CBSO 2013-14 Season Brochure by City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

SUMMER CONCERTS 2013 Tuesday 9 July, 7.30pm

Mark Kermode: Film Music Live

Friday 12 July, 7.30pm

Friday Night Classics: John Williams Blockbusters

12 12

Sunday 21 July, 3pm, Town Hall

CBSO Youth Orchestra Academy

Thu 15 Aug, 7.30pm, Town Hall

Andris and Kristine in Concert

Wednesday 4 September, 7.30pm The Music of A. R. Rahman

Wednesday 11 September, 7.30pm CBSO Benevolent Fund Concert

2013–14 SEASON: SEPTEMBER 2013 Thursday 19, 7.30pm

Opening Concert: The Rite of Spring

Saturday 21, 7pm

Opening Concert: Anne-Sophie Mutter plays Dvorˇák

Wed 25, 7.30pm/Fri 27, 2.15pm

Totally Tchaikovsky

Thursday 3, 7.30pm

Mahler’s First Symphony

Wed 9, 7.30pm/Thu 10, 2.15pm

Beethoven’s Violin Concerto

Saturday 12, 7.30pm

Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis

Wednesday 16, 7.30pm

Carmen and Boléro

Saturday 19, 3pm, Town Hall

Mendelssohn in Birmingham: the Italian Symphony

Thursday 24, 2.15pm, Town Hall

Mendelssohn in Birmingham: the Scottish Symphony

Sunday 27, 2.30pm

Family Concert: The Great Enormo with Michael Rosen

Thursday 31, 7.30pm

Russian Masters

OCTOBER 2013

NOVEMBER 2013 Friday 1, 7.30pm

Friday Night Classics: Classics at the Movies

Sunday 3, 3.30pm

CBSO Youth Orchestra

Wednesday 6, 7.30pm

Nelsons conducts Brahms’s Fourth

Thursday 7, 2.15pm

The Best of Brahms

Friday 22, 7.30pm

Britten 100: Centenary Concert

Saturday 30, 7pm

Bach to the Future

DECEMBER 2013 Thursday 5, 7.30pm

Nelsons conducts Brahms’s Third

Wed 11, 2.15pm/Sat 14, 7pm

Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony

Friday 13, 7.30pm

Friday Night Classics: Wonderful Christmastime

Thu 19, 7.30pm/Sun 22, 3pm & 7.30pm/ Mon 23, 7.30pm

Festive Favourites with Mark Williams

Saturday 4, 3pm

Viennese New Year

Thursday 9, 7.30pm

Russian Classics

Saturday 11, 7pm

Tuned In: Stravinsky’s Petrushka

Wed 15, 7.30pm/Thu 16, 2.15pm

Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet

Wednesday 22, 2.15pm

British Classics with John Wilson

Friday 24, 7.30pm

Friday Night Classics: ABBA Symphonic Spectacular

Mon 27/Fri 31 - see p29 for times

Schools Concerts: The CBSO’s Guide to the Orchestra

JANUARY 2014

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WHAT’S ON

JANUARY 2014 continued Thursday 30, 7.30pm

The Organ Symphony

FEBRUARY 2014 Saturday 1, 3pm

The Organ Symphony

Wednesday 5, 7.30pm

Ultimate Vaughan Williams

Friday 7, 7.30pm

Friday Night Classics: Gilbert and Sullivan Gala

Sunday 9, 7pm

Singalong with the CBSO: Carmina Burana

Thursday 13, 7.30pm

Mendelssohn in Birmingham: Hymn of Praise

Wed 19, 2.15pm/Thu 20, 7.30pm

Mozart and Elgar

Sunday 23, 7pm

CBSO Youth Orchestra

Wednesday 26, 7.30pm

Mozart’s Gran Partita

Friday 28, 7.30pm

Friday Night Classics: Songs for Swingin’ Orchestra

MARCH 2014 Sunday 2, 2.30pm

Family Concert: Carnival of the Animals

Thursday 6, 7.30pm

Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto

Saturday 8, 7pm

Tuned In: Shostakovich’s Fifth

Wed 12, 7.30pm/Thu 13, 2.15pm

Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony

Belshazzar’s Feast

Thursday 1, 2.15pm

Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade

Thursday 8, 7.30pm

Rachmaninov and Shostakovich

Friday 9, 7.30pm

Friday Night Classics: Silent Heroes - Buster Keaton

Sunday 11, 2.30pm

Family Concert: Bite-size Classics

Wednesday 14, 7.30pm

Haydn and Mozart

Thursday 15, 2.15pm

Haydn and Mozart

Saturday 24, 4pm

Der Rosenkavalier

Wednesday 28, 2.15pm

Andris and Håkan in concert

Thursday 29, 7.30pm

Pictures at an Exhibition

Thursday 5, 2.15pm

Summer Serenade

Friday 6, 7.30pm

Friday Night Classics: Heroes and Superheroes

Wednesday 11, 7.30pm

Thomas Adès: New Horizons

Thursday 12, 11.30am & 1.30pm

Schools Concerts: Carnival of the Animals

Wednesday 18, 7.30pm

Strauss and Shakespeare

Thursday 19, 2.15pm

Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto

Thu 26, 7.30pm/Sat 28, 7pm

Mozart’s C minor Mass

Wednesday 2, 7.30pm

Bluebeard’s Castle

Friday 4, 7.30pm

Friday Night Classics: New York, New York A Gershwin and Bernstein Gala

APRIL 2014 Saturday 26, 7pm

MAY 2014

JUNE 2014

JULY 2014

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WELCOME

“

Dear Friends As I begin my sixth season with the CBSO, I feel truly at home here in Birmingham. So this season we’re playing some of the music that’s most personal to me. 2014 is Richard Strauss’s 150th birthday – so I didn’t need any excuse to conduct a full concert performance of Der Rosenkavalier, with some of the greatest Strauss singers. And as a new father, it’s easy for me to enjoy Strauss’s Symphonia Domestica – family life portrayed in the warmest of music. In fact, lots of the pieces we’re playing tell a life story. I’m really looking forward to Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony – such a passionate piece – and Mozart’s C minor mass, written as a sort of wedding present! And our whole CBSO family will be joining in: principal guest conductor Edward Gardner will conduct Elgar’s First Symphony, and all five symphonies by a composer with a strong Birmingham connection: Felix Mendelssohn. I know that my associate conductor Michael Seal will bring all his energy to Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony. Our wonderful chorus will sing Rachmaninov’s The Bells, and they’ll celebrate Benjamin Britten’s 100th birthday under Simon Halsey. And we’re all so proud of our world-famous youth choruses and youth orchestra: so they’ll be taking part in the Richard Strauss celebrations too.

I believe that music nourishes the soul - that it’s vital to our very wellbeing. And so I’d like to set you a challenge. You’re sure to find some familiar favourites in our season. Each time you go to hear one, why not also make a point of coming to hear something you didn’t already know? In return, we promise to perform it with all our heart and soul. Everyone in our Birmingham musical family loves this music – and we’re passionate about sharing it with you.

“

Andris Nelsons CBSO Music Director

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CONCERT PACKAGES

We hope you like what you see in this brochure - we know you’ll love what you hear! Get the best deals so you can come back to enjoy our music again and again. Save with our Symphonic Selection concert packages, and see pp52–3 for our other great value tickets for groups, young audiences and those on a budget.

Symphonic Selection concert packages If you love music, and want to get more out of life, buy a concert package (3 or more concerts) with the CBSO now: GET ORGANISED Never miss the fantastic music you want to hear again. Get the dates in your diary and secure good seats for performances you want to go to now. BE FLEXIBLE You choose the concerts you want now. But we know plans can change. That’s why you can use our free ticket exchange service if your diary changes later.

Symphonic Selection Plus: 11+ concerts

SAVE MONEY 5%–30% off tickets, depending on how many concerts you choose.

If you come to 11+ concerts take advantage of everything above, plus:

SPREAD THE COST

SAVE

You can spread the cost of your musical diary over 9 months with interest-free direct debit instalments.

on additional CBSO tickets throughout the season with your Symphonic Selection Plus card.

LITTLE EXTRAS Get £1 off a printed concert programme on each of your concerts. Enjoy discounted car parking at the Brindleyplace.

car park,

Feel part of the family and receive all the latest news from the CBSO in our magazine MusicStand.

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on CDs from Symphony Hall Music Shop - 12.5% discount when you show your card. FREE CONCERT Choose a free bonus concert from the list on p58 if you return your booking to us by 21 June.

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SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Mendelssohn in Birmingham Felix Mendelssohn loved Birmingham and the feeling was mutual. This season principal guest conductor Edward Gardner presents all five of Mendelssohn’s symphonies, from the brilliant First (composed when he was still a teenager), to his roof-raising choral tribute to Beethoven, the stirring “Hymn of Praise”. We’ll be performing two of our all-Mendelssohn concerts in the beautiful surroundings of Town Hall, Birmingham - on the very spot where Mendelssohn himself scored some of his 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!

Musical Milestones Benjamin Britten would have been 100 in November 2013, and our choruses celebrate with a concert devoted to his brilliantly original choral music. Richard Strauss had a bit of a headstart on Britten and, 150 years after Strauss’s birth in 1864, Andris Nelsons revels in some of the most sumptuous music ever composed. As our ten-year CBSO:2020 project towards our own centenary moves from 1913 to 1914, join us to explore music that defined the twentieth century: from Stravinsky’s shattering Rite of Spring to Dohnányi’s enchanting nursery tune variations, with some delightful rediscoveries along the way.

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 changed the way we think about the symphony. Tchaikovsky’s Manfred is an epic emotional drama, Vaughan Williams’s London Symphony turns the orchestra into a gigantic harmonica, and Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony... well the clue’s in the name, really! Mahler’s First, Brahms’s Fourth, Shostakovich’s Fifth, and Stravinsky’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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Life’s Journey For the great composers, music was life itself. So it’s no surprise that some of the greatest masterpieces we’re playing this season deal with shared human experiences. Wagner celebrated the birth of his son with the lovely Siegfried Idyll, and Richard Strauss’s Symphonia Domestica features a musical guide to bathing a baby! Young love has never sounded more passionate than in Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, while Olivier Messiaen captured the joy of his new marriage in his enchanting Poèmes pour Mi. And at the age of 84, Richard Strauss poured a lifetime’s experience into the radiant Four Last Songs. Rachmaninov’s The Bells, meanwhile, turns all four seasons of life into one heartfelt choral symphony. Which one speaks to you?

Nights at the Opera

The World’s Greatest Music On Your Doorstep

There’s no better way to hear opera than in the superb acoustic of Symphony Hall, and the CBSO’s concert performances of classic operas have won international acclaim. The highlight this season will be Andris Nelsons’s performance of Richard Strauss’s gorgeous Viennese comedy Der Rosenkavalier. As music director of English National Opera, Edward Gardner should give a gripping performance of Bartók’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle - the darkest of fairy tales, set to shattering music. If you’re completely new to opera, we've got the ideal place to start: with the very British wit of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury, conducted with a sparkle in his eye by the one and only John Wilson.

The CBSO has always been a proud ambassador for Birmingham taking our city’s name and reputation to audiences around the world. This season is no different, so as Andris and the Orchestra pack for their travels, come and hear the music we’ll be 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 it will never sound better than right here at home in Symphony Hall.

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Unsure what to pick? Let us guide you. Classical music can evoke all kinds of feelings and emotions, so whether you 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’ve got the performances for you. Look out for these badges throughout the brochure, to help you find your perfect choice of concerts.

RAISE THE ROOF with Symphonic Blockbusters

RAISE THE ROOF

Forget recordings: there’s nothing to match the sheer sonic thrill of a live symphony orchestra blazing away with the volume turned up to 11. From the shattering rhythms of Stravinsky’s revolutionary The Rite of Spring, to Tchaikovsky’s 1812 and the heavenstorming climax of Mahler’s epic First Symphony, these are the concerts that will dazzle, astonish and knock you backwards with some of the biggest and most brilliant sounds you’ll ever hear.

RELAX AND REVITALISE

RELAX AND REVITALISE with our Classical Collection

At the end of a tiring day, we all need to relax. And nothing restores the soul quite like classical music. Soar free with Vaughan Williams’s serene The Lark Ascending, escape into nature with our Mendelssohn series, or let your spirit be cleansed by the beautiful mind of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart... the choice is yours. But whichever you go for, our musicians will see to it that you’re soothed, refreshed, and thoroughly indulged.

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PURE EMOTION

DISCOVER amazing music

DISCOVER

We’ll never tire of the great classics. But there’s a lot of good music out there – and our mission is to share it with you. If you enjoy Elgar, Tchaikovsky and Britten, we think you’ll like Ireland, Glazunov and Adès. And if you’re keen to explore, but want a helping hand, our ‘Tuned In’ concerts will show you the way. Or just take the plunge with a living composer, and hear sounds that might change your life. Discover the greatest music you’ve never heard.

CELEBRATE AND SHARE

PURE EMOTION with the Great Romantics Pure emotion - it’s what classical music does best. The great composers wore their hearts on their sleeves. Tchaikovsky’s Manfred rages against a forbidden love; Brahms’s First Piano Concerto detonates a volcano of passion. Richard Strauss’s Don Juan surrenders to his senses and Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony gives voice to a tenderness too deep for words. This music uncovers the feelings we sometimes forget we had: love, sorrow, ecstasy, longing... you just have to listen.

CELEBRATE AND SHARE with friends and family

All music is about enjoyment - so if you’re looking for a great night out, we’ve got the concert for you. Get into the party mood with a night of film themes or showtunes, have a good old Christmas singalong at one of our famous seasonal carol concerts, even catch a silent movie with a live score. And enjoy classics you already knew, even if you didn’t realise it - played live and with passion by Birmingham’s very own musical superstars!

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Concerts

for

Children

Notelets

at CBSO Centre Bring the youngest members of the family to CBSO Centre for these special toddlerfriendly mini-concerts. “We know Notelets audiences need to move: they are active, they want to join in, there is nothing passive about a three-year old! At our performances they get up close to the action, they dance, sing, march and listen. No wonder tickets are hard to come by!” Catherine Arlidge, CBSO violinist and Notelets presenter Come along an hour early to take part in craft activities. Sat 5 October - I love stories! Fri 6/Sat 7 December - Festive Treats Sat 1 March - Animal Favourites Sat 14 June - Hooting and Tooting Three performances per day at 11am, 1.30pm & 3.30pm. See p55 for booking details.

schools Concerts

at Symphony Hall Bring your class to one of our schools concerts for a truly inspirational experience to enrich their learning.

Family Concerts

at Symphony Hall

Family concerts are perfect to inspire a love of music in the young. These performances with the whole orchestra offer an afternoon of fun-filled musical discovery for all the family, with plenty of music 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.

Find out about great deals for children and young people at other CBSO concerts: see p52.

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“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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Tuesday 9 July, 7.30pm

Mark Kermode: Film Music Live Robert Ziegler - conductor Mark Kermode and special guest Critic, music-lover and film-buff extraordinaire… no-one understands great cinema better than Mark Kermode. Tonight he joins movie maestro Robert Ziegler and the full City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra to present a personal choice of classic film music – from Mary Poppins to The Exorcist – and to welcome a very special

movie-business guest star. It’s the stuff of dreams: classic tunes and unforgettable emotions, all performed in the cinema-quality sound of Birmingham’s stunning Symphony Hall.

Special prices and seating plan apply: £12.50, £20, £26, £34, £40.

Friday 12 July, 7.30pm

FREE pre-concert performance - see p48.

Friday Night Classics: John Williams Blockbusters

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

Michael Seal - conductor Tommy Pearson - presenter No-one writes a big film theme like John Williams – no wonder he’s one of the world’s most popular living composers. And if you think his music is thrilling on the big screen, just wait until you hear it live at Symphony Hall – as the CBSO plays a blockbuster concert of John Williams’s very greatest themes.

Special prices and seating plan apply: £12.50, £20, £26, £34, £40.

Sunday 21 July, 3pm Town Hall

CBSO Youth Orchestra Academy Michael Seal - conductor Revueltas: Homenaje a Federico García Lorca Ravel: Mother Goose (complete) Korngold: Much Ado About Nothing - suite Mozart: Symphony No. 36 (Linz) Special prices apply: £20 all areas.

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12’ 28’ 21’ 26’

A mariachi band, a French fairy tale, a Shakespearean rom-com, and a symphony written in four days flat! Under the baton of Michael Seal, a chamber orchestra drawn from the best of the CBSO Youth Orchestra’s superb young players explores three extraordinary 20th century masterpieces – from the Latin-American energy of Revueltas, to the luscious romance of Hollywood composer Erich Korngold. And did we mention Mozart’s most brilliant symphony? There’s a special electricity about everything our Youth Orchestra plays – come and share the thrill of discovery.

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SUMMER 2013 Thursday 15 August, 7.30pm Town Hall

Andris and Kristine in concert Andris Nelsons - conductor Kristine Opolais - soprano Dvorˇák: Symphony No. 8 Verdi: The Force of Destiny - Overture Verdi: Otello - Ave Maria • Willow Song Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin - Polonaise and Letter Scene J. Strauss II: Waltzes and Polkas

40’ 7’ 10’ 18’ 12’

Town Hall seating plan and special prices apply: £10, £20, £26.50, £36, £42.

Symphonies just don’t get any happier than Dvorˇák’s Eighth, and it’s inspired Andris Nelsons to create a joyous evening of music making. There’ll be folk dances, birdsong and village fiddles – and that’s before he even gets on to irresistible melodies of the Strauss family. And then he joins his wife, star soprano Kristine Opolais, for two big, heartfelt helpings of operatic passion.

Wednesday 4 September, 7.30pm

The Music of A. R. Rahman Matt 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

He’s been called “the Mozart of Madras” - and composer A. R. Rahman is a true living legend. His 100-plus film scores include Indian classics such as Lagaan, Bombay, Roja and Dil Se, whilst Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours and Elizabeth: The Golden Age have brought his irresistible brand of melody to audiences around the world. Tonight, we present a spectacular full orchestral tribute to A. R. Rahman, from the film scores to the hit shows Bombay Dreams and The Lord of the Rings.

Special prices and seating plan apply: £12.50, £20, £26, £34, £40.

Wednesday 11 September, 7.30pm

CBSO Benevolent Fund Concert Alexander Vedernikov - conductor Elisabeth Leonskaja - piano Glinka: Ruslan and Ludmilla - Overture Grieg: Piano Concerto Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4

5’ 30’ 45’

* The CBSO Benevolent Fund, registered friendly society 735F, exists to support CBSO players and staff, past and present, at times of ill-health or other hardship.

The horns blast out a savage fanfare; the trumpets scream in reply... Hold tight, because this is Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, and you’re about to witness one of the most inspired composers of all time wrestling with his demons in music of overwhelming rawness and passion. It’s thrilling and, as the former music director of the Bolshoi, conductor Alexander Vedernikov has this music pounding through his veins. First, though, in this concert in aid of the CBSO Benevolent Fund*, he joins another living Russian legend for the altogether gentler pleasures of Grieg’s irresistibly tuneful piano concerto.

Special seating plan and prices apply: £10, £15, £20, £24, £26.50, £31.50, £36, £39.50, £42.

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RAISE THE ROOF

Thursday 19 September, 7.30pm

Opening Concert: The Rite of Spring Andris Nelsons - conductor Kristine Opolais - soprano Wagner: Tannhäuser - Overture Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring

14’ 25’ 32’

When The Rite of Spring was premiered in Paris in 1913, it caused a riot. We don’t expect you to react quite so violently, but 100 years on Stravinsky’s revolutionary ballet will still make an electrifying opening to our season. Andris Nelsons conducts it for the first time, and joins his wife Kristine Opolais in music close to both their hearts - Wagner’s star-crossed Wesendonck Lieder, and the piece that first made him fall in love with music: the overture to Tannhäuser. Special prices apply.

Saturday 21 September, 7pm

Opening Concert: Anne-Sophie Mutter plays Dvorˇák

RAISE THE ROOF

Andris Nelsons - conductor Anne-Sophie Mutter - violin Wagner: Tannhäuser - Overture Dvorˇák: Violin Concerto Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring

14’ 32’ 32’

With some artists, just the mention of their name is enough. So Andris Nelsons and the entire CBSO are thrilled to welcome Anne-Sophie Mutter to Birmingham. “Seeing her perform is an experience that can make you gasp” wrote one critic, and that’s just the centrepiece of a concert that begins with the overture that sparked Nelsons’s love of music, and ends with the elemental power of Stravinsky’s shattering Rite of Spring. Take a deep breath: this should be unforgettable. Special prices apply.

Centre Stage at CBSO Centre Thursday 26 September, 1.10pm Daniel Müller-Schott (cello) & CBSO Players Schubert: String Quintet

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SEASON OPENING Wednesday 25 September, 7.30pm & Friday 27 September, 2.15pm

Totally Tchaikovsky

PURE EMOTION

Andris Nelsons - conductor Daniel Müller-Schott - cello Tchaikovsky: Marche Slave Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony

10’ 19’ 56’

Tormented by forbidden desires, Byron’s Manfred takes to the mountains to battle his demons. Tchaikovsky knew exactly how he felt, and poured everything into 50 minutes of the rawest, most personal and most passionate music he ever wrote. The results are tremendous: is this the greatest symphony you’ve never heard? It’s certainly a powerful contrast to the stirring Marche Slave and the jewel-like Rococo Variations; Andris Nelsons loves them all equally. FREE pre-concert talks - see p48.

Centre Stage at CBSO Centre Thursday 3 October, 1.10pm The Leo Quartet Britten: Quartettino Mendelssohn: String Quartet Op. 44 No. 1

RAISE THE ROOF

Thursday 3 October, 7.30pm

Mahler’s First Symphony Nikolaj Znaider - conductor Ingrid Fliter - piano Mendelssohn: Ruy Blas - Overture Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 Mahler: Symphony No. 1

7’ 33’ 56’

“The symphony must be like the world,” declared Gustav Mahler. “It should embrace everything.” And from its breathtaking opening vision of the dawn of time itself, to a truly heaven-storming finish, Mahler’s First does exactly that. No recording does it justice - just as pianist Ingrid Fliter’s deeply personal way with Chopin is something you simply have to experience for yourself. Nikolaj Znaider opens with Mendelssohn’s gloriously gothic overture. He’s already worldfamous as a violinist; we think you’ll be astonished by what he can do with a baton.

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Wednesday 9 October, 7.30pm & Thursday 10 October, 2.15pm

Beethoven’s Violin Concerto Olari Elts - conductor Christian Tetzlaff - violin Mozart: Idomeneo - Ballet Music Haydn: Symphony No. 86 Beethoven: Violin Concerto

12’ 28’ 42’

Master, pupil and friend: between them, Haydn, Beethoven and Mozart transformed the history of music. Tonight’s concert begins with the white-hot inspiration of Mozart’s breakthrough opera, and ends with soloist Christian Tetzlaff soaring high above the sunlit romantic landscape of Beethoven’s great Violin Concerto. No-one conducts this music with more panache than Olari Elts; so when he turns to Haydn’s exuberant 86th Symphony, the results should be RELAX AND REVITALISE little short of explosive.

Saturday 12 October, 7.30pm

Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis Ex Cathedra Jeffrey Skidmore - conductor Sophie Bevan - soprano Jennifer Johnston - mezzo Andrew Tortise - tenor Roderick Williams - bass Beethoven: Missa Solemnis

81’

Beethoven laboured for nearly four years to complete his Missa Solemnis, and nothing he composed surpasses it for scale, sincerity or sheer vision. No single performance can capture every aspect of this work, but under Jeffrey Skidmore, Ex Cathedra and a team of first-rate soloists will surely come closer than most to realising Beethoven’s wish that this music should come ‘from the heart, that it may go to the heart’. Special prices and seating plan apply: £9.50, £15, £20, £25, £30, £35, £40 This concert also forms part of Ex Cathedra and the Birmingham International Concert Seasons, and can be booked under each organisation’s concert packages. Other discounts may vary; please check when booking.

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OCTOBER CELEBRATE AND SHARE

Wednesday 16 October, 7.30pm

Carmen and Boléro

The nights are lengthening in Birmingham - but with some composers, it’s always summer! Bizet’s Carmen suite isn’t just a parade of some of the best tunes in all opera; it’s practically Spain in a bottle - and his Symphony in C is pure sunshine. Conductor Alain Altinoglu dishes it up with a truly Gallic joie de vivre, and joins his wife Nora Gubisch for Ravel’s wickedly seductive songs. Talking of seduction... well, Ravel’s Boléro says it better than any words!

Alain Altinoglu - conductor Nora Gubisch - soprano Bizet: Carmen - Suite No. 2 Ravel: Shéhérazade Bizet: Symphony in C Ravel: Boléro

20’ 17’ 31’ 14’

FREE pre-concert performance - see p48.

Saturday 19 October, 3pm Town Hall, Birmingham

Mendelssohn in Birmingham: the Italian Symphony Edward Gardner - conductor Veronika Eberle - violin Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 (Italian) Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5 (Reformation)

26’ 27’ 30’

Prodigy, dreamer and master of melody - it’s no wonder that Felix Mendelssohn was Victorian Britain’s favourite composer. And when the Italian Symphony bursts into sparkling life, you’ll understand the reason, as Edward Gardner launches our Mendelssohn Symphony Cycle in exuberant style. Veronika Eberle is the soloist in Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, performed today on the very spot where Mendelssohn conducted some of his greatest works: Town Hall, Birmingham. FREE pre-concert talk see p48.

RELAX AND REVITALISE

Centre Stage at CBSO Centre Thursday 17 October, 1.10pm CBSO Players Crusell: Divertimento in C, Op. 9 Finzi: Interlude for oboe and strings Bax: Oboe Quintet

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Thursday 24 October, 2.15pm Town Hall, Birmingham

Mendelssohn in Birmingham: the Scottish Symphony Edward Gardner - conductor Martin Helmchen - piano Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 1 Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 2 Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 (Scottish)

32’ 23’ 43’

“It went well for me in Birmingham. I’ve never seen an audience so enthusiastic about my music.” Mendelssohn loved our city - and Birmingham loved him back! Hear why as Edward Gardner conducts the romantic Scottish Symphony, and pianist Martin Helmchen takes Felix’s own place in the brilliant piano concerto that Mendelssohn wrote specially for Birmingham, performed in the very hall where he scored some of his most glorious triumphs. You’ll never get closer to his spirit. FREE pre-concert talk see p48.

RELAX AND REVITALISE

Sunday 27 October, 2.30pm

The Great Enormo with Michael Rosen Family Concert:-

James Morgan - conductor Juliette Pochin - mezzo Michael Rosen - presenter The Great Enormo - A Kerfuffle in B flat for Orchestra, Wasps and Soprano originally commissioned by the Brighton Festival; written by Michael Rosen, James Morgan & Juliette Pochin

FREE craft workshops and music in the foyers from 1pm. Why not come dressed up as a character from your favourite book?

Popular children’s writer Michael Rosen (of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt) presents an interactive guide to the orchestra for children and families. Be ready to be surprised, have lots of fun, go a little bit mad, be a little bit scared, and to help Michael and his crew perform some of the music. To begin, we introduce music connected to well-known stories – including Harry Potter and A Midsummer Night's Dream – to celebrate the opening of the Library of Birmingham this autumn. Then travel through time on a whirlwind musical tour to find a theme tune for Mr Enormo Biggins’ Great Theme Park – packed full of rides from the wild west to intergalactic space, and pirates to roller coasters. Special prices apply.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER RAISE THE ROOF

Thursday 31 October, 7.30pm

Russian Masters Vassily Sinaisky - conductor Ekaterina Scherbachenko - soprano Vsevolod Grivnov - tenor Elchin Azizov - baritone CBSO Chorus Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1 Rachmaninov: The Bells (sung in Russian, with English surtitles)

16’ 31’ 37’

“Hear the bells ring out, with their singing and ringing... they tell of oblivion.” For Sergei Rachmaninov, the sound of bells embodied the soul of Old Russia. Judging from the spectacular finish of his 1812 Overture, Tchaikovsky agreed - though you haven’t really heard 1812 until you’ve heard it performed with full chorus! Then Shostakovich’s fiery First Symphony provides the upbeat to The Bells: music of heartfelt joys and deep, dark sorrows which uses the bells of childhood, marriage, war and death to chart our journey through life. Tonight's soloists from the Bolshoi Theatre have it in their blood. FREE pre-concert talk - see p48.

Friday 1 November, 7.30pm

Friday Night Classics: Classics at the Movies

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Michael Seal - conductor Claire 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) You know that moment at the cinema when you realise that you’ve heard that tune before - but you can’t quite put your finger on it? Well, tonight, movie legend Barry Norman reveals all, in the sensational 3D-sound of the 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 even better when you hear it for real!

Centre Stage at CBSO Centre Wednesday 6 November, 1.10pm, Trio Severn Ireland: Phantasie Trio Brahms: Piano Trio No. 3

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

NOVEMBER

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Andris Nelsons, another Latvian and still only 34, is the hottest conducting property in Europe today.â&#x20AC;? Martin Kettle, The Guardian, January 2013

Andris Nelsons

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

Sunday 3 November, 3.30pm

DISCOVER

CBSO Youth Orchestra Ilan Volkov - conductor Allison Bell - soprano Debussy: La Mer Messiaen: Poèmes pour Mi Sibelius: Symphony No. 5

23’ 27’ 31’

Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony was inspired by a flight of swans. Debussy was drunk on the beauty of the sea. And the young Messiaen put all his love for his new wife into nine blissful songs. Gorgeous colours and big, big emotions: exactly what the CBSO Youth Orchestra does best. So join Ilan Volkov and our superb young players and share the joy of discovery, as together they bring this glorious music vibrantly to life. Special prices apply.

PURE EMOTION

Wednesday 6 November, 7.30pm

Nelsons conducts Brahms’s Fourth Andris Nelsons - conductor Valeriy Sokolov - violin Wagner: Lohengrin - Prelude to Act 1 Sibelius: Violin Concerto Brahms: Symphony No. 4

9’ 31’ 40’

PURE EMOTION

Thursday 7 November, 2.15pm

The Best of Brahms Andris Nelsons - conductor Dejan Lazic´ - piano Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 Brahms: Symphony No. 4

Brahms’s Fourth Symphony begins with a sigh and ends with a tempest. It might have been his last symphony, but Brahms wasn’t going gently into the night, and Andris Nelsons will bring everything he has to a musical tragedy of Shakespearean power. It’s a long journey from the serene beauty of Wagner’s Lohengrin Prelude, but with Valeriy Sokolov as the soloist in Sibelius’s lyrical Violin Concerto, there’ll be no shortage of drama along the way.

45’ 40’

As a young man, Johannes Brahms had his heart shattered by an impossible love. He spent the rest of his life trying to find some kind of peace. In one concert, Andris Nelsons and the CBSO sweep us through that whole incredible journey; from the volcanic passion of the mighty First Piano Concerto – played by the superb Dejan Lazic´ – to Brahms’s last and greatest symphony: a musical tragedy of Shakespearean power. FREE pre-concert talk - see p48.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

Friday 22 November, 7.30pm

DISCOVER

Britten 100: Centenary Concert by the CBSO’s family of choruses Simon Halsey - conductor Nicholas Daniel - oboe • David Goode - organ CBSO Chorus, Youth Chorus & Children’s Chorus Jubilate in C Six Metamorphoses after Ovid 3 Two-Part Songs Friday Afternoons Hymn to St Cecilia Missa Brevis Prelude & Fugue on a Theme of Vittoria Rejoice in the Lamb

3’ 12’ 7’ 20’ 10’ 10’ 5’ 16’

“Blessed Cecilia, appear in visions to all musicians, appear and inspire.” Britten’s originality never blazed more brightly than when it was most firmly rooted in the English choral tradition. As the Orchestra tours to Japan, 100 years to the day since Britten’s birth, Simon Halsey directs the CBSO’s world-famous choruses in some of Britten’s most striking choral inspirations - all interspersed with his magical Six Metamorphoses for solo oboe. A universe in a grain of sand: music to leave audiences stirred, beguiled and thoroughly entertained. Pre-concert talk - see p48. Special prices apply. Can also be booked as part of a Birmingham International Concert Season concert package.

Centre Stage at CBSO Centre Thursday 28 November, 1.10pm CBSO Players Fauré: Piano Trio Mozart: Piano Quartet in G minor, K.478

RELAX AND REVITALISE

Saturday 30 November, 7pm

Bach to the Future Pekka Kuusisto - director / violin Reich: Triple Quartet Bach: Violin Concerto in E major Reich: Violin Phase Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 Adams: Shaker Loops

Part of Birmingham’s celebrations of Britten’s centenary year: www.birminghambritten.co.uk

15’ 17’ 15’ 12’ 28’

Vibrant, colourful, and buzzing with energy: the American minimalist music of John Adams and Steve Reich has swept through contemporary culture like a blast of pure oxygen. But there’s nothing minimalist about its emotional power, and in this life-affirming programme directed by the inspirational Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto, it’s the perfect complement to two of Bach’s most tuneful masterpieces. Three masters speak to each other across three centuries: this is music to refresh heart and soul in equal measure. FREE pre-concert talk - see p48.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

DECEMBER PURE EMOTION

Thursday 5 December, 7.30pm

Nelsons conducts Brahms’s Third Andris Nelsons - conductor Isabelle Faust - violin Wagner: Siegfried Idyll Britten: Violin Concerto Brahms: Symphony No. 3

20’ 32’ 37’

Part of Birmingham’s celebrations of Britten’s centenary year: www.birminghambritten.co.uk

Two chords ring out, the orchestra gathers its strength - and with the force of a summer storm, Brahms’s Third Symphony crashes upon you. “Free but happy” was Brahms’s motto for this music, and there’s a whole lifetime of tenderness and passion before its radiant sunset finish. What happier ending for a concert in which the wonderful Isabelle Faust contemplates one of Britten’s finest works - and which opens with the most beautiful gift any composer ever gave to his beloved? FREE pre-concert performance and post-concert talk - see p48.

Wednesday 11 December, 2.15pm & Saturday 14 December, 7pm

Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony

PURE EMOTION

Andrew Litton - conductor Benjamin Grosvenor - piano Rachmaninov: The Rock 13’ Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 23’ Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique) 45’ Tchaikovsky didn’t stint on emotion, and with his shattering Pathétique Symphony, he wrote out his very soul. Music simply doesn’t get more overwhelming than this, so we’ve paired it with a complete contrast: Saint-Saëns’s outrageously entertaining Second Piano Concerto, played tonight by the brightest new star of British piano playing, the 21-year old Benjamin Grosvenor, who opened the BBC Proms last year. FREE pre-concert talks - see p48.

Centre Stage at CBSO Centre Thursday 12 December, 1.10pm Benjamin Grosvenor (piano) & CBSO Players Brahms: Piano Quintet

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

❅

CELEBRATE AND SHARE

Friday 13 December, 7.30pm

❆ Friday Night Classics: Wonderful Christmastime Carl Davis - conductor Lance Ellington, Katy Treharne - vocalists

❄

When Carl Davis steps onto the podium and opens his musical selection box for a Christmas party like no other, entertainment is guaranteed! With all-time family favourites and Lance Ellington from Strictly Come Dancing, maestro Davis knows exactly how to get your festive season off to a swinging start.

❆

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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Thursday 19 December, 7.30pm, Sunday 22 December, 3pm & 7.30pm, & Monday 23 December, 7.30pm

Festive Favourites with Mark Williams

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Simon Halsey - conductor Mark Williams - presenter CBSO Choruses Christmas begins at home, so join us at Symphony Hall, as we gather the whole CBSO ‘family’ – including over 250 voices of the CBSO’s massed choruses – for our annual choral Christmas concerts. Local lad Mark Williams – Harry Potter’s Arthur Weasley, and star of Doctor Who and The Fast Show – is our host; there’ll be festive favourites, seasonal stories and of course lots and lots of classic carols: the whole family gets to sing along. It’s a real Birmingham tradition - it wouldn’t be Christmas without it! Christmas prices apply.

Centre Stage at CBSO Centre Thursday 19 December, 1.10pm Berkley Salon Ensemble CBSO Youth Chorus A Palm Court Christmas Party! Special prices apply: £15

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

JANUARY CELEBRATE AND SHARE

Saturday 4 January, 3pm

Viennese New Year Stephen Bell - conductor Elin Manahan Thomas - soprano

Fatherland March • Die Libelle The Merry Widow - Vilja Song | Love Unspoken On My Lips Every Kiss Is Like Wine Why Did You Kiss My Heart Awake? Excursion Train Polka • Pizzicato Polka Die Fledermaus - Overture | Laughing Song Vienna Bonbons Waltz • Egyptian March The Blue Danube • I Give My Heart Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna - Overture My Fair Lady - I Could Have Danced All Night Radetzky March It isn’t New Year without a trip to Vienna, the city of silver and gold, where waltzes are sweeter than sachertorte, polkas sparkle like champagne and every song carries a thousand tender memories. The CBSO’s annual New Year party has all the tunes you love, with favourites by the Strauss family, Lehár and Suppé, plus soprano Elin Manahan Thomas singing some of Viennese operetta’s most mouth-watering numbers. Prosit!

Centre Stage at CBSO Centre Friday 10 January, 1.10pm Lars Vogt (piano) with CBSO Players Programme to include: Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1

Friday Night Classics prices apply.

RELAX AND REVITALISE

Thursday 9 January, 7.30pm

Russian Classics Andris Nelsons - conductor Lars Vogt - piano Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 (Classical) Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 27, K. 595 Stravinsky: Petrushka

14’ 32’ 34’

It’s springtime in old Russia, and as crowds throng the Shrovetide Fair, passions are rising. But how serious can it get? After all, a puppet doesn’t have feelings... does it? 100 years on, Stravinsky’s brilliantly original ballet continues to startle and delight; while Prokofiev’s firecracker of a first symphony proves that a real popular classic can still spring a few surprises. Mind you, Mozart’s last piano concerto gives them both a run for their money - especially in the supremely skilled hands of Lars Vogt.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

Saturday 11 January, 7pm

DISCOVER

Tuned In: Stravinsky’s Petrushka Andris Nelsons - conductor Paul Rissmann - presenter Stravinsky: Infernal Dance from The Firebird Suite (1919) An introduction to Stravinsky’s Petrushka

4’ 35’

interval

Stravinsky: Petrushka

34’

Puppets in love? Sounds delightful. But there’s a sinister secret to Stravinsky’s ballet Petrushka something that makes it far more than just one of the most entertaining pieces in 20th century music. In this special Tuned In concert, presenter Paul Rissmann tells the story behind the story, using illustrations, anecdotes and a 100-piece symphony orchestra to bring Petrushka to life, whether you’ve heard it a hundred times - or never before. And then Andris Nelsons conducts the CBSO in a full performance of this extraordinary score. Special prices apply.

Wednesday 15 January, 7.30pm & Thursday 16 January, 2.15pm

Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet

PURE EMOTION

Andris Nelsons - conductor Erin Wall - soprano Strauss: Don Juan Strauss: Four Last Songs Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet (highlights)

18’ 22’ 50’

Love never dies. Richard Strauss’s career went off like a rocket with Don Juan, and you can almost smell the testosterone. A lifetime later, Strauss gazed into the sunset and heard his Four Last Songs; ardour turned to serenity, in music of transcendent beauty. As for Romeo and Juliet... let’s just say that there’s a lot more to Prokofiev’s romantic ballet score than the theme from The Apprentice. Andris Nelsons will give it his all. FREE pre-concert talk on 16 January - see p48.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

JANUARY

“I think this is my favourite piece of music. The music is incredible, so powerful. It’s romantic, passionate, beautiful and achingly sad. Every time I hear the end I get goosebumps and usually cry.” Jane Wright, violin, on Der Rosenkavalier - p41

Andris Nelsons conducts Britten’s War Requiem at Coventry Cathedral Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

Wednesday 22 January, 2.15pm

British Classics with John Wilson John Wilson - conductor Paul Watkins - cello Ireland: A London Overture Walton: Cello Concerto Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony

12’ 30’ 48’

Vaughan Williams may have loved the countryside, but he couldn’t resist the capital. Listen out for street-songs, buskers and even the chimes of Big Ben as conductor John Wilson drives us through the fog - and enjoy John Ireland’s gloriously tuneful take on the same bustling scene. Walton’s Cello Concerto, meanwhile, comes from warmer climes; with Paul Watkins as the DISCOVER soloist, this is one trip to London where sunshine is guaranteed!

Centre Stage at CBSO Centre

FREE pre-concert talk - see p48.

Friday 24 January, 1.10pm New Birmingham String Quartet McEwen: Nugae (Seven bagatelles for string quartet) Brahms: String Quartet No. 1

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Friday 24 January, 7.30pm

Friday Night Classics: ABBA Symphonic Spectacular Stephen Bell - conductor Capital Voices directed by Annie Skates Mamma Mia! Here we go again, with a sensational, evening-long tribute to ABBA. You know them, you love them: Waterloo, Dancing Queen, Knowing Me Knowing You... So why not dress 70s-style? Dig out those flares, put on your dancing shoes and get ready to party, as the CBSO says “Thank you for the Music”.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

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

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

JANUARY/FEBRUARY Monday 27 January, 11.30am & 1.30pm & Friday 31 January, 11am & 1pm Schools Concerts::

The CBSO’s Guide to the Orchestra

Michael Seal - conductor Alasdair Malloy - presenter CBSO Schools programme supported by

We are working with The Birmingham Music Education Partnership to enable all Year 7 children in Birmingham schools to experience the CBSO live in Symphony Hall.

What sound does a piccolo make? Why is a double bass so huge? And do they really need quite so many violins? The symphony orchestra is the most amazing piece of music technology ever devised; today, in a concert of music from Beethoven to Harry Potter specially devised for Key Stage 3 students, presenter Alasdair Malloy explains how it all works - with the help of conductor Michael Seal and the full City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Special prices apply.

Thursday 30 January, 7.30pm & Saturday 1 February, 3pm

The Organ Symphony

RAISE THE ROOF

Kazuki Yamada - conductor Francesco Piemontesi - piano Stephen Farr - organ Fauré: Pelleas and Melisande - Suite Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Widor: Toccata Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 (Organ)

19’ 24’ 6’ 35’

You might have heard it in the film Babe, but trust us - when the Symphony Hall organ crashes in at the end of Saint-Saëns’ mighty Organ Symphony you won’t be thinking about talking pigs! It’s a long way from the gentle perfumes of Fauré’s lovely Pelleas and Melisande suite - though when Kazuki Yamada joins forces with the award-winning pianist Francesco Piemontesi in Rachmaninov’s superromantic Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, there’ll be fireworks aplenty amidst the poetry. 1 February: evening prices apply.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

Wednesday 5 February, 7.30pm

Ultimate Vaughan Williams

RELAX AND REVITALISE

Andrew Manze - conductor Laurence Jackson - violin Vaughan Williams: Overture, The Wasps Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis The Lark Ascending Job, A Masque for Dancing

9’ 15’ 14’ 44’

“He rises and begins to round / he drops the silver chain of sound…” When The Lark Ascending takes wing, so do our spirits. But that’s just one side of the genius of Ralph Vaughan Williams. Andrew Manze has a special connection with this most English of composers; tonight he shares the rollicking fun of The Wasps, the timeless passion of the Tallis Fantasia and, to top it all, Job: a blockbuster of a ballet score that’ll change the way you think about English music. FREE pre-concert performance - see p48.

Friday Night Classics: Gilbert and Sullivan Gala John Wilson - conductor Sarah Fox - soprano Benjamin Hulett - tenor Richard Suart - baritone Matthew Hargreaves - bass Birmingham University Singers Fresh, fizzy and sparkling with wit, G&S are as English as a G&T - and just as enjoyable. Mouth-watering tunes meet eye-watering words as tonight we welcome John Wilson and an allstar cast for an evening-long celebration of the Savoy Operas. With a selection of favourite songs, plus a full concert performance of Trial by Jury, we’ve got a little list. And it’s definitely not to be missed!

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

Friday 7 February, 1.10pm Brass Explosion! Berio: Call (St Louis Fanfare) Saint-Saëns: Sérénade d’hiver Previn: Four Outings Gershwin: Porgy and Bess - suite

CELEBRATE AND SHARE

Friday 7 February, 7.30pm

Centre Stage at CBSO Centre

Gilbert & Sullivan: Trial By Jury (complete) The Gondoliers - Overture | Once More Gondolieri • 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

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

FEBRUARY Sunday 9 February, 7pm

Singalong with the CBSO: Carmina Burana

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Simon Halsey - conductor CBSO Chorus & CBSO Children’s Chorus Ever wondered what it’s like to sing live at Symphony Hall with the full CBSO? Now’s your chance to find out, in this one-off performance from scratch of Carl Orff’s uproarious Carmina Burana - 60 outrageously tuneful minutes of life, lust and monks behaving badly! And whether you’re a choral society veteran or have only ever sung it in the shower, you’re welcome to rehearse and perform it today, under the CBSO’s world-famous chorus director Simon Halsey. 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 with Simon Halsey’s rehearsal markings, please purchase the all-inclusive Singer & Score Hire ticket when booking. 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 from 12.30pm by showing your score ticket.

Special prices apply.

RELAX AND REVITALISE

Thursday 13 February, 7.30pm

Mendelssohn in Birmingham: Hymn of Praise Edward Gardner - conductor Sophie Bevan - soprano Mary Bevan - soprano Robert Murray - tenor CBSO Chorus CBSO Youth Chorus Mendelssohn: Overture, Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Mendelssohn: Two Motets, Op. 39 Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 2 (Hymn of Praise)

13’ 12’ 65’

Felix Mendelssohn was one of the greatest natural talents in the history of music. So when he challenged Beethoven at his own game... well hear for yourself! Hymn of Praise is Mendelssohn’s very own Choral Symphony. Birmingham audiences of 1840 adored it - and you will too, as Edward Gardner, the massed CBSO choruses and three first-rate soloists bring our Mendelssohn cycle to Symphony Hall. Two delightful rediscoveries complete a really joyous evening of music. FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

FEBRUARY

Amy Fawcett, viola “Coaching the CBSO Youth Orchestra is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job. You’ve just got to see this group of amazing young musicians performing Strauss - my favourite composer!”

CBSO Youth Orchestra in rehearsal at CBSO Centre

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

Wednesday 19 February, 2.15pm & Thursday 20 February, 7.30pm

Mozart and Elgar Edward Gardner - conductor Steven Osborne - piano Mozart: The Magic Flute - Overture Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 24, K. 491 Elgar: Symphony No. 1

7’ 31’ 52’

At the premiere of Elgar’s First Symphony in 1908, the audience rose to its feet and simply yelled with excitement. So prepare yourself for raw emotion, desperate beauty, and of course, one of the greatest tunes ever written by an Englishman. The CBSO has a special relationship with Elgar; today, Edward Gardner writes a new chapter. Mozart’s darkest piano concerto makes a wonderfully apt prelude, played by the RELAX AND incomparable Steven Osborne. REVITALISE FREE pre-concert talks - see p49.

DISCOVER

Sunday 23 February, 7pm

CBSO Youth Orchestra Jac van Steen - conductor Bray: New Work (CBSO/Feeney Trust commission: World premiere) 10’

Wagner: Tristan and Isolde, Symphonic Synthesis Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra

35’ 32’

Richard Strauss wanted Also sprach Zarathustra to portray “the entire history of humanity”. Well, our Youth Orchestra likes a challenge! Jac van Steen has a special rapport with our superb young players; so he’s the perfect guide as they tackle one of the most breathtaking showpieces in all music - and surrender to the life-changing passion of Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde. And meet Charlotte Bray: the Birmingham-trained composer whose music caused such a stir at the 2012 Proms. FREE pre-concert talk - see p49. Special prices apply.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

Wednesday 26 February, 7.30pm

Mozart’s Gran Partita Karl-Heinz Steffens - conductor Renaud Capuçon - violin Mozart: Gran Partita (Serenade for 13 wind instruments, K.361) 49’ Glazunov: Violin Concerto 20’ Stravinsky: Symphony in Three Movements 20’ In the film Amadeus, when Mozart’s arch-rival Salieri hears his Gran Partita, he thinks he’s hearing the voice of God. Tonight, Karl-Heinz Steffens – a former principal clarinettist of the Berlin Philharmonic itself – leads the CBSO’s wind players to heaven. That’s just for starters, in a concert that features a rare performance of the luscious violin concerto by the ‘Russian Mendelssohn’ Alexander Glazunov, and Stravinsky’s punchy wartime symphony; music of chrome and DISCOVER steel, from the streets of LA. Pure sonic indulgence.

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Friday 28 February, 7.30pm

Friday Night Classics: Songs for Swingin’ Orchestra Richard Balcombe - conductor Catherine Porter - vocalist Graham Bickley - vocalist Well, ring-a-ding-ding! For one night only, Symphony Hall transforms itself into the Sands Hotel, Vegas for this sensational tribute to the legendary crooners of the 1950s. We’ve got all the classics, by composers including George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Nat King Cole and Richard Rodgers. With vocalists Graham Bickley and Catherine Porter backed by the full CBSO, they’ll never sound silkier, sassier or more fabulously swinging. There’s no more glamorous party in town - so join us, and get happy!

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

Thursday 27 February, 1.10pm CBSO Players Beethoven: Piano Quartet in C Mendelssohn: Piano Quartet No. 2

FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.

Centre Stage at CBSO Centre

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.

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

MARCH Sunday 2 March, 2.30pm

Family Concert::

Carnival of the Animals Michael Seal - conductor Nikky Smedley - presenter CBSO Young Voices FREE craft workshops and music in the foyers from 1pm. Why not come dressed up as your favourite animal?

Never been to a concert? Don’t worry, neither has Puppet Sam - but with the aid of his pal Nikky (famous as Laa Laa from Teletubbies) and 80 friendly musicians, he’s about to find out all there is to know about the CBSO! And once she and Sam have introduced us the orchestra, we’re all off to the zoo - with a full performance of Saint-Saëns’ wacky and wonderful Carnival of The Animals. A double bass turns into an elephant, flutes become birds and tortoises dance the can-can - it’s a perfectly beastly way to get to know the instruments of the orchestra. Just don’t feed the fossils! Special prices apply.

Thursday 6 March, 7.30pm

Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto

RAISE THE ROOF

Michael Seal - conductor Gabriela Montero - piano Bizet / Shchedrin: Carmen Suite Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5

25’ 32’ 46’

Shostakovich staked his life on his Fifth Symphony - and you can tell. From angst-torn opening to all-too-triumphant finish, there’s no symphony more powerful – or more personal – than this musical response to Stalin’s terror. Under Michael Seal, it’ll strike home with devastating power: a gripping contrast to Rachmaninov’s hugely popular piano concerto (of Brief Encounter fame) and Shchedrin’s hilarious 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.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

Saturday 8 March, 7pm

DISCOVER

Tuned In: Shostakovich’s Fifth Michael Seal - conductor Paul Rissmann - presenter An introduction to Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5

40’

interval

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5

46’

In Stalin’s Russia, writing the wrong kind of music could carry a terrible price. So Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony was more than just a thrilling piece of music - it was a life-ordeath gamble. In this special Tuned In concert, presenter Paul Rissmann uses illustrations, anecdotes and the full CBSO to explain how Shostakovich beat the system - and unlock the secret story behind the music. Then Michael Seal conducts a full performance of the Symphony. There’s no better way to get under the skin of one of most powerful testimonies in 20th-century music. Special prices apply.

Wednesday 12 March, 7.30pm & Thursday 13 March, 2.15pm

Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony

PURE EMOTION

Mikhail Tatarnikov - conductor Peter Donohoe - piano Mussorgsky: Night on a Bare Mountain Dohnányi: Variations on a Nursery Song Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2

12’ 25’ 55’

Think Russian and you think epic. Rachmaninov’s Second is exactly that: a symphony as grand and expansive as Russia itself, full-to-overflowing with some of the most gorgeous love music ever written. It could have been written for our guest conductor Mikhail Tatarnikov. And Dohnányi’s delightful Variations on a Nursery Tune could have been written for today’s soloist - because our latest rediscovery from 1913 demands both spectacular artistry and a cheeky sense of humour. Peter Donohoe has both! FREE pre-concert talks - see p49.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

APRIL Saturday 26 April, 7pm

Belshazzar’s Feast

RAISE THE ROOF

John Storgårds - conductor Mark Stone - bass CBSO Chorus CBSO Youth Chorus Holst: The Hymn of Jesus Bernstein: Chichester Psalms Walton: Belshazzar’s Feast

23’ 19’ 34’

1931: William Walton takes a huge choir and a massive symphony orchestra, adds a couple of brass 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 a stunning showcase for the CBSO’s famous choruses; and John Storgårds gets things buzzing with two joyous choral classics by the composers behind West Side Story and The Planets. We think you’ll love them.

CENTRE STAGE at CBSO Centre

Wednesday 12 March, 1.10pm CBSO Players Haydn: String Quartet Op. 33 No. 2 (Joke) Mozart: String Quartet K.465 (Dissonance)

Friday 11 April, 1.10pm, CBSO Baroque Ensemble (on period instruments)

Friday 25 April, 1.10pm CBSO Players Schubert: Octet in F, D.803

The Royal Society of Musicians England’s first charity for musicians came into being in 1739. This concert explores music by some of its founder members: William Boyce, Thomas Arne, William Hayes and George Frederick Handel.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

Thursday 1 May, 2.15pm

Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade Rafael Payare - conductor Jonathan Biss - piano Brahms: Tragic Overture Schumann: Piano Concerto Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade

13’ 31’ 45’

Brahms found strength in the depths of despair. Schumann poured out his feelings for his beloved Clara. And Scheherazade just wanted to keep her head! But every one of them told an unforgettable musical story, and from Brahms’s epic drama to Rimsky-Korsakov’s fantastically tuneful musical fairytale on One Thousand and One Nights, Rafael Payare – the latest graduate of Venezuela’s legendary El Sistema – will make each one blaze with colour. Pianist Jonathan Biss finds poetry PURE amidst the passion in this EMOTION concert of much-loved classics.

RAISE THE ROOF

Thursday 8 May, 7.30pm

Rachmaninov and Shostakovich Andrés Orozco-Estrada - conductor Simone Lamsma - violin

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

Friday 9 May, 1.10pm CBSO Players Rossini: Duetto for cello and bass Dvorˇák: String Quintet Op. 77

FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.

Ravel: Alborada del gracioso Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1 Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances

Centre Stage at CBSO Centre

7’ 38’ 37’

Far from all he loved, Sergei Rachmaninov dreamed of another world. The result was his Symphonic Dances: half-symphony, half-ballet, all Rachmaninov. Andrés Orozco-Estrada has been a real hit with Birmingham audiences; tonight he whirls the CBSO through a vision of ghostly waltzes, life-or-death gambles, and those great, unforgettable Rachmaninov melodies – and joins star soloist Simone Lamsma in Shostakovich’s tense political thriller of a First Violin Concerto.

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

MAY CELEBRATE AND SHARE

Friday 9 May, 7.30pm

Friday Night Classics: Silent Heroes - Buster Keaton Carl Davis - conductor Davis: The Play House Davis: The General

22’ 76’

It doesn’t matter how good your home cinema is. Until you’ve heard a full symphony orchestra accompanying a film live, you haven’t experienced the ultimate in movie surround sound! Veteran movie maestro Carl (‘Cranford’) Davis conducts the CBSO in a live soundtrack to one of the greatest film comedies of all time, Buster Keaton’s runaway-train classic The General. We’ve even got a ‘B’ feature too. They don’t make ’em like that any more? Well, at Symphony Hall, we do! Special prices apply.

Sunday 11 May, 2.30pm Family Concert:

Bite-size Classics Michael Seal - conductor Alasdair Malloy - presenter CBSO Children’s Chorus When you’re into classical music, you’ve got more than 300 years of great tunes to choose from! So where do you start? Well, how about this concert of bite-size classics for the whole family, as presenter Alasdair Malloy, maestro Mike Seal and the 80 super-talented musicians 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? Highlights from: Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra Glinka: Ruslan and Ludmila - Overture Fauré: Dolly Suite Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 Copland: Rodeo - Hoe Down Prokofiev: Classical Symphony Mercury: Bohemian Rhapsody and more Special prices apply.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

Wednesday 14 May, 7.30pm

Haydn and Mozart Andris Nelsons - conductor Margaret Cookhorn - contrabassoon Rainer Gibbons - oboe Christopher Richards - clarinet Gretha Tuls - bassoon Elspeth Dutch - horn Haydn: Symphony No. 101 (The Clock) Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante for Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon and Horn, K.297B Woolrich: Falling Down Haydn: Symphony No. 102

27’ 30’ 15’ 23’

Four’s company! Mozart may or may not have written this Sinfonia Concertante - but who’s counting, when it brings four of the CBSO’s star players together in one delightful musical multiple pile-up? This is going to be fun, so Andris Nelsons gets us smiling with two of the deliciously witty symphonies Haydn wrote specially for British audiences, and then throws in a very special bonus: the fantastically inventive concerto that John Woolrich wrote specially for the RELAX AND CBSO’s contrabassoonist, REVITALISE Margaret Cookhorn. FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.

Haydn and Mozart Andris Nelsons - conductor Graham Sibley - tuba Rainer Gibbons - oboe Christopher Richards - clarinet Gretha Tuls - bassoon Elspeth Dutch - horn

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

Thursday 22 May, 1.10pm CBSO Players Beethoven: String Quartet Op. 130 Grosse Fuge Op. 133

RELAX AND REVITALISE

Thursday 15 May, 2.15pm

Haydn: Symphony No. 101 (The Clock) Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante for Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon and Horn, K.297B Vaughan Williams: Tuba Concerto Haydn: Symphony No. 102

Centre Stage at CBSO Centre

27’ 30’ 13’ 23’

Take a clarinet, an oboe, a bassoon and a horn. Add one tuba - and the result is a matinée with a delightful difference, as a quartet of the CBSO’s world-class woodwind players tackles Mozart’s bubbly four-way concerto. Andris Nelsons sets a playful mood with two of Haydn’s deliciously witty ‘London’ symphonies, and then whisks us into the era of the Festival of Britain, as CBSO tuba player Graham Sibley flies high in Vaughan Williams’s rare and lovely concerto. FREE pre-concert and post-concert talks - see p49.

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

MAY Saturday 24 May, 4pm

Der Rosenkavalier

PURE

EMOTION Andris Nelsons - conductor Soile Isokoski - Marschallin Alice Coote - Octavian Sophie Bevan - Sophie Franz Hawlata - Ochs Mark Stone - Faninal Bonaventura Bottone - Valzacchi Pamela Helen Stephen - Annina Ji-Min Park - Italian Tenor Eddie Wade - Notary / Police Inspector / Servant CBSO Chorus & Youth Chorus

Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier

206’

(sung in German, with English surtitles)

Love conquers everything, so they say... but what about Time? In a fairytale Vienna, the beautiful Marschallin and her teenage lover are about to discover that a single silver rose can turn the world upside down. Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier is an opera that ravishes the ear, then breaks your heart to the sound of a waltz. Andris Nelsons has assembled a truly world-class cast for what is sure to be a highlight of the season, in his first ever concert performance of the sweetest and most sensuous opera of all time. The approximate running times of Acts 1, 2 & 3 are 75’, 63’ and 68’ respectively. There will be a 30-minute interval after Act 1 and a one-hour interval after Act 2.

RAISE THE ROOF

Wednesday 28 May, 2.15pm

Andris and Håkan in concert Andris Nelsons - conductor Håkan Hardenberger - trumpet Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin Haydn: Trumpet Concerto A selection of miniatures for trumpet and orchestra Mussorgsky (orch. Ravel): Pictures at an Exhibition

Special prices apply.

17’ 14’ 15’ 34’

A hut on hen’s legs, luminous skulls, baroque watercolours... sounds spectacular? It’s amazing what you can achieve with a head full of tunes and a few shots of vodka! Andris Nelsons unlocks a real jewel-box of a concert, with two hugely popular classics providing a glittering frame for a true living treasure as the world’s greatest trumpeter brings his gleaming sound to Haydn’s much-loved concerto - and shares a few jazzy surprises from his recent album Both Sides, Now. FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

Thursday 29 May, 7.30pm

Pictures at an Exhibition Andris Nelsons - conductor Håkan Hardenberger - trumpet Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin Dean: Dramatis Personae (CBSO co-commission: UK premiere)

Mussorgsky (orch. Ravel): Pictures at an Exhibition

17’ 20’ 34’

When Maurice Ravel arranged Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, he created one of the few adaptations that’s better than the original! From its opening Promenade to the majestic Great Gate of Kiev, it’s one of the alltime great orchestral showpieces. Andris Nelsons unlocks a real jewel-box of a concert as Håkan Hardenberger, probably the world’s greatest trumpeter, gives the first UK performance of an imaginative new concerto by Brett Dean. DISCOVER History in the making...

Friday 30 May, 1.10pm CBSO Players Steve Reich: Marimba Phase Jan Bradley: Chieba Radiohead: Pyramid Song Stephen Rush: Rebellion

FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.

RELAX AND REVITALISE

Thursday 5 June, 2.15pm

Summer Serenade Laurence Jackson - director / violin Grieg: Holberg Suite Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 3 Dvorˇák: Nocturne in B major Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings

Centre Stage at CBSO Centre

21’ 24’ 9’ 29’

Once upon a time, serenades were played in the open air. This afternoon, you’ll almost feel the summer sunshine as the CBSO’s leader Laurence Jackson becomes first amongst equals in some of the loveliest music ever penned for a pocket-sized orchestra. Tchaikovsky’s endless melodies and Grieg’s mock-baroque revels frame the teenage Mozart’s most perfect violin concerto; timeless elegance, gentle humour, and tune after tune after tune. All you have to do is relax! FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

JUNE CELEBRATE AND SHARE

Friday 6 June, 7.30pm

Featuring music from:

Friday Night Classics: Heroes and Superheroes Richard Kaufman - conductor We need a hero! Enter movie maestro Richard Kaufman – a true Hollywood insider – with an allstar salute to the biggest, boldest and baddest stars of the silver screen. Re-live the adventures of all of our heroes, and savour the sonic thrill as Kaufman gives them the deluxe treatment - in full symphonic sound!

Superman Dances with Wolves 633 Squadron The Magnificent Seven Saving Private Ryan The Sea Hawk Spider-Man • Silverado Raiders of the Lost Ark The High and the Mighty Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Batman • Star Trek Austin Powers • James Bond

Wednesday 11 June, 7.30pm

Thomas Adès: New Horizons

DISCOVER

Thomas Adès - conductor Nicolas Hodges - piano Ravel: Mother Goose (complete) Barry: Piano Concerto (CBSO co-commission: UK premiere)

Coll: Piano Concertino (UK premiere) Adès: Tevot

28’ 20’ 10’ 22’

As both internationally-renowned composer and visionary conductor, Thomas Adès is one of the most compelling figures in the contemporary arts, bringing a unique insight to everything he performs. Today, Ravel’s fairy-tale ballet and his own orchestral tour de force Tevot (composed for the Berlin Philharmonic) book-end two fantastic premieres from renowned contemporary pianist Nicolas Hodges: the exuberant Concertino by the young Spanish composer Francisco Coll, and a new Piano Concerto by musical maverick and allround entertainer Gerald Barry. Be ready for anything - except the routine! FREE pre-concert talk - see p49. Special prices apply.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

Thursday 12 June, 11.30am & 1.30pm

Famous as Laa Laa from Teletubbies, Nikky Smedley has over 30 years’ experience of creating work for children. Today, she teams up with the full CBSO to give a guided tour of Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals - a wild and wonderful musical zoo complete with elephants, lions, swans and... pianists? These lively, hour-long concerts offer a colourful introduction to the instruments of the orchestra, specially devised for students at Key Stage 2.

Schools Concerts:

Carnival of the Animals Michael Seal - conductor Nikky Smedley - presenter

CBSO Schools programme supported by

Special prices apply.

Wednesday 18 June, 7.30pm

Strauss and Shakespeare Andris Nelsons - conductor Barbara Hannigan - soprano Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream - Overture 11’ 30’ Abrahamsen: let me tell you (UK premiere) Strauss: Symphonia Domestica 44’ Richard Strauss wasn’t one to throw the baby out with the bathwater. His extraordinary Symphonia Domestica is a no-holds-barred musical diary of a day with the Strauss family, from morning lie-in through to bathtime for baby! It’s hilarious, heartwarming, and utterly OTT, and Andris Nelsons can’t wait to conduct it. First, though, come two enchanting classics - one a much-loved favourite, one freshly-written for the soprano Barbara Hanningan, but both inspired by the magic of Shakespeare. FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

DISCOVER

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

JUNE Thursday 19 June, 2.15pm

Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto

RAISE THE ROOF

Andris Nelsons - conductor Paul Lewis - piano Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) 38’ Strauss: Symphonia Domestica 44’ “What could be more serious than family life?” asked Richard Strauss, and promptly composed his extraordinary Symphonia Domestica: a wonderfully over-the-top celebration of family life in all its splashy glory - from the baby’s bathtime through to a date-night for mum and dad! It’s heartwarming, humorous and irresistibly tuneful. Andris Nelsons can’t wait to conduct it; an unexpected but surprisingly suitable match for Beethoven’s majestic Emperor Concerto, played by a true poet amongst British pianists. FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.

Friday 20 June 1.10pm CBSO Cellos Spanish surprises from eight of the CBSO’s cellos - including music by Falla, Albéniz and Pau Casals.

Thursday 26 June, 7.30pm & Saturday 28 June, 7pm

RELAX AND REVITALISE

Mozart’s C minor Mass Andris Nelsons - conductor Sarah-Jane Brandon - soprano Lisa Milne - soprano Ben Johnson - tenor Vuyani Mlinde - bass John Tattersdill - double bass CBSO Chorus Mozart: Symphony No. 40 Mozart: Misero! O sogno - Aura, che intorno spiri Mozart: Per questa bella mano Mozart: Mass in C minor

Centre Stage at CBSO Centre

26’

When Mozart got married, he made a pact with heaven - and Mozart took his promises seriously. The result was the tremendous C minor Mass: a soul-shaking choral epic on the grandest possible scale. If you love Mozart’s Requiem, you’ll be knocked backwards when Andris Nelsons, the CBSO Chorus and a top-notch team of soloists come together for a concert that also features Mozart’s best-loved symphony and his only solo for double bass, featuring the CBSO’s popular section leader. Hearing is believing.

11’ 7’ 51’

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

JULY

“ ‘Imagine shaking a champagne bottle with all your might and then ... popping the cork!’ - the image Andris uses to inspire us to create his vision for the 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

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

Wednesday 2 July, 7.30pm

Bluebeard’s Castle Edward Gardner - conductor Ekaterina Gubanova - mezzo Gábor Bretz - bass Janácˇek: Sinfonietta Bartók: Duke Bluebeard’s Castle

RAISE THE ROOF

25’ 60’

(sung in Hungarian with English surtitles)

“In wars outside the blood runs redly / Here is something far more deadly / Ladies and gentlemen.” Bluebeard’s castle has seven doors. Judith is determined to open them all. But some questions are best left unanswered... Edward Gardner, music director of English National Opera, brings all his sense of theatre to Bartók’s dark fairytale, and brings up the curtain with Janácˇek’s ear-tingling Sinfonietta. Imagine 14 trumpeters blasting the roof off - now experience that ultimate sonic thrill in Europe’s most brilliant acoustic! FREE pre-concert talk - see p49.

CELEBRATE AND SHARE

Friday 4 July, 7.30pm

Friday Night Classics: New York, New York - A Gershwin and Bernstein Gala Martin Yates - conductor West End vocalists Victor Sangiorgio - piano New York, New York! George Gershwin wrote the soundtrack to the Jazz Age Big Apple. Lennie Bernstein turned its mean streets into thrilling song and dance. Together, they add up to one fabulous night out on the Fourth of July in the greatest city on earth... Birmingham, of course! We’re talking songs like Summertime and Fascinatin’ Rhythm, and shows like West Side Story and On the Town, not forgetting the theme tune of Manhattan itself, Rhapsody in Blue. So let’s go - it’s a helluva town!

Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue • Summertime I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise Girl Crazy - Overture • I’ve Got a Crush on You Our Love is Here to Stay Promenade (Walking the Dog) Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off • The Man I Love Fascinatin’ 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

Produced in association with West End International Ltd.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

Discover more about music

Get more from your listening with these FREE pre-concert talks at Symphony Hall, given by musicians, composers, writers, bloggers, critics and conductors - all sharing their perspectives on the music to follow. Also, enjoy music-making from the next generation with free pre-concert performances by students from Birmingham Conservatoire.

Friday 12 July, 6.15pm A performance by CBSO SO Vocal and our newly-formed Handsworth Community Choir Wednesday 25 September, 6.15pm Friday 27 September, 1pm Manfred Symphony Gavin Plumley, author of the blog Entartete Musik, introduces Tchaikovsky’s neglected ‘seventh symphony’. Wednesday 16 October, 6.15pm Conservatoire Showcase: 2020 Holst: St Paul’s Suite Bax: The Garden of Fand Hear the Birmingham Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Seal, perform two masterpieces of British music from 1913. Saturday 19 October, 1.45pm Mendelssohn in Birmingham (1) Novelist, critic and blogger Jessica Duchen introduces our Mendelssohn symphony cycle. Thursday 24 October, 1pm Mendelssohn in Birmingham (2) Jessica Duchen talks about Mendelssohn’s special relationship with Birmingham - and introduces today’s concert. Thursday 31 October, 6.15pm The Bells Critic, broadcaster and Tchaikovsky biographer David Nice explores the connections between tonight’s three Russian masterpieces. Thursday 7 November, 1pm The Players’ Perspective: Brahms’s Fourth CBSO violinist David Gregory and orchestral colleagues explain Brahms’s final symphony. Friday 22 November, 6.15pm Britten at 100 CBSO chorus director Simon Halsey offers an expert perspective on Britten’s choral music.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

Saturday 30 November, 5.45pm Bach to the Future Violinist and conductor Pekka Kuusisto introduces tonight’s novel programme - in conversation with the CBSO’s Simon Webb. Thursday 5 December 6.15pm: Conservatoire Showcase Fan Yu (piano) Chopin: Ballade No. 4 in F minor Lucy Chang (piano) Debussy: Two Arabesques Strauss / Schulz-Evler: Concert Arabesque on The Blue Danube A FREE 30-minute piano recital, performed by two rising stars of Birmingham Conservatoire. c9.45pm: Post-concert chat Stay on for a post-concert conversation with Andris Nelsons and Stephen Maddock. Wednesday 11 December, 1pm Saturday 14 December, 5.45pm The Player’s Perspective: The Pathétique CBSO violinist David Gregory offers a musician’s angle on this great symphony with help from orchestral colleagues. Thursday 16 January, 1pm Richard Strauss at 150 Writer and broadcaster Stephen Johnson introduces Richard Strauss’s Don Juan and Four Last Songs. Wednesday 22 January, 1pm A London Symphony The popular British conductor John Wilson talks about Vaughan Williams, in conversation with the CBSO’s Simon Webb. Wednesday 5 February, 6.15pm Conservatoire Showcase Malcolm Arnold: Symphony No. 5 Hear the Birmingham Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Seal, perform this great post-war British symphony.

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

PRE-CONCERT TALKS

Thursday 13 February, 6.15pm Mendelssohn in Birmingham (3) Jessica Duchen of The Independent introduces Mendelssohn’s rarely-heard choral symphony, Hymn of Praise. Wednesday 19 February, 1pm Thursday 20 February, 6.15pm Edward Gardner on Elgar The CBSO’s principal guest conductor and chief executive Stephen Maddock discuss Elgar’s First Symphony.

Thursday 15 May, c4.30pm Post-concert chat Stay on for a post-concert conversation with Andris Nelsons and Stephen Maddock. Wednesday 28 May, 1pm The Players’ Perspective: Pictures at an Exhibition CBSO violinist David Gregory offers a musician’s angle on this colourful showpiece with help from orchestral colleagues.

Sunday 23 February, 5.45pm Premiere: Charlotte Bray The young British composer Charlotte Bray introduces her new work for the CBSO Youth Orchestra - interviewed by Simon Webb.

Thursday 29 May, 6.15pm Premiere: Brett Dean Composer Brett Dean talks about his new work Dramatis Personae - which receives its UK premiere tonight. In conversation with Stephen Maddock.

Wednesday 26 February, 6.15pm Alexander Glazunov Writer and critic David Fanning and musicologist Michelle Assay tell the story of this neglected Russian composer.

Thursday 5 June, 1pm The Players’ Perspective - String Serenades Violinist David Gregory and orchestral colleagues share their insights on this afternoon’s programme.

Thursday 6 March, 6.15pm Conservatoire Showcase A FREE piano recital by the rising stars of Birmingham Conservatoire.

Wednesday 11 June, 6.15pm Premiere: Gerald Barry The Irish composer introduces his brand new Piano Concerto - interviewed by Stephen Maddock.

Wednesday 12 March, 6.15pm Thursday 13 March, 1pm Donohoe on Dohnányi The great British pianist Peter Donohoe talks about tonight’s rarely-heard but delightful concerto - in conversation wth Simon Webb.

Wednesday 18 June, 6.15pm Premiere: let me tell you Composer Hans Abrahamsen and librettist Paul Griffiths discuss their new song cycle let me tell you - which receives its UK premiere tonight.

Thursday 1 May, 1pm The Players’ Perspective: Scheherezade CBSO violinist David Gregory and orchestral colleagues give an insider’s guide to RimskyKorsakov’s popular musical fairytale.

Thursday 19 June, 1pm Symphonia Domestica Writer and broadcaster Stephen Johnson shares his enthusiasm for Strauss’s musical family portrait.

Wednesday 14 May, 6.15pm Thursday 15 May, 1pm Woodwind Classics Professor George Caird, oboist and former principal of Birmingham Conservatoire, talks about the colourful world of 18th-century wind playing.

Wednesday 2 July, 6.15pm Bluebeard’s Castle Edward Gardner and Simon Webb shine a light on Bartók’s sinister operatic masterpiece.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

Join the CBSO family - become a member Becoming a CBSO member, whether as an individual or a business, is a fantastic way to get to know the Orchestra better. In return for your generosity, we’ll give you access to a whole host of exclusive benefits and a very warm welcome from the CBSO family – musicians, staff and fellow members alike. For further information and to join, please go online to www.cbso.co.uk/getinvolved, call Claire Watts on 0121 616 6533 or email cwatts@cbso.co.uk. BE THE FIRST TO HEAR Receive advance information and take advantage of priority booking for all of the CBSO’s Birmingham performances, giving you the chance to plan your concert-going ahead of our main launches. GET INSIDE THE ORCHESTRA Experience the CBSO preparing for its concerts and learn more about the music by attending one of our exclusive, members-only open rehearsals at Symphony Hall. These are working sessions and provide a special insight into life inside the Orchestra that very few people ever get the chance to see. TREAT YOURSELF With delicious sandwiches and cakes, anecdotes from our players, and tales of musical life from some of the CBSO’s most popular conductors and soloists as guest speakers, our regular afternoon teas are the perfect mid-week treat for members. FOLLOW THE BAND Making travel arrangements? Why not plan a mini-break or day trip alongside the CBSO’s thrilling concerts? With specially arranged trips and events for members, you can join the Orchestra on tour to some of Europe’s most prestigious venues in wonderful locations. MEET THE MUSICIANS CBSO 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.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

WOW YOUR CLIENTS If you’re looking for something different for your clients or colleagues, then a corporate package with the CBSO is the perfect way to stand out. With exceptional hospitality and event management, exclusive introductions to musicians, conductors and soloists, and a wide range of bespoke training and CSR opportunities, we can help give your company the wow factor. MAKE A DIFFERENCE Every year, the CBSO has to secure over £9million to deliver our extraordinary programme of concerts, commissions, education and training, with around 10% of this coming from private investment from individual donors, businesses and trusts.

Every single membership and donation makes a difference by enabling us to share our love of music with people of all ages and backgrounds through inspirational performances – whether that’s in local schools and communities or at Symphony Hall – 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.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

Ways to Save Whichever concerts you fancy, and whatever the occasion, we’ve got a range of tickets to give you a good deal.

Please note that these discounts apply to CBSO-promoted concerts at Symphony Hall, Town Hall and CBSO Centre, unless otherwise stated. Special offers, discounts and concessions cannot be combined. For further details on all our discounts, please enquire when booking or go to www.cbso.co.uk.

Bulk-buy discounts CONCERT PACKAGES: Choose 3 or more concerts and simply book them all in one go to enjoy money off and a range of great benefits. See p5 for full details. (Symphony Hall and Town Hall concerts only.) By phone - THSH Box Office: 0121 345 0603 from 28 May. By post - using the form at the back of this brochure. Please note online booking is not currently available for concert packages. GROUPS: Bring a group of 11 or more people – family, friends, colleagues or members of a group or society – and receive a 20% discount plus one free ticket for every 10 tickets purchased (per performance). 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 MusicStand magazine for the organiser. By phone - call group bookings FREE on 0800 358 7070 By post - write to Group Bookings, THSH Box Office, Symphony Hall, Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2EA. Please note online booking is not currently available for group bookings.

Young audiences - £5 tickets FAMILIES: CHILD TICKETS £5 Families are very welcome. Child tickets for CBSO concerts for children aged 16 or under can be purchased at £5 (except Family Concerts, where all tickets are £10) - up to three for every adult ticket purchased. Maximum family group of

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

six; available in all areas, subject to availability. Family tickets can be booked by phone and in person. To check the suitability of a performance for your family, please enquire when booking. STUDENTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE: £5 Anyone in full-time education, and all young people aged 25 and under, can purchase one ticket (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 will need to collect your ticket from the Box Office, on presentation of valid and suitable identification. The CBSO reserves the right to allocate these tickets in certain areas of the hall and to withdraw this discount on concerts that are selling out. SCHOOLS AND YOUTH MUSIC GROUPS: £5 A certain number of discounted tickets priced £5 are available to schools and youth music groups through our Stay Tuned scheme. If you want to bring a group of young people to a concert, or find out about other ways to get involved with the CBSO, contact the Learning and Participation team on 0121 616 6546.

On a budget £5 TICKETS FOR BENEFIT RECIPIENTS If you are in receipt of income support, job seeker’s allowance, pension credit and disability tax credit (or their future equivalents), you can purchase one ticket (per performance, at all three venues) 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 will need to collect your ticket from the Box Office, on presentation of valid and suitable identification. The CBSO reserves the right to allocate these tickets in certain areas of the hall and to withdraw this discount on concerts that are selling out.

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

BUDGET SEATS If you’re on a budget and don’t mind a seat in a less favourable area of the hall (such as restricted view), there are limited numbers of Budget seats priced at £12.50 for many (but not all) of our concerts at Symphony Hall. These are located at the back of the Grand Tier and Upper Circle, in the Stalls Terrace and at the very front of the Stalls when a stage extension is not in use. Please enquire about availability when booking by phone, or check online. STANDBY TICKETS Under the CBSO’s standby tickets, Patrons aged 60+ receive a 10% discount (Symphony Hall/Town Hall concerts only). Holders of Birmingham City Council’s ‘Passport to Leisure’ cards can

purchase Circle tickets for £28, and seats on all other levels for £20 at Symphony Hall (one ticket per Passport holder), and receive £1 off a full-price ticket at CBSO Centre. Available in person and by phone from 1pm on the day of each evening performance and 10am for matinée concerts (Symphony Hall & Town Hall concerts), and from CBSO Centre one hour before CBSO Centre performances. Please come early to avoid queues. All standby tickets are issued subject to availability and on production of valid and suitable identification (one standby ticket per valid identification used). Please note the CBSO reserves the right to allocate standby tickets in certain areas of the hall and to withdraw standby tickets for concerts that are selling out.

ACCESSIBILITY THSH ACCESS SCHEME FOR DISABLED PATRONS: A range of tickets – including a free ticket for disabled patrons who need the assistance of a companion – and services are available for CBSO concerts at Symphony Hall, Town Hall and CBSO Centre under THSH’s new Access Scheme for all concerts from 1 September 2013. If you register on the scheme, you won’t have to tell the Box Office and venue staff about your practical needs every time you book tickets and come to a concert. To find out more, or to join the Access Scheme, please visit www.thsh.co.uk/your-visit/information-fordisabled-visitors, email boxoffice@thsh.co.uk or call 0121 780 4949. FACILITIES: For further information on facilities for patrons with disabilities, including the infra-red system for the hearing impaired, please contact Symphony Hall (for Symphony Hall/Town Hall) on 0121 780 4949 or CBSO Centre on 0121 616 6532. Receivers are available from the Performance Manager at the concert. Guide dogs welcome. WHEELCHAIR POSITIONS: Spaces for patrons who need to remain in their wheelchair during the performance are located on the Stalls & Upper Circle levels of Symphony Hall, and Stalls & Circle levels of Town Hall, and are available at CBSO Centre. Please book in advance for Symphony Hall & Town Hall by calling 0121 780 4949 during opening hours.

DROP-OFF FACILITY & PARKING FOR BLUE BADGE HOLDERS: Blue Badge holders can prebook the drop-off facility at Symphony Hall by calling 0121 780 4949. You will be issued with a ticket to present on arrival to the barrier Security Officer. NB drop-offs must be pre-booked at least 24 hours in advance. A limited number of parking spaces for disabled people driving themselves is available at Town Hall & Symphony Hall. Demand for these spaces is high: parking spaces will be allocated by ballot. Deadline for applications is 10 June: to enter, call 0121 780 4949. Any spaces left following the ballot can be booked from 10 July on 0121 780 4949. Have your vehicle registration and Blue Badge number ready. Limited space is available at CBSO Centre for Blue Badge holders driving themselves. Call 0121 616 6532 in advance with your Blue Badge number & vehicle registration. Due to the demand for spaces, please note that parking reservations cannot be made for concerts for which you are not also booking tickets, or already hold tickets.

Call 0121 616 6534 for a free brochure on audio-CD.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

TICKET PRICES Please note that special prices apply to some concerts in this brochure, as follows:

SYMPHONY HALL TICKET PRICES Seating area

Evening, Friday Night Classics, Christmas

Matinée

ITVW

£42

£39

FGJKMS

£37.50

£32.50

EHLNOY

£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

Opening Concerts of the Season, 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 singing please book in advance by telephone or in person to tell the Box Office your voice type.

NB Letters relate to Seating Areas (not row names), which often contain more than one row.

*Wheelchair positions are available on the Stalls and Upper Circle levels in Symphony Hall, Stalls and Circle levels of Town Hall.

Silent Movie, 9 May: £10, £15, £17.50, £20, £24.50, £27.50, £30. Special seating plan applies.

£12.50 Budget Seats for Symphony Hall concerts: available for selected concerts / seats, in less favourable areas of the hall. See p53 for details.

Der Rosenkavalier, 24 May: £24.50, £32.50, £39.50, £47.50, £55

Thomas Adès: New Horizons, 11 June: £20 all areas.

Q Q

O M

Youth Orchestra Concerts: £20 all areas.

K Y

J H

X H V

G G

B A

E C

E C A

Chorus Boxes

D D

E C

D B

A S

Choir

Tuned In Concerts: £20 all areas, including a free programme. Schools Concerts: £5 per ticket for children, teachers, and home-schooling children and parents. To book: please call Group Bookings on 0800 358 7070.

F E V

Family Concerts: £10 all areas / Group of 4: £32.

Chorus Boxes

Through our Stay Tuned programme, receive further discounted school tickets and enjoy activities throughout the year to enhance students’ concert-going experiences. Contact education@cbso.co.uk / 0121 616 6546 to find out more.

VENUE ADDRESSES: Symphony Hall, Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2EA

Choir

Town Hall, Victoria Square, Birmingham B3 3DQ Please note that a £2.50 transaction fee is charged by THSH Box Office on all bookings except those made in person.

Box office: 0121 345 0603 |

visit: www.cbso.co.uk

CBSO Centre, Berkley Street, Birmingham B1 2LF

CIRCLE

TOWN HALL TICKET PRICES E

£42

BFG

£37.50

£32.50

£24

£18.50

CBSO CENTRE TICKET PRICES

E G

Centre Stage: £9.50 unless otherwise marked.

C G

G B

CBSO Centre is a flexible auditorium with unreserved seating.

BOOKING INFORMATION Public booking opens on 28 May. How to Book

Notelets: £7.50 / £25 group of 4. Book 3 Notelets concerts in one go by phone or in person and save 20%.

CONCERTS BY COACH The CBSO offers coach services from Cheltenham (selected weekday matinées) and Lichfield / Sutton Coldfield (selected Wednesday evenings). Please call 0121 616 6544 for more information.

Online - www.cbso.co.uk/concerts Please note not all discounts are available online; see the discount information on pp52–3.

In addition, the following coach schemes are organised by regular concert-goers:

By phone - THSH Box Office: 0121 345 0603

Church Stretton and District: Contact Graham Heath on 01694 722216 heath@knollcrest.co.uk

In person - Symphony Hall Box Office: 10am–6pm Monday to Saturday & 12pm–4pm Sunday & Bank Holidays. Opening hours may be extended on concert days. By post - please use the form at the back of this brochure, following the instructions carefully. Send your form to: THSH Box Office, Symphony Hall, 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 wish to send a cheque in the post but are unsure of the total amount, please call the box office to discuss your booking. By monthly direct debit: for Symphonic Selection concert packages of 3+ concerts. PLEASE DO NOT SEND CASH THROUGH THE POST.

Leominster & Hereford: Contact Mary Seldon on 01885 482543 mary.seldon@googlemail.com 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 813340 newportmusicbus@btconnect.com Shropshire & Mid-Wales: Contact Frank North on 01743 790400 ponthill@yahoo.co.uk • www.artsforall.info DATA PROTECTION: Once you have booked tickets for a CBSO concert, your contact details will be held on the CBSO’s and THSH’s marketing databases and, from time to time, you may receive details from both organisations about their future activities, 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 a service 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.

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, CBSO Centre, Berkley Street, Birmingham B1 2LF Tel: 0121 616 6500 • Fax: 0121 616 6518 • www.cbso.co.uk Registered in England no. 1262018. Registered Charity no. 506276 All 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. Photos: CBSO photos by Mysticpuma, Mysticpuma@gmail.com. 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: Edward Gardner - 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.

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The incredible support we receive from thousands of individual donors, public funders, businesses and private foundations allows us to maintain our extraordinary performances and continue to create exciting activities in schools and communities. Your support makes such a difference and is much appreciated. Corporate Supporters

Partners

Major Sponsors 93 years of enlightened support

Major Sponsor of International Tours

Major Supporter of CBSO Schools Programme

Gold Patrons

Academic Partner

Partners in Orchestral Development

Silver Patrons Broadcast partner:

Bronze Patrons

Birmingham Music Education Partnership

Baker Tilly

Deloitte

Marriott Birmingham

Supporters

William King Ltd

Thank you also to our many Chair Endowers, Music Director’s Circle members, Benefactors, Patrons and Friends for their generous support.

Supporter of Centre Stage

Associated Architects The Eaton Hotel

Genesys Human Resource Solutions Menzies Nunn Ltd

Trusts & Foundations The Saintbury Trust Esmée Fairbairn Foundation Grimmitt Trust Charles Henry Foyle Trust Perry Family Charitable Trust The Justham Trust Andor Charitable Trust City of Birmingham Orchestral Endowment Fund Baron Davenport’s Charity The R.C. and F. M. Young Trust The Bevis Foundation Garfield Weston Foundation Beatrice A V Cadman Charitable Trust Douglas Turner Foundation Wilmcote Charitrust G J W Turner Trust Misses C M Pearson & M V Williams CT Allan & Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust Bernarr Rainbow Trust Eveson Charitable Trust Grantham Yorke Trust Lord Austin Trust S & D Lloyd Charity George Fentham Trust Angus Allnatt Foundation MFPA Trust

Dumbreck Charity Bryant Trust Penny Trust Edward & Dorothy Cadbury Trust George Henry Collins Charity Lillie C Johnson Charitable Trust W E Dunn Trust Sir Cliff Richard Charitable Trust Birmingham Bodenham Trust Joseph Hopkins Charity 1000th Man Charitable Trust Matthew Hodder Charitable Trust Charles Brotherton Trust

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