, stands as one of the most sumptuous and refined ever put on to disc.  …

… Subtle it isn’t, but the conviction of Nelson’s troops is overwhelming enough to bring sweat to your brow. The whooping horns at the start rival any sound from the orchestral aristocrats of Berlin or Vienna. The CBSO is just as impressive in delicate mode. …

…This level of achievement can come only when orchestra and conductor feel the work as one and are in the grip of genuine excitement, not duty.”

Review by Geoffrey Norris, Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalcdreviews/7036630/Strauss-Ein-Heldenleben-Der-Rosenkavalier-Suite-review.html

“These stirring performances come from concerts in Birmingham’s Symphony Hall and testify to the rapport the Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons has established with the CBSO. Passion, glowing sonority and sophisticated texture are embodied in the playing of the suite from Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier. The dramatic denouements exude exhilarating energy, with wonderfully whooping horns at the start and a real feel for theatrical thrust after. The orchestral timbres in Strauss’s more delicately scored passages are delineated with a sharp ear, blending or emerging in polished, shapely soloistic fashion.”…

Review by Andrew Clements, Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/feb/05/andris-nelsons-richard-strauss

…”I’ve certainly been missing something: these performances of Ein Heldenleben and the Rosenkavalier Suite, taken from concerts in Symphony Hall, Birmingham last year, stand comparison with almost any versions already in the catalogue. The sound is wonderfully clear and detailed and the playing sumptuous, and Nelsons quite obviously revels in the sentimental excesses of both works.” …