Bristol International Classical Season 2017/18 by Colston Hall

bristol international classical season oct 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; jun 2018

0117 203 4040 www.colstonhall.org/classical

bournemouth symphony orchestra the orchestra at colston hall

Dougie Scarfe Chief Executive, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

"The BSO has a unique remit to bring great music and cultural engagement to the range of communities across the South and South West." Dougie Scarfe

The 2017/18 season leads up the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s 125th Anniversary in May. The BSO has a unique remit to bring great music and cultural engagement to the range of communities across the South and South West, whether in a concert hall, a school, a hospital or a community setting. That the Chief Executive of Arts Council England should describe the BSO as “The cultural heartbeat of the South West”, was not only a proud moment for all of us, but an indication of the key role that we play. It was marvellous to see a packed out Colston Hall for our special schools concert last March. Our artistic strength continues to grow under the outstanding leadership of Chief Conductor Kirill Karabits and as ever our programmes are designed to both inspire our loyal regular supporters and welcome new audiences of all ages and tastes. This season the BSO performs three landmark symphonies by Berlioz, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven, joined by a roster of international artists including regular favourites, Andrew Litton and Sunwook Kim and debuts by Robert Trevino and David Fray. We are especially delighted to welcome Andreas Ottensamer, Principal Clarinet of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra as our Artist-in-Residence for the season. A highlight of every concert is without doubt the palpable sense of audience excitement, that sense of the shared musical experience generating emotions and long-lasting memories which is hard to equal. It is the amazing rapport between stage and audience that inspires our outstanding musicians, conductors and guest artists, and makes the season so special. I look forward to welcoming you to another season of great music making as part of the Bristol International Classical Season.

www.colstonhall.org/classical

welcome to the bristol international classical season 2017/18

Louise Mitchell Chief Executive, Bristol Music Trust Colston Hall celebrates its 150th anniversary of bringing world-class music to Bristol and the wider region in 2017, and for the 2017/18 season we host a concert series of extraordinary quality as great as any in our long history to date. This season, audiences can look forward to experiencing some of the greatest and best-loved classical works of all time: Four Seasons, The New World, Pathétique, Fantastique… pieces that require no introduction, and there’s more thrilling music besides.

“A concert series of extraordinary quality as great as any in our long history to date.” Louise Mitchell

We welcome back recent visitors and anticipate the longawaited return of others, such as Academy of St Martin in the Fields and St Petersburg Symphony, as well as a Hall debut for Würth Philharmonic. It is with enormous pleasure that we host City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) conducted by Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, who has been making waves since her arrival in Birmingham. I relish the opportunity to hear them in Bristol as they present a powerful programme this May. Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is also nearing a great milestone – the Orchestra's 125th anniversary. We can expect some magnificent performances from our friends as we celebrate our shared heritage. For a guide to each concert in a nutshell, turn over the page for our season starter guide, which includes picks from BBC Music Magazine’s Editor Oliver Condy. There’s also plenty of ways to delve deeper inside the music with our online resources, as well as our usual programme of talks, chamber and lunchtime concerts (see pages 6 -7). As the doors close on the fourth Colston Hall for its much needed redevelopment in 2018, Bristol Music Trust looks to the future. For more information on the Hall’s transformation, turn to page 35. I hope that you will join us on our onward journey, and I look forward to welcoming you to the Hall again over the course of the coming season.

www.colstonhall.org/classical

get your season started Find out what’s in store this season at a glance

bournemouth symphony orchestra clarinet magic (p. 9) thu 12 oct 2017

Hindemith's serene concerto precedes Weber’s groundbreaking work which showcases the clarinet’s expressive and virtuosic capabilities. Schumann’s 4th Symphony brings the concert to an explosive close.

st petersburg symphony orchestra passion’s peak (p. 11) thu 19 oct 2017

Tchaikovsky takes a trip through Alpine scenes with Manfred, and to a rendezvous with starcrossed lovers. In between, Rachmaninov infuses jazz inspirations into his rarely-heard 4th Piano Concerto.

bournemouth symphony orchestra russian dance (p. 12) thu 16 nov 2017

Glazunov goes medieval, while Beethoven showcases his own talents on the ivories. Tchaikovsky’s Suite No.3, with its gorgeous themes and fluttering melodies, could be written by no-one else.

academy of st martin in the fields Look out for BBC Music Magazine Editor Oliver Condy’s choice of unmissable concerts this season.

www.colstonhall.org/classical

the four seasons (p. 13) thu 25 jan 2018

Oliver says: “Joshua Bell transports the sultry heat and frosty gusts of Venice to Bristol with this renowned crack ensemble in tow. Coupled with a new work by American bluegrass bassist Edgar Meyer: tantalising!”

czech philharmonic orchestra

bournemouth symphony orchestra

sun 11 feb 2018

thu 3 may 2018

postcards home (p. 15)

into the light (p. 21)

The illustrious orchestra plays two pieces by their compatriot Dvořák, including the radiant ‘New World’ Symphony. Alisa Weilerstein gives her muchlauded take on Shostakovich’s 1st Cello Concerto.

Encounter the genius of Beethoven. His 5th Symphony is the musical manifestation of his turbulent inner soul, while his 2nd Piano Concerto conveys his mastery of Classical form and style.

london symphony orchestra

dresden philharmonic orchestra

myths and majesty (p. 17) wed 21 feb 2018

Oliver says: “Brahms’s sumptuous concerto, starring the mesmeric Alina Ibragimova, is guaranteed to tug at the heartstrings while Ravel casts a magical spell with his seductive, sensual ballet suite.”

bournemouth symphony orchestra

hollywood concerto (p. 18) thu 22 mar 2018

Oliver says: “Andrew Litton conducts a moving concerto by Korngold that has strains of Hollywood, while Tchaikovsky’s swansong symphony will bring the concert to a hushed and reverent close...”

a genius revealed (p. 23) thu 17 may 2018

There’s more to Shostakovich’s great symphony than meets the eye, while Tchaikovsky’s fiendishly difficult Violin Concerto bears the hallmarks of his emotional turmoil over a secret flame.

city of birmingham symphony orchestra

out of the deep (p. 25) tue 29 may 2018

Oliver says: “The wonderful conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla’s programme for Bristol is ambitious and stirring. Mahler’s nature-filled 1st Symphony is coupled with Debussy’s thrilling, sea-inspired tone poem.”

bournemouth symphony orchestra

würth philharmonic orchestra

thu 12 apr 2018

fri 8 jun 2018

images and dreams (p. 19) Sumptuous reveries, drug-induced dreams and a grotesque ending, Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique is utterly unique. Mendelssohn journeys from darkness to light, and Debussy is all of the joys of spring.

triumph over tyranny (p. 27) Two dazzling works for violin: Bruch’s heart-rending Concerto is a diamond of the repertoire, and Saint-Saëns’ Rondo is a virtuosic showpiece. Shostakovich weaves himself into the fabric of his symphony.

www.colstonhall.org/classical

enhance your experience Get to know the programmes for each concert before you arrive with our specially commissioned videos and bite-sized programme notes.

bournemouth symphony orchestra into the light

tue 3 may 2018, 7.30pm

colston hall

0:05 / 4:32

inside the music videos

classical bristol

Delve inside the music with BBC Music Magazine Editor Oliver Condy and music educator Jonathan James, as they explore the themes, both musical and circumstantial, behind the works featured in each concert. Find these videos on our YouTube channel.

Colston Hall and St. George's Bristol join forces to create Classical Bristol, a monthly e-newsletter dedicated to all things classical music-related in the city. It's not just about 'what's on', though; we want you to delve deeper into the music and composers you may already love, but we also hope you might discover something new along the way. Sign up and find out more at www.classicalbristol.com #classicalbristol

digital programme notes To get a flavour of what made the great composers tick and how they came to write their most extraordinary works, read our bitesized programme notes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be published on our website just before the concert at www.colstonhall.org/classical and emailed to all ticket holders.

feeling social? Look out for all these extras as we post them on social media. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

classical EYE e-newsletter Get all these digital extras direct to your email inbox by signing up to our Classical EYE e-newsletter, a monthly email highlighting our forthcoming classical concerts, news, and exclusive content. Sign up and find all the latest classical news at www.colstonhall.org/classical

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pre-concert talks

lunchtime concerts

Free with a concert ticket, ÂŁ5 incl. bf without

Colston Hall continues to join forces with the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) and the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) to present bite-sized afternoon performances from the rising stars of the classical world. All concerts take place weekly in autumn and spring. For full details of performers, programmes and dates, please visit our website.

the lantern, 6.25pm

Get inside the music with music educator Jonathan James, who introduces each International Classical Season concert and interviews members of the orchestra. As a conductor and trained teacher, Jonathan brings a breadth of expertise and a deep enthusiasm to exploring the works being performed.

chamber concerts with stephen johnson and english piano trio the lantern, 7.30pm

Highly regarded music lecturer and BBC Radio 3 host Stephen Johnson will give an illuminating talk followed by a performance by the English Piano Trio of works that complement the programmes of selected orchestral concerts. Free tickets are available for 8 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 25 year olds with CAVATINA, see right.

the lantern, 1.05pm

CAVATINA Thanks to CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust, free tickets to selected concerts are available for 8-25 year olds. All Classical Season Chamber concerts are eligible as well as selected lunchtime concerts. For more information please contact the box office.

www.colstonhall.org/classical

Photo credit: Copyright Decca/ Katja Ruge

international classical season 2017 -18

www.colstonhall.org/classical

bournemouth symphony orchestra clarinet magic thu 12 oct 2017, 7.30pm

Brahms Variations on a Theme by Haydn Hindemith Clarinet Concerto Weber Concertino Schumann Symphony No. 4

Conductor Kirill Karabits Clarinet Andreas Ottensamer Tickets: Book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30% (see p. 29) A £36 B £30 C £24 D £18 incl. bf Secret seats £10, under 25s £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf (T & Cs apply – see p. 33)

Passions run high as Schumann’s doubleanniversary present to his wife encrypts ardent messages of love and longing, Brahms hones his skills with the first standalone orchestral variations, and the clarinet captivates twice over. Our season's lift-off soars. Bookended by two composers whose mutual admiration cemented a fruitful friendship, our Season-opener is an all-German kaleidoscope spanning high Romanticism infiltrated by the platinum glint of a Clarinet Concerto commissioned by that master of crossover Benny Goodman. "Too much beer and beard" said Paul Dukas of Brahms, but there’s precious little of either as the so-called ‘Haydn Variations’ ooze gracious amiability. Ten years in the making, meanwhile, Schumann’s fourmovements-in-one Symphony is a seamless, impassioned love letter to his wife Clara. In 2018 Kirill Karabits celebrates ten years at the helm of the BSO, a decade marked by an ever-deepening rapport drawing "searing clarity and balance" (BBC Music Magazine). For the Hindemith and Weber’s compact Concertino he teams up with "a clarinetist of notable suavity" (Sunday Times). Currently Principal Clarinet with the Berlin Philharmonic, Andreas Ottensamer was German Echo Klassik’s Artist of the Year 2015.

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st petersburg symphony orchestra passion's peak thu 19 oct 2017, 7.30pm

Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 4 Tchaikovsky Fantasy Overture Romeo & Juliet Conductor Alexander Dmitriev Piano Peter Donohoe Tickets: Book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30% (see p. 29) A £36 B £30 C £24 D £18 incl. bf Secret seats £10, under 25s £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf (T & Cs apply – see p. 33)

A Russian orchestra in Russian music is something of a Hall speciality, so as Tchaikovsky tangles with Byron and Shakespeare, and Rachmaninov spends two decades fine-tuning his concerto farewell, sparks will fly. When two star-crossed lovers and a tortured Byronic outsider collide you can be sure of an emotional rollercoaster – especially when the composer is Tchaikovsky. The Fantasy Overture Romeo and Juliet needs no introduction but Manfred, a symphony writ large and lavishly, is less wellknown despite a score bristling with surging passions, subterranean drunken excess and ravishing Alpine scenepainting. Based on Byron’s Gothic epic, it’s a psychodrama in sound that, like Romeo and Juliet, owes its existence to Balakirev’s badgering. To preface Tchaikovsky’s brush with the Bard, Rachmaninov’s much-revised Concerto completes a tantalising Russian hat trick.

chamberconcert

Under their Music Director of forty years the Petersburgers have the music in their blood, and having taken Silver in the Moscow International Tchaikovsky Competition, tonight’s soloist is not without a certain Russian pedigree himself! "A lion of the keyboard but also a poet" (The Herald), "Peter Donohoe played as if visited by the spirit of Rachmaninov" (The Guardian).

stephen johnson & english piano trio tue 10 oct 2017, 7.30pm

the lantern Tickets: £8 or £5 incl. bf when bought with a ticket to St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra Free for 8 – 25 year olds with CAVATINA, see p. 7

Stephen Johnson Insight Schumann Piano Trio in D minor Op. 63 Tchaikovsky wasn’t the only composer to fall under the spell of Byron’s dramatic poem Manfred. Schumann succumbed too. Ahead of the St Petersburgers’ symphonic story-telling, actor Christopher Ravenscroft narrates excerpts in tandem with Schumann’s Gothically-charged Trio Op. 63.

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bournemouth symphony orchestra russian dance thu 16 nov 2017, 7.30pm

Glazunov From the Middle Ages Overture Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 Tchaikovsky Suite No. 3 Conductor Kirill Karabits Piano David Fray Tickets: Book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30% (see p. 29) A £36 B £30 C £24 D £18 incl. bf Secret seats £10, under 25s £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf (T & Cs apply – see p. 33)

When knights were bold… Glazunov’s musical time travel to the Middle Ages sets the scene for a truculent concerto whose protean first movement takes no hostages, and a dashing symphony-turned-suite that’s a concert hall rarity. A stirring, swashbuckling slice of medieval life with a knock-out main melody of almost Straussian opulence raises the curtain on a programme that returns to Russia for an orchestral suite that brought Tchaikovsky his greatest triumph to date. Composed in 1884 (and a close neighbour of the Manfred Symphony we heard last month), it’s a work full of guileless tunefulness, seductive textures and artful restraint – pulling on its dancing shoes for a Valse mélancolique and concluding Polacca. In between comes Beethoven in C minor, always a turbulent prospect though the Piano Concerto No.3 boasts an irresistibly serene soft centre and a Finale that fizzes. "An adept accompanist" (The Telegraph), in his second appearance of the series Kirill Karabits is joined by headturning French pianist David Fray. "The perfect example of a thinking musician" according to Die Welt, "he is an artist we need to hear more of", enthuses The New York Times.

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academy of st martin in the fields the four seasons thu 25 jan 2018, 7.30pm

Vivaldi The Four Seasons Edgar Meyer New Commission Beethoven Symphony No. 2 Conductor & Violin Joshua Bell

Tickets: Book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30% (see p. 29) A £42 B £36 C £30 D £24 incl. bf Secret seats £10, under 25s £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf (T & Cs apply – see p. 33)

A generous sprinkling of iconic Vivaldian ‘seasoning’ and Beethoven’s defiant symphonic optimism swaddle something whose ink is scarcely dry: a new work by bassist Edgar Meyer. Springtime chirruping to gusty summer squalls; Autumn drunkenness to Winter’s icy chill, Vivaldi’s ‘Le Quattro Stagioni’ is a foursome for all seasons. The concertos were published in a set titled ‘the contest between harmony and invention’, but in truth both win out. Beethoven at his most ebullient bags the second half for a symphony whose Scherzo left Berlioz blindsided by its abandon, gaiety and wit. And, hot on the heels of his first fully orchestral work - recently premiered in Nashville - there’s a specially commissioned score from the enthusiastically genre-bending Edgar Meyer. Meyer and violinist Joshua Bell have collaborated before but, from Sting to Chick Corea, Bell is himself a boundarydemolishing serial collaborator. In 2011 he became Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and in their enthusiastic partnership The New York Times detects "a groove of winning, precise exuberance".

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czech philharmonic orchestra postcards home sun 11 feb 2018, 7.30pm

Dvořák Symphonic Variations Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1 Dvořák Symphony No. 9 From the New World Conductor Jiří Bělohlávek Cello Alisa Weilerstein Tickets: Book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30% (see p. 29) A £42 B £36 C £30 D £24 incl. bf Secret seats £10, under 25s £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf (T & Cs apply – see p. 33)

A double helping of Dvořák - including his homesick postcard home ‘From the New World’ - frames Shostakovich’s pithy concerto as the mighty Czech Philharmonic returns under its inspirational Director Jiří Bělohlávek. Money talks. And when Jeanette Thurber made Dvořák an offer he couldn’t refuse the composer upped sticks to take over New York’s National Conservatory. One of the fruits was a symphony that entwines Old World Bohemian rhapsody and New World hustle and bustle in a work that instantly beguiled. Slower to make its way was the infinitely supple Symphonic Variations now ranked alongside Brahms’ ‘Haydn’ or Elgar’s ‘Enigma’, and which pave the way to a concerto with Shostakovich’s name (musically encoded as DSCH) all over it.

chamberconcert

Jiří Bělohlávek is "the go-to man for Czech music" according to the San Francisco Chronicle and, at the head of his Rolls Royce Czech Philharmonic, inspiration and means are one. To play the concerto is a cellist described by Seen and Heard International as "incendiary"; Alisa Weilerstein’s Shostakovich, moreover, harbours a "deep, dark intensity" (The Chicago Tribune).

stephen johnson & english piano trio tue 6 feb 2018, 7.30pm

the lantern Tickets: £8 or £5 incl. bf when bought with a ticket to Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Free for 8 – 25 year olds with CAVATINA, see p. 7

Stephen Johnson Insight Dvořák Piano Trio Op. 90 ‘Dumky’ Could there be a more potent symbol of Czech musical nationalism than the Dumka? As we eagerly await the return of the Czech Philharmonic, Stephen Johnson and the English Piano Trio turn their gaze on Dvořák's flag-waving Dumky trio, the signature tune to his farewell tour before America beckoned.

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london symphony orchestra myths and majesty wed 21 feb 2018, 7.30pm

Brahms Violin Concerto Franck Psyche Suite Ravel Daphnis and Chloé Suite No. 2 Conductor Robin Ticciati Violin Alina Ibragimova Tickets: Book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30% (see p. 29) A £42 B £36 C £30 D £24 incl. bf Secret seats £10, under 25s £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf (T & Cs apply – see p. 33)

With the Czech Philharmonic and LSO only weeks apart, February is turning out to be quite a month! Robin Ticciati forges an intriguing Franco-German entente cordiale that smoulders and seduces. In Daphnis et Chloé Ravel said he "wanted to compose a large fresco in keeping with the Greece of my dreams". Dreaming is something his ‘symphonie chorégraphique’ does stupendously well. Is there a more spectacular sunrise in all music, a miracle of shimmering, swelling translucency? And César Franck’s plunge into mythic sensuality proves just as sultry. At least Brahms’ feet are firmly on the ground. Or are they? The Adagio of his only violin concerto floats free, before the finale flirts with a pinch of gypsy fervour. Recently adding the Directorship of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin to his portfolio, Robin Ticciati has "an incredible gift for tenderness, sharp nuances and bold alterations of tempo" (The Times). In that he’s ideally partnered by Alina Ibragimova, "one of the most expressive violinists around" (BBC Music Magazine).

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bournemouth symphony orchestra hollywood concerto thu 22 mar 2018, 7.30pm

Copland An Outdoor Overture Korngold Violin Concerto Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 Pathétique Conductor Andrew Litton Violin Stefan Jackiw Tickets: Book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30% (see p. 29) A £36 B £30 C £24 D £18 incl. bf Secret seats £10, under 25s £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf (T & Cs apply – see p. 33)

Jaunty or well-upholstered, Copland and Korngold are living the American dream under an American conductor with a musical hot line to his country’s wide open spaces. Tchaikovsky, meantime, reaches the end of the road in a symphony as uplifting as it is harrowing. It emerges from silence into the foreboding of bassoonflecked low strings, and fades into nothingness; Tchaikovsky’s symphonic swansong completes a gripping survey of the last three symphonies begun last season. There’s light as well as shade though. Copland’s breezy overture conjures up the American great outdoors, while Korngold is off to the movies for a lush, technicolour concerto that can’t resist quoting some of his film music. It was conceived, he insisted, "for a Caruso rather than a Paganini", but in Heifetz who gave the 1947 premiere "I got both for the price of one". Sometime Principal Conductor of the BSO and now its Conductor Laureate, Andrew Litton is no stranger to Colston Hall. "A natural ear for Tchaikovskian detail… and superb playing" (Gramophone) distinguished their EMI Tchaikovsky cycle; and for the Korngold they welcome "a talent that’s off the scale" (Washington Post); a violinist whose playing "is as close to perfection as music can get" (The Globe and Mail).

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bournemouth symphony orchestra images and dreams thu 12 apr 2018, 7.30pm

Debussy Rondes de Printemps Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor Berlioz Symphonie fantastique Conductor Robert Trevino Violin Simone Lamsma Tickets: Book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30% (see p. 29) A £36 B £30 C £24 D £18 incl. bf Secret seats £10, under 25s £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf (T & Cs apply – see p. 33)

"What a good thing it’s not music" remarked Rossini of Berlioz’s iconoclastic Symphonie fantastique. A rich, sometimes lurid fantasy, its ability to thrill, startle and shock remains gloriously undimmed. Debussy with a spring in his step, and the concerto violinist Joseph Joachim called "the heart’s jewel" steady the nerves. Spring is in the air! Ahead of next month’s Debussyan seaside dip, the sap rises in the exquisite folksongenriched finale to the Trois Images, an orchestral triptych he completed in 1909. There’s a springtime freshness too to Mendelssohn’s evergreen concerto whose soloist wastes no time in making an appearance. But in the symphony Leonard Bernstein called "the first musical expedition into psychedelia", inspired by unrequited love, Berlioz's "episodes in the life of an artist’ trip from ballroom to scaffold, pastoral idyll to the horrors of a witches" Sabbath. Hot on the heels of Andrew Litton, the BSO returns with another charismatic American conductor to the podium. Much in demand on both sides of the pond, Robert Trevino joins forces for the Mendelssohn with Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma whose Beethoven with the orchestra under Karabits displayed "a sense of line and phrase that held the audience spellbound" (The Observer).

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bournemouth symphony orchestra into the light thu 3 may 2018, 7.30pm

Haydn Symphony No. 100 in G Major Military Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 2 Beethoven Symphony No. 5 Conductor Kirill Karabits Piano Sunwook Kim Tickets: Book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30% (see p. 29) A £36 B £30 C £24 D £18 incl. bf Secret seats £10, under 25s £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf (T & Cs apply – see p. 33)

When it came to the 5th Symphony Beethoven promised "more noise than six kettledrums and a better noise at that!" Banging the drum for an auspicious anniversary it sends many happy returns alongside a genial concerto and a symphony with a twenty-one-gun salute of its own. Give or take a week it’s exactly 125 years since the BSO gave its first concerts in the ‘Hothouse, Greenhouse, and Cucumber Frame’ AKA the Bournemouth Winter Gardens. Time to hoist some landmark birthday bunting as the BSO trains its crack firepower on Haydn’s effervescent ‘Military’ Symphony (so called after a second movement salvo of trumpets and drums). Victory secure, it’s Beethoven all the way. The playful Mozartian B-flat Piano Concerto with which the composer dazzled as a young virtuoso is paired with arguably the most instantly recognisable symphony in the world: a C minor to major journey through turbulent struggle to blazing triumph. In its 125-year history there have been thirteen Principal Conductors of the BSO and current maestro Kirill Karabits blows out the birthday candles for a party that’s almost a family affair what with the Orchestra’s 2014/15 Artist-in-Residence Sunwook Kim making a welcome reappearance after last season’s barn-storming Tchaikovsky.

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dresden philharmonic a genius revealed thu 17 may 2018, 7.30pm

Weber Euryanthe Overture Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 Conductor Michael Sanderling Violin Jennifer Pike Tickets: Book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30% (see p. 29) A £36 B £30 C £24 D £18 incl. bf Secret seats £10, under 25s £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf (T & Cs apply – see p. 33)

A scintillating concerto that wears its heart on its sleeve; a symphony whose political subtext subverts any concluding bravado; things are never quite what they seem as the Dresdeners delve deep into the Russian soul. Whichever way you read it – critique of Stalinist oppression, or, (phrased with delicious ambiguity), ‘A Soviet Artist’s Reply to Just Criticism’ – Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 remains one of the 20th century’s most listened-to acts of soul-baring bravery. Its premiere met with a forty-minute ovation… and tears! Tchaikovsky, of course, had his own demons to face, but you’d never guess from the sun-drenched concerto that prefaces it in the company of Weber’s glowing retreat into a medieval past.

chamberconcert

Michael Sanderling and the Dresden Philharmonic launched our 2015/16 series and they’re back with a young British violinist who impressed with her Sibelius last October. The youngest ever winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year, Jennifer Pike "has turned from child prodigy to superbly graceful virtuoso without airs of affection" says The Times of a recent performance of the Tchaikovsky Concerto.

stephen johnson & english piano trio tue 8 may 2018, 7.30pm

the lantern Tickets: £8 or £5 incl. bf when bought with a ticket to Dresden Philharmonic Free for 8 – 25 year olds with CAVATINA, see p. 7

Stephen Johnson Insight Shostakovich Piano Quintet Op. 57 Violin Zsuzsa Berenyi Viola Morgan Goff "Lyrically lucid, humane and simple" was Pravda’s verdict on Shostakovich’s Op. 57, a powerful Piano Quintet requiring the English Piano Trio to super-size ahead of the Dresden Philharmonic’s account of the 5th Symphony on the 17th – a work directly implicated in its pensively sombre fugal Adagio.

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city of birmingham symphony orchestra out of the deep tue 29 may 2018, 7.30pm

Šerkšnytė Fires Debussy La Mer Mahler Symphony No. 1 Conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla

Tickets: Book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30% (see p. 29) A £36 B £30 C £24 D £18 incl. bf Secret seats £10, under 25s £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf (T & Cs apply – see p. 33)

Mirga Graěinytė-Tyla won’t be getting her fingers burnt with fellow Latvian Raminta Šerkšnytė's Fires. She’s made the work something of a CBSO party-piece and it lights the blue touch-paper on sea-sprayed Debussy and a Mahlerian maelstrom. "A century of aeroplanes deserves its own music" declared Debussy, and Gustav Mahler would surely have agreed. Their flight paths might be very different but each provided a soundtrack, aesthetic or psychological, to the concerns of a new age. United tonight by subtly calibrated intimations of the natural world, Debussy’s seascape in three symphonic sketches was improbably completed at Eastbourne, while Mahler’s debut symphony opens with a hushed, heart-stopping, sevenoctave evocation of ‘nature awakening’. An early morning call like no other. Birmingham’s been all a-buzz since Mirga GražinytėTyla was appointed Music Director of the CBSO, latest in an illustrious line including Sir Simon Rattle, Sakari Oramo and Andris Nelsons. The Daily Telegraph christened her "Conducting’s next superstar"; The Los Angeles Times agrees: "This is Mirga’s moment". Now Bristol gets a chance to hear what all the fuss is about.

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international classical season 2016 -17

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würth philharmonic orchestra triumph over tyranny fri 8 jun 2018, 7.30pm

J Strauss Die Fledermaus Overture Bruch Violin Concerto Saint-Saëns Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso Shostakovich Symphony No. 10 Conductor Stamatia Karampini Maxim Vengerov (2nd half) Violin Maxim Vengerov Tickets: Book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30% (see p. 29)

chamberconcert

A £36 B £30 C £24 D £18 incl. bf Secret seats £10, under 25s £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf (T & Cs apply – see p. 33)

Musical youth steps up to the plate under the legendary Maxim Vengerov for an end to the season that settles on searing Shostakovich after two sizzling canapés and a peerless romantic blockbuster. What with Strauss’ ‘bat’ dispensing frothy Viennoiserie and Saint-Saëns’ virtuosic vignette to left and right of one of the most popular concertos in the repertoire, the first half of our season finale is letting its hair down. But the mood changes as Maxim Vengerov swaps bow for baton to mastermind one of Shostakovich’s greatest symphonies. Completed in the slipstream of Stalin’s death, its scherzo nails the jack-booted brutality of the Stalinist era with throat-grabbing visceral immediacy. Maxim Vengerov’s credentials as "one of the great violin virtuosos of our time" (The Australian) are well attested; but as a conductor, Classical Source suggests he "may well be following in Mravinsky’s Leningrad footsteps". Talk about setting the bar high! For the recently-formed Würth Philharmonic, an orchestra of talented young musicians touring the UK for the first time, he multi-tasks, sharing the platform with Greek conductor Stamatia Karampini, hailed as Dmitri Mitropoulos’ natural heir.

stephen johnson & english piano trio wed 30 may 2018, 7.30pm

the lantern Tickets: £8 or £5 incl. bf when bought with a ticket to Würth Philharmonic Orchestra Free for 8 – 25 year olds with CAVATINA, see p. 7

Stephen Johnson Insight Max Bruch ‘Kol Nidrei’ for solo cello Saint-Saëns Trio No.1 in F Berlioz once impishly observed that Saint-Saëns "knows everything but lacks inexperience", and his bubbly, urbane Trio is the sunshine dispelling the shadows falling on Bruch’s impassioned ‘Adagio on two Hebrew Melodies’ – the perfect, intimate mirror to Würth Philharmonic’s season farewell on 8th June.

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seating plan Only applies to International Classical Season concerts (pages 8-27)

choir

price bands A B C D

stalls D Box stage

stage

D Box

A C rows rows A-D D-F D A rows G-K

A rows O-Z

B rows AA-HH

D rows JJ-KK

A-C AA-DD

balcony

A rows A-D

A rows E-H

B rows J-R

C rows S-U

28 www.colstonhall.org/classical

D A-C AA-DD

save money with a subscription World class concerts and a host of rewards are available when you book for 3 or more concerts at the same time in our International Classical Season and save up to 30% on tickets* Plus, no postage fees** and the chance to secure the best seats in an exclusive booking period open from Wednesday 10 May - Wednesday 31 May. Please contact the box office for a booking form. You can become a subscriber at any time simply by booking for three or more concerts in one go. Tickets can be booked through the box office or online, where the discount will be applied at the checkout. Subscriptions are not available on discounted tickets or secret seats.

‘Principal’ Subscription

‘Virtuoso’ Subscription

‘Maestro’ Subscription

3 concerts

4-5 concerts

6-7 concerts

8-9 concerts

10 - 11 concerts

12 concerts

Save 5%

Save 10%

Save 15%

Save 20%

Save 25%

Save 30%

Free ticket to lunchtime concerts

1 concert

3 concerts

ALL concerts

Free concert programme

Invitation to ‘Maestro’ Reception

Rewards Priority booking from Wed 10 May

*Discount applied to concerts on pages 8 – 27 excluding chamber concerts. **All online bookings are subject to a £1.50 postage fee.

More great ways to save: Look out for our great value secret seats and excellent prices for under 25s and under 18s on all International Season concerts (T & Cs apply – see p.33)

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international classical season 2017 -18

more great concerts la la land in concert with live orchestra

bristol choral society & british sinfonietta

fri 22 sep 2017, 7.30pm

sat 28 oct 2017, 7.30pm

Described as the film of its generation, capturing the hearts of everyone whilst breaking records around the world, now La La Land will be brought to audiences like never before via a huge screen accompanied by a 60-piece orchestra. Film certification 12A.

Schumann A set of Lieder Brahms Requiem

Tickets £42.46 to £69.88 incl. bf

Conductor Hilary Campbell Soprano Claire Boulter Baritone Eamonn Dougan Piano Steven Kings From the intimacy of a solo voice raised in song to the splendours of nearly two hundred at the service of a choral Colossus, their first concert of the season celebrates musical friendships and a Requiem shot through with unassailable grandeur and a consoling tenderness. Tickets £10.75 to £31.18 incl. bf, under 25s £5.38 incl. bf, seniors 10% discount.

30 www.colstonhall.org/classical

john wilson orchestra a celebration of the mgm film musicals wed 29 nov 2017, 7.30pm John Wilson’s superstar orchestra returns with their brand new show, joined by guest soloists and for the first time the John Wilson Orchestra Chorus. With an international reputation for glorious interpretations of music from the golden eras of Hollywood and Broadway, tonight they will perform music from classic productions such as Singin’ in the Rain, An American in Paris, Show Boat, Annie Get Your Gun, The Band Wagon and lots more. Tickets £31.71 to £51.60 incl. bf

bristol choral society & bristol ensemble sat 16 dec 2017, 7.30pm A programme of Christmas Music Finzi In Terra Pax Vaughan Williams Fantasia on Christmas Carols Holst Christmas Day Holst Psalm 148 Britten A Ceremony of Carols (full choir version) Conductor Hilary Campbell Soprano Gwen Martin Baritone TBC Christmas is coming and Bristol Choral Society are giving Messiah a well-earned rest to dish up a succulent feast of 20th century Yuletide fare. Finzi to Holst, Vaughan Williams to Britten, fine dining is guaranteed. Tuck in! Tickets £10.75 to £31.18 incl. bf, under 25s £5.38 incl. bf, seniors 10% discount.

bournemouth symphony orchestra new year johann strauss gala sat 30 dec 2017, 7.30pm Conductor Victor Aviat Get your New Year celebrations started early with an uplifting selection of waltzes, marches, polkas and arias by the King of Waltz, Johann Strauss, and his contemporaries! The full symphonic forces of the BSO will once again be joined by an outstanding soprano to bring you an evening of swirling melodies to carry you away into the glamour and sparkle of Viennese Dance Halls. Tickets A £30, B £25, C £20, D £15, students £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf

the orchestra pitts scratch orchestra sun 28 jan 2018, 4pm Now in its ninth year, this ‘scratch’ event is now a firm fixture in Colston Hall’s classical calendar. Nearly 600 amateur musicians – including a chorus of 300 – join together for one day only to raise money for charity. Rehearsals begin at 9.15am, and the day culminates in a free concert open to the public at 4pm. For more information on how to participate please visit www.theorchestrapitts.wix.com/ theorchestrapitts or email theorchestrapitts@hotmail.co.uk

Tickets free for audience. To participate, please visit the Orchestra Pitts website

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more great concerts bournemouth symphony orchestra heroes and monsters fri 2 mar 2018, 7.30pm Conductor Pete Harrison Once again the full symphonic forces of the BSO are unleashed in stirring and epic movie soundtracks – this time featuring music from films with monsters galore, whether they be dinosaurs, giant beasts from the jungle or the deep, supernatural creatures of the night or psychopathic killers. Titles include The Mummy, Dracula, Psycho, Silence of the Lambs, King Kong, The Abyss, Pan’s Labyrith, Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park, Jaws and Gremlins. Tickets A £30, B £25, C £20, D £15, students £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf

32 www.colstonhall.org/classical

bristol choral society & bristol youth choir

uwe bristol festival of sound

sat 10 mar 2018, 7.30pm

sun 22 apr 2018, 11am

Chilcott Songs and Cries of London Town Orff Carmina Burana

Ensembles and Musicians from the UWE Bristol Centre for Performing Arts, including the UWE Bristol Symphony Orchestra and special guests conducted by Max Davies and Adrian Hull.

Conductor Hilary Campbell Youth Choir director David Ogden Piano Steven Kings Piano Ian Tindale Percussion Oli Butterworth Soprano Jo Weeks Tenor Rob Jenkins Baritone Geoff Williams Metropolitan merrymaking and mystery meets a noholds-barred slice of medieval life as Bob Chilcott and Carl Orff go head to head in a programme bursting with life, liberties and sassy savoir-faire. Tickets £10.75 to £31.18 incl. bf, under 25s £5.38 incl. bf, seniors 10% discount.

The UWE Bristol Centre for Performing Arts takes over the whole building for a day. It’s a real celebration, with performances in the Lantern, Foyer and other spaces beginning at 11am, leading to a culmination family concert with the UWE Bristol Symphony Orchestra and special guests at 4pm that will explore the magical world of storytelling… Expect the unexpected at this special community event. Tickets Lantern and Foyer performances are free. The family concert is ticketed, prices to be confirmed. Check our website for more details.

getting to colston hall and how to book

This programme is correct at time of going to press.

D EA SM

W IN ST

LE RU

EET

PIPE LANE

R ST

TRE

A4 / M

ST. AUG US

R HA

COLSTON STR

TINE’S PA RADE

PAR

TRE

BALD WIN STREET

box office hours Monday–Saturday 10am–6pm

ROW

booking fees All prices include a 7.5% booking fee (bf)

ARK ER P

LOW

how to book By telephone on 0117 203 4040 Online at www.colstonhall.org In person at Colston Hall box office

disability access For more information on disability access please visit www.colstonhall.org/visit-us/accessibility

ILL

Via M4: Exit junction 19 (M32). Follow brown signs directing you to Colston Hall.

by bus Most city centre buses stop at the central promenade where you should alight for Colston Hall. For bus information, call Traveline on 0871200 2233.

Y RR

by train Bristol Temple Meads, the nearest station, is about a mile from Colston Hall. Buses 8 and 9 run directly to the city centre promenade. Call National Rail Enquiries on 03457 484950 for train times.

EL’

Via M5: Exit junction 18, follow A4 (Portway) to the centre. Follow the brown signs to directing you to Colston Hall.

For dropping off/picking up turn into Colston Street, or use the lay-by next to the Hall in Pipe Lane.

by car If you are travelling by car, we recommend parking in Trenchard Street Car Park, which is behind Colston Hall. For more information on getting to Colston Hall please visit www.colstonhall.org/visit-us

MIC

TE M3 M 2 P / A4 LE M M4 / A EA 37 DS

we are here Colston Hall, Colston Street, Bristol, BS1 5AR

terms and conditions secret seats Experience world class orchestral music in a seat worth at least £18 for just £10 by booking a secret seat. You will be issued a voucher when you book, which you must exchange for a valid ticket on the night of the concert. You will then be allocated the best available seat in the auditorium on the night of the performance. These tickets have limited availability and Colston Hall reserves the right to withdraw them from sale at any time. Customers can purchase two tickets per transaction. Not available in conjunction with other offers or subscriptions. For more information, please contact the box office. under 25s and under 18s tickets These tickets have limited availability and Colston Hall reserves the right to withdraw them from sale at any time. Under 18s must be accompanied. Proof of age may be required. For more information, please contact the box office.

www.colstonhall.org/classical 33

XX 34 www.colstonhall.org/classical

our transformation building a world-class concert hall for Bristol

For 150 years Colston Hall has been a cultural hub for Bristol with our inspirational and groundbreaking music and music education. But 2018 marks the end of an era and the beginning of an exciting new future for the Hall. Our historic foyer and main hall areas, which haven’t been upgraded since 1951, will close in summer 2018 to allow for an ambitious and sympathetic restoration to ensure that the Hall is fit to entertain the people of Bristol for another 150 years.

Our redevelopment will include: • remodelling the existing auditorium into an attractive and comfortable venue with an entirely new interior including flexible seating and staging to enable a broad range of music to be enjoyed in excellent acoustics • transforming The Lantern into an elegant and versatile performance venue with its own bar area and feature staircase from lower levels • opening up the cellars for the first time in 100 years to provide a suite of music education spaces for Bristol Plays Music and a cabaret style performance area

The transformation will deliver a world class concert hall without losing aspects that make Colston Hall special, such as the rich classical acoustic and intimate auditorium. We will reopen in early 2020 with a transformed hall and an opening International Classical Season about which our audience will be proud. For more information and to view our exciting plans visit www.colstonhall.org/transformation

• repairing and restoring the beautiful Bristol Byzantine style historic foyer building and reanimating the Colston Street façades with a new public restaurant

www.colstonhall.org/classical 35

bristol plays music

Bristol Plays Music is the music education hub for Bristol and we have a vision that all young people will be able to play the music they love regardless of background, experience or skill level. We provide a substantial range of opportunities for young people to play and perform in ensembles at music centres across Bristol. At five centres dotted throughout the city you can take part in over 20 ensembles and choirs every week. We offer affordable and accessible prices starting at £2.50 per session and a music centre passport enables children to attend multiple activities. To find out more please visit www.bristolplaysmusic.org

36 www.colstonhall.org/classical

Young Companies in Residence at Colston Hall: Bristol Youth Choir & Bristol Youth Orchestra Help support Bristol’s young musicians Young Companies in Residence at Colston Hall provides Bristol’s young musicians with a safe and stimulating environment in which to develop their skills and passions, engender a lifelong love of music and widen career aspirations. We now offer two individual giving schemes that will bring you closer to the passion and excitement of our events and offer a unique insight into Bristol’s talented and aspiring young musicians.

Bristol Youth Orchestra: Sponsor a Seat Bristol Youth Choir: Sponsor a Singer Sponsor an individual young musician for £100 or an entire orchestral section or choir from £500. Your contribution will provide crucial support in helping the ensembles progress and remain accessible to all. If you would like to know more about supporting our Young Companies in Residence then visit www.colstonhall.org/support-us/young-companiesresidence

Become part of our CHIME Circle and help secure another 150 years of the best musical experiences. Everyone who donates over £20,000 (£25,000 with Gift Aid) to the transformation will become part of our CHIME Circle. CHIME will be a wonderful sculpture by metal artisan Rebecca Gouldson which reflects the power of musical connection.

Members of our CHIME Circle will receive a range of benefits including: • Recognition on a plaque next to the CHIME piece in our foyer and miniature CHIME badge keepsake • Invitations to exclusive ‘CHIME Circle’ events • Access to the private ‘Supporters Lounge’ for 20 years from re-opening • Silver Patron status throughout the transformation until reopening For a full list of benefits or more information on becoming part of our CHIME Circle, please contact Rosa Corbishley, Head of Development: rosa.corbishley@colstonhall.org / 0117 204 7176

Averys Wine Merchants Est. 1793

Averys Wine Merchants began with a shop, still in existence today, in Bristol in 1793. Through the centuries the Avery family have been at the heart of the business and are famous for being among the great pioneers of the British wine trade. Whether it’s wine for a special occasion or just for supper that evening, we have over a 1000 wines on the shelves with a great selection open to try every day. Bristol Cellars: 01179 214 146 | Open Mon-Sat 10am - 7pm www.averys.com | Averys Wine Merchants, 9A Culver Street, Bristol, BS1 5LD

www.colstonhall.org/classical 37

become a patron

At the heart of the region’s music making since 1867 Colston Hall has built a resounding reputation for excellence and entertainment, with performances enjoyed by 250,000 people each year.

We are hugely grateful to our patrons for their support of Bristol Music Trust:

Alongside our artistic programme is our community work and the work of our education hub, Bristol Plays Music. Reaching 40,000 people each year, we’re helping young people transform their lives and nurturing new talent.

Nisbet Charitable Trust HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bristol

Bristol Music Trust (registered charity no 1140898) relies on the support and generosity of individuals to continue its ambitious programme of education and entertainment. Join us as a patron of Colston Hall and enjoy a range of benefits not open to the public including exclusive events and behind-the-scenes access. The support of our patrons will play a key role in building our world-class programme of entertainment and education. As we begin an exciting chapter in Colston Hall’s history, our patrons will be central to the future growth of the Trust and its work and will be at the heart of what we do.

“I’ve become a patron at Colston Hall because its hugely diverse cultural programme matches the best ambitions of our great city.” Helen Wilde, High Sheriff of Bristol 2016/17 If you would like to become a patron of Colston Hall, please get in touch: Rosa Corbishley Head of Development Bristol Music Trust rosa.corbishley@colstonhall.org / 0117 204 7176

38 www.colstonhall.org/classical

gold patrons

silver patrons Richard and Joanna Bacon S and Y Chapman Beth and Steve Evans Nigel Harradine Steve Pain Sonia Mills and Peter Rilett Richard and Annie Wynn-Jones

bronze patrons Helen Barnfield Neville Boundy Rob and Geraldine Davis Mavis and Eric Evans Mr R. C. L. Feneley Michael de Grey Tim Grice and Kamala Das Mary Henderson Ros and Cameron Kennedy Pascale and Henry Kenyon Christopher and Mere Moorsom Mr A Sadler Nicole Sherwood Adrian Watkinson James Wetz Elizabeth and Paul Whitehouse Helen and Peter Wilde

sponsors We would like to thank our sponsors and funders for their support

principal sponsors

major sponsors

media partner

major partners