bristol international classical season sep 2014 – jun 2015
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join the conversation “To be able to hear the fingers on the strings and see the orchestra being conducted is quite something.” Steve and Nicky
“As Head of Programme at Colston Hall, it’s a real privilege to bring concerts of such outstanding quality to Bristol.” Todd Wills
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“We come regularly and we never go home disappointed. We’ve brought our grandchildren along to the concert tonight.” The Pedrick family
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“The classical season is going from strength to strength, and there are some fantastic orchestras, ensembles and soloists to look forward to. The only problem is fitting them all in the diary!” Jonathan James
“This is the first time I’ve been to a classical concert at Colston Hall, but it certainly won’t be the last.” Hannah and Ross
“I come with my wife and we always attend the Viennese Gala because it's full of the Strauss music we like.” Frederick
“I like film music and I like learning to play things on the piano. The concert tickets are a really nice gift.” James and Katie
“The sound quality is always amazing in the Hall… it's a great experience for us all to get together with friends.” Steve and Robert
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If you would like to find out more about supporting Colston Hall, please contact Development on 0117 204 7176 or email development@colstonhall.org
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welcome to the bristol international classical season 2014-15 A warm welcome to the International Classical Season 2014/15, a programme which I am delighted to introduce as featuring some of the most exciting and prestigious concerts in the history of Colston Hall.
Louise Mitchell Chief Executive, Bristol Music Trust
In October we host the National Arts Orchestra of Canada and their distinguished Director Pinchas Zukerman as part of The World Changed. The final performance in our series of concerts with St George's Bristol to commemorate the First World War, the stirring programme demonstrates the power of music as a force for healing and remembrance. It is also a great pleasure to welcome the internationally renowned Czech Philharmonic Orchestra to the Hall for the first time in many years. I am delighted to present another outstanding programme of concerts by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, 'the orchestra at Colston Hall', and savour the prospect of some stunning solo performances. Enormous thanks must go to the businesses and corporate partners whose support helps us to deliver these concerts, it is greatly valued. I look forward to seeing you at the Hall for a season of marvellous world-class music.
BBC Music Magazine is delighted and proud to be partnering with Colston Hall for their new season – and with a line-up as exciting as this, who wouldn’t be? The internationally renowned names appearing over the next year or so spring from the page at every turn: Pinchas Zuckerman, Sir Mark Elder, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Kirill Karabits… and the musical riches that each and every one will be bringing to Bristol will shine in Colston Hall’s magnificent acoustic. BBC Music Magazine is proud to play a part in supporting this wonderful hall – and with our office just around the corner, you won’t be able to keep us away! Oliver Condy Editor, BBC Music Magazine
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your season
Pinchas Zuckerman’s Bruch and Nicola Benedetti’s (right) Mozart are just two of the starstudded strings to a season’s bow that welcomes visiting orchestras from Salzburg, Warsaw and Brussels – not forgetting the illustrious Czech Philharmonic and the National Arts Orchestra of Canada, which is making its Hall debut. Charismatic guitar legend Miloš Karadaglic warms himself in the Southern sun of Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez; Beethoven’s 9th exuberantly proclaims its humanitarian vision of Utopia; Szymanowski, meanwhile, mourns. Closer to home, the Hallé flexes its unassailable Elgarian prowess under Sir Mark Elder, BBC National Orchestra of Wales burrows into Brahms, and Vladimir Ashkenazy’s Philharmonia takes care of the Sibelius anniversary in style. But there’s another major anniversary to be celebrated too; and from the A-Z of Also Sprach Zarathustra to the irresistibly elegiac Four Last Songs, under indefatigable Principal Conductor Kirill Karabits (left), our resident Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra ensures that the Straussian flame burns bright. 06
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contents
Booking opens Subscribers Tuesday 22 April General booking Wednesday 28 May See p36
international classical season special events other classical concerts lunchtime concerts food and drink become a subscriber seating plan diary
8-27 28-31 32-33 34 35 36 37 39
talk Look out for the talk logo
pre-concert talks
chamber concerts
the lantern, 6.25pm free with a concert ticket
the lantern, 7.30pm
Get a deeper insight into the music about to be performed as Jonathan James introduces each International Classical Season Concert and interviews a member of the orchestra. A conductor and trained teacher, Jonathan brings a breadth of expertise and a deep enthusiasm to exploring the works being performed.
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Look out for the chamber concerts accompanying selected performances. Highly regarded BBC music lecturer and BBC Radio 3 host Stephen Johnson will give a talk in his inimitable style, followed by a performance by the English Piano Trio of works that complement and enhance the main concert programme.
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international classical season 2014-15
soaring strauss bournemouth symphony orchestra
talk
the orchestra at colston hall tue 30 sep 2014, 7.30pm Conductor Kirill Karabits Piano Robert Levin Prokofiev Classical Symphony Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 in C R Strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra tickets book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30%, see p36 A £36, B £30, C £24, D £18, students £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf
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In his 150th birthday year what better way to launch a season than with soaring Strauss? The opening of his sumptuously scored tone poem indebted to Nietzsche was popularised in Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey, and, drawn to the concluding Song of the Night Wanderer, it charts a musical odyssey rich in grandeur and poignant intimacy. Classical Beethoven and neo-classical Prokofiev ring the changes, the former spearheaded by the irrepressible Robert Levin, a pianist whose “muscular music making” supplies an “electric charge” (The Times). With recordings of the complete symphonies from the BSO and Karabits in prospect, Prokofiev’s scintillating homage to Haydn offers a sneak preview. Strauss is philosophical; the wittiest of pianists squares up to Beethoven with a youthful twinkle in his eye, and Prokofiev time travels. Our season has lift-off with charisma to burn.
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international classical season 2014-15
brahms in bristol bbc national orchestra of wales
talk
wed 8 oct 2014, 7.30pm
Conductor Tadaaki Otaka Violin Veronika Eberle Cello Andreas Brantelid Brahms Academic Festival Overture Brahms Double Concerto for Violin and Cello Brahms Symphony No. 1 in C minor tickets book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30%, see p36 A £36, B £30, C £24, D £18, students £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf
An exuberant melee of academic festivities, an auspicious symphonic debut, and a searing orchestral swansong featuring two decidedly ear-opening young soloists; Tadaaki Otaka and BBC NOW have Brahms in the bag! Hot on the heels of Kirill Karabits’ symphony cycle last season, BBC NOW (under its Conductor Laureate) crosses the Severn for another bite at the Brahmsian cherry. Crowned by what the symphony conductor Hans von Bulow hailed as “Beethoven’s 10th”, there’s a roistering overture that raises a glass to student drinking songs, and a rare chance to hear the Cinderella among Brahms’ four concertos: the expansive ‘Double’ for violin and cello. Embracing its long-limbed fervour is a formidable young team. Former Radio 3 New Generation Artists Veronika Eberle is a “commanding stage presence”, exuding “virtuosic intensity” declares the Los Angeles Times, while Scandinavian cellist Andreas Brantelid combines “astonishing maturity, youthful freshness and vigour” (Sunday Times). This performance will be recorded as part of BBC Radio 3’s Brahms Experience in Bristol.
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international classical season 2014-15
arabian nights bournemouth symphony orchestra
talk
the orchestra at colston hall thu 23 oct 2014, 7.30pm Conductor Alexander Shelley Piano Boris Giltburg Ravel La Valse Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade
Two near contemporaries – Ravel’s ‘poeme’ and Prokofiev’s ebullient concerto played by a pianist of “remarkable range and a sublimely assured artistry” (International Piano) – pull up a chair for Rimsky’s seductive storytelling.
Boris Giltburg
tickets book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30%, see p36 A £36, B £30, C £24, D £18, students £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf
Symphonic Prokofiev opens and closes the BSO’s Colston Hall season, but they find room, too, for the most engaging of his piano concertos, a work begun in 1913 but not completed until after the First World War, and brimming with lyricism and unbridled energy. Winner of last year’s Queen Elisabeth Competition, Boris Giltburg has form when it comes to the composer – his recording of the War Sonatas being a Gramophone magazine Editor’s Choice. For The Independent Giltburg’s BBC Proms debut was simply “breathtaking”. To left and right, Ravel’s dizzying ‘choreographic poem’ issues an invitation to the dance that spectacularly implodes; meanwhile Rimsky-Korsakov’s evergreen ‘once upon a time’ is full of Eastern promise.
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international classical season 2014-15
the world changed national arts orchestra of canada
talk
thu 30 oct 2014, 7.30pm
Director Pinchas Zukerman Violin Pinchas Zukerman Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis Estacio Brio Bruch Violin Concerto Elgar Sospiri Beethoven Symphony No. 7 tickets book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30%, see p36 A £36, B £30, C £24, D £18, students £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf
stephen johnson insight
One hundred years after the first Canadian troops arrived in the UK to assist the war effort, Pinchas Zukerman leads a programme remembering the First World War alongside an iconic symphony premiered at a benefit concert for soldiers wounded in battle. Described by its composer as “vigorous and mercurial”, John Estacio’s Brio (premiered by the orchestra in 2011) flies the flag for contemporary Canadian composition alongside a heartfelt English tribute including Elgar’s haunting lament composed on the cusp of the Great War. It would be unthinkable, though, for one of the greatest violinists of the age to depart without reminding us of his characteristic “warm, liquid sound” (New York Times), and Zukerman duly obliges with arguably the most impassioned concerto in the repertoire – before addressing a symphony Wagner considered ‘the apotheosis of the dance’.
tue 21 oct 2014, 7.30pm the lantern, free A closer look at the programme for this World Changed concert from BBC Radio 3 host and lecturer, Stephen Johnson.
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international classical season 2014-15
y viva espana! brussels philharmonic
talk
thu 27 nov 2014, 7.30pm
Conductor Michel Tabachnik ` Guitar Miloš Karadaglic Organ Oliver Condy
After February’s enterprising three-concert London Debut, The Guardian enthused: “The Brussels Philharmonic and their composer-conductor Michel Tabachnik are among classical music’s best-kept secrets.” Well the secret’s out!
Borodin Polovtsian Dances Rodrigo Concierto de Aranjuez Miloš Karadaglic ` Solo Set Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Organ Symphony
They’re Bristol-bound with a guitarist whose recent recording of Rodrigo’s sometimes sun-drenched, sometimes wistful Concierto de Aranjuez shot to the top of the UK Classical charts in its first week of release (no surprise there when the soloist is a musician whose first name is all you need to know!).
tickets book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30%, see p36 A £36, B £30, C £24, D £18, students £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf
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But it’s not just the guitar on show. The Hall’s mighty Harrison & Harrison organ comes under the spotlight in Saint-Saëns’ thrilling Symphony No. 3. “I gave it everything,” insisted its composer, “what I’ve accomplished I’ll never achieve again.”
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chamberconcert
stephen johnson insight & english piano trio tue 25 nov 2014, 7.30pm the lantern tickets £13 or £9 incl. bf when bought with a ticket to the concert on the left
Stephen Johnson Insight Borodin Trio in D Saint-Saëns Trio No. 1 in F
Two piano trios composed within a couple of years of each other and full of youthful yearning. Borodin’s radiant D major Trio, an ‘only child’, shares the high spirits of SaintSaëns’ 1st Trio, a work shot through with the folk music of the Pyrenees and bursting with bucolic bonhomie.
CAVATINA, see p34
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international classical season 2014-15
the power and the glory the hallé
talk
sat 24 jan 2015, 7.30pm
Conductor Sir Mark Elder Piano Martin Stadtfeld Mozart Magic Flute Overture K. 620 Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor Elgar Symphony No. 2 in E-flat
The Hallé and Sir Mark Elder have rather claimed Elgar as their own, and The Sunday Times insists “they have few rivals in this music”.
Sir Mark Elder
tickets book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30%, see p36 A £36, B £30, C £24, D £18, students £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf
In the glory days of John Barbirolli the Hallé was the orchestra of choice for gold standard Elgar and, as a string of awards attest, under its current Music Director Sir Mark Elder, the Hallé is a halcyon Elgar orchestra once more. Their CDs of The Apostles won last year’s BBC Music Magazine Recording Of The Year, and for Bristol they bestride the emotionally complex Symphony No. 2 Elgar characterised as ‘the passionate pilgrimage of the soul’ – a work containing some of the most heartfelt, noble and troubled music he ever wrote. Before it, the German pianist and winner of the Leipzig International Bach Competition 2002 sidesteps Johann Sebastian to scale Mendelssohn’s mercurial Piano Concerto No. 2.
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international classical season 2014-15
rachmaninov: remembering russia bournemouth symphony orchestra
talk
the orchestra at colston hall thu 5 feb 2015, 7.30pm Conductor Joshua Weilerstein Piano Alessandro Taverna
A cheerful Finnish spring meets the high summer of Norwegian romanticism as the BSO welcomes back the 2009 Leeds Piano Competition finalist Alessandro Taverna.
Sibelius Spring Song Grieg Piano Concerto Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances
But there’s a hint of homesickness too. Rachmaninov completed the Symphonic Dances he called his “last spark” overlooking Long Island Sound, and suffused them with backward glances to Russia and his earlier works. To conduct is a young American going places fast. Erstwhile Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic (and with a clutch of Europe’s finest orchestras already under his belt) Joshua Weilerstein “is a revelation on the podium” according to Il Corriere della Sera. The Scotsman agrees: “In his hands melodies blossomed in exquisite shapes, and textures gleamed, rich yet transparent.”
Alessandro Taverna
tickets book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30%, see p36 A £36, B £30, C £24, D £18, students £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf
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Nicola Benedetti
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international classical season 2014-15
brava benedetti camerata salzburg
talk
fri 13 mar 2015, 7.30pm
Conductor Ben Gernon Violin Nicola Benedetti Bartók Divertimento Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5 Mozart Rondo for Violin & Orchestra in C K. 373 Bruckner Adagio from the String Quintet in F, arr. for string orchestra Mozart Symphony No. 29 tickets book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30%, see p36 A £36, B £30, C £24, D £18, students £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf
Salzburg’s venerable Camerata brings its aristocratic ‘sound of music’ to bear on mellifluous Mozart and Gypsycharged Bartók. Sunny, sophisticated, and tinged with Turkish delight, Mozart gilds Camerata Salzburg’s sassy calling card. But Wolfgang isn’t the only act in town. Hand-picked by Gustavo Dudamel to be a Los Angeles Philharmonic Dudamel Fellow (and winner of last year’s Salzburg Festival Young Conductor’s Award), Ben Gernon throws a fiery dash of paprika into the mix with Bartók’s Divertimento, an exuberant farewell to Hungary as World War II beckoned. Tonight’s soloist needs no introduction. Two-time consecutive Brit Award Female Artist Of The Year Nicola Benedetti “brings a degree of heat, subtlety, and quicksilver colours only achieved by the world’s best” (The Times).
chamberconcert
stephen johnson insight & english piano trio
Stephen Johnson Insight Mozart Trio in B-flat K. 502 Mozart Trio in C K. 548
tuesday 10 march 2015, 7.30pm the lantern
Mozart had long flown the Salzburg nest when he came to write the eminently genial Trio in B-flat K. 502, one of two completed in 1786, a year that also yielded The Marriage of Figaro. The lofty C major followed two years later, dapper, urbane, yet decidedly playful.
tickets £13 or £9 incl. bf when bought with a ticket to the above concert CAVATINA, see p34
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international classical season 2014-15
swansongs bournemouth symphony orchestra
talk
the orchestra at colston hall fri 27 mar 2015, 7.30pm Conductor Kirill Karabits Soprano Sally Matthews Beethoven Coriolan Overture R Strauss Four Last Songs Schubert Symphony No. 9 The Great
“Regally poised, deliciously supple, and deftly nuanced” (The Independent on Sunday), Sally Matthews is the ideal exponent of Strauss’ sublime songs, which are framed by turbulent Beethoven and heroic Schubert.
Sally Matthews
tickets book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30%, see p36 A £36, B £30, C £24, D £18, students £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf
Kirill Karabits returns to conduct the first of the season’s two mighty 9th symphonies – Schubert’s symphonic swansong known as The Great on account of its majestic “heavenly length” that so impressed Schumann. And there’s a more personal swansong too, Richard Strauss’ last love letter to the soprano voice: The Four Last Songs. Their tender resignation and glowing serenity are entrusted to Covent Garden regular Sally Matthews. Of her Four Last Songs The Guardian declared: “Her voice in Strauss is ravishing.” Beethoven’s Roman rollercoaster raises the curtain.
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international classical season 2014-15
double dvorˇák czech philharmonic orchestra
talk
wed 22 apr 2015, 7.30pm
Conductor Jirˇí Be ˇlohlávek Violin Josef Špac ˇek Dvorˇák Two Slavonic Dances Mendelssohn Violin Concerto Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending Dvorˇák Symphony No. 7 tickets book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30%, see p36 A £42, B £36, C £30, D £24, students £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf
It won’t be just Vaughan Williams’ Lark that finds itself in seventh heaven when the Czech Republic’s flagship orchestra comes calling with its unparalleled Dvořák. Bohemian rhapsodies guaranteed! When it comes to orchestral royalty the Czech Philharmonic is up there with its famous cousins in Vienna and Berlin. The sound is luxuriously warm, the ensemble impeccable, and no one does its native music with more ardour or conviction. Dvořák conducted the debut concert, and it’s with Dvořák that Chief Conductor Jiří Bělohlávek bookends a programme culminating in the dramatic Symphony No. 7. Until recently Bělohlávek headed the BBC Symphony Orchestra and he looks back in languor with Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending – together with the Mendelssohn Concerto, a chance for the orchestra’s eloquent young Concert Master Josef Špaček to take flight.
chamberconcert
stephen johnson insight & english piano trio
Stephen Johnson Insight Janác ˇek Piano Sonata 1.X.1905 Mendelssohn Trio No. 1 in D minor
tuesday 21 april 2015, 7.30pm the lantern
After the English Piano Trio’s all-Mozart programme last month they turn to a D minor Trio by the man Schumann hailed as “the Mozart of the 19th century”. The 20 year-old Mendelssohn’s volcanic Op. 49 follows Janáček’s powerful sonata, an act of protest commemorating a worker fatally bayoneted during a protest rally.
tickets £13 or £9 incl. bf when bought with a ticket to the above concert CAVATINA, see p34
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Josef Špac ˇek
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Kirill Karabits
international classical season 2014-15
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blood and fire bournemouth symphony orchestra
talk
the orchestra at colston hall thu 30 apr 2015, 7.30pm Conductor Kirill Karabits Piano Sunwook Kim Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 Prokofiev Symphony No. 6 tickets book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30%, see p36 A £36, B £30, C £24, D £18, students £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf
“Prokofiev is in my blood – he was born in my home country,” declares Kirill Karabits. And he describes the BSO as “supremely good” at performing the music of his compatriot. Just as well. They’re currently recording a complete CD cycle of the 7 symphonies for Onyx Classics. Worlds away from the sparkling Symphony No. 1 that launched our season, the Symphony No. 6 is a threnody for the victims of World War II and for ‘wounds that cannot be healed’. After braving the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 with Karabits and the BSO in 2013, Sunwook Kim returns astride another pianist warhorse: Rachmaninov’s fearsome Concerto No. 3 – expect keyboard fireworks. With Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 6 Kirill Karabits and the BSO bring their Bristol series full circle.
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international classical season 2014-15
ode to joy warsaw philharmonic orchestra
talk
with warsaw philharmonic chorus fri 22 may 2015, 7.30pm Conductor Jacek Kaspszyk Soprano Claire Meghnagi Mezzo-soprano Hannah Pedley Tenor Andrew Rees Baritone Paul Carew Jones Szymanowski Stabat Mater Beethoven Symphony No. 9 Choral Symphony tickets book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30%, see p36 A £36, B £30, C £24, D £18, students £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf
From the inauguration of the League of Nations to the collapse of the Berlin Wall (when Leonard Bernstein famously replaced the word ‘joy’ with ‘freedom’), Beethoven’s 9th has been the go-to symphony for marking seismic moments in world history. It’s more than just a piece of music. It’s an affirmation of the human spirit at its most optimistic, a touchstone, and always a special occasion. In a welcome return to the Hall, the Warsaw Philharmonic salutes joy and sadness side by side, partnering Beethoven’s bear-hug of an embrace with an anguished reminder of home: Szymanowski’s smoulderingly intense Stabat Mater. Jacek Kaspszyk’s massed Warsaw forces preface Beethoven’s ebullient declaration of universal brotherhood with a work of which Szymanowski observed: “At last I have written something really beautiful.”
chamberconcert
stephen johnson insight & english piano trio tue 12 may 2015, 7.30pm the lantern tickets £13 or £9 incl. bf when bought with a ticket to the above concert CAVATINA, see p34
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Stephen Johnson Insight Beethoven Allegretto in B-flat WoO. 39 Beethoven Trio in C minor Op. 1 No. 3 Beethoven Trio in B-flat Op. 11
However radical Beethoven’s 9th symphony might have seemed to his contemporaries, it was par for the course. He’d thrown down a gauntlet right from the start with the C minor Trio Haydn tried to dissuade him from publishing in his opus-numbered debut on account of its boldness – here offset by the guileless trio movement composed for the 10 year-old daughter of a friend, and the effervescent Clarinet Trio adapted for piano.
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Jacek Kaspszyk
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international classical season 2014-15
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sibelius 150th anniversary philharmonia orchestra
talk
wed 10 jun 2015, 7.30pm
Sibelius Finlandia Sibelius Luonnotar Sibelius Karelia Suite Sibelius Symphony No. 5 in E-flat tickets book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30%, see p36 A £39 B £33 C £27 D £21, students £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf
We opened our season with a Strauss anniversary salvo and end it in a blaze of horns as Sibelius turns 150 and inspires a singular line-up from a team whose recordings demonstrate a persuasive pedigree in all things Sibelian. Direct from a major anniversary series at The Royal Festival Hall, Ashkenazy and the Philharmonia bring some of the composer’s most popular works as well as a spellbinding rarity, his tone poem based on Finnish myth and premiered up the road in Gloucester just over a hundred years ago. To sing it is Finnish soprano Helena Juntunen whose 2010 performance prompted The Times to observe: “London is unlikely to hear Sibelius like this for quite some time.”
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Helena Juntunen
Conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy Soprano Helena Juntunen
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special events
glassfest thu 6-sat 8 nov 2014
tickets thu 6 nov £20, £15 + bf fri 7 nov £32, £27, £24 + bf st george's box office www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk, 0845 402 4001, £1 admin fee per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable joint ticket for fri and sat events £50 incl. bf
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Colston Hall and St George’s Bristol have joined forces to bring Philip Glass back to Bristol for a unique mini-festival, Glassfest. Over three Glass-filled nights from 6-8 November, we present three very special musical events: Tara Hugo Sings Philip Glass St George’s Bristol, Thu 6 Nov, 8pm An Evening with Philip Glass: Solo Piano and Conversations with Charles Hazlewood St George’s Bristol, Fri 7 Nov, 8pm Philip Glass Ensemble: Retrospective Colston Hall, Sat 8 Nov, 7.30pm
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philip glass ensemble: retrospective sat 8 nov 2014, 7.30pm tickets £30, students and under 18s £8.50 incl. bf joint ticket for fri and sat events £50 incl. bf All pieces by Philip Glass CIVIL warS #2 CIVIL warS – Cologne section (1984) Selections from Music in 12 Parts (1971-74) The Grid Koyaanisqatsi (1982) Floe Façades Rubric Glassworks (1983) Music in Similar Motion (1969)
Nearly 40 years since it first visited Bristol to perform Music In 12 Parts as part of Arnolfini's opening at Bush House in 1975, Philip Glass Ensemble return to the city to present the UK premiere of its Retrospective programme – a kind of partial 'Greatest Hits' that revisits some of Philip Glass' most important, popular and epoch-defining works. They include the Cologne Section from CIVIL warS (1984), originally created for an unrealised Robert Wilson project for the Los Angeles Olympic Games; excerpts from the seminal Music In 12 Parts, which resonate alongside key works from the 1980s including the last act of his chamber opera The Photographer, and music written for Godfrey Reggio’s cult film Koyaanisqatsi. Music in Similar Motion meantime, dizzying and determined, takes the story back to 1969. With the ensemble fresh from performing around the world in productions of Einstein On The Beach, this is a fabulous, unrepeatable opportunity to see one of the true masters of contemporary music perform in what has become his most enduring and historically important musical setting. "The aural equivalent of standing at the top of a giant waterfall..." The Guardian on Music in 12 Parts in 1975.
Act III The Photographer (1983)
"The listener is cast adrift in vast rooms that, once one has adjusted to their design and scale, transform themselves before your eyes."
Programme subject to change
The Guardian on Music in 12 Parts in 2013.
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Special Concerts
special events
kinshasa symphony orchestra tue 16 sep 2014, 7.30pm
tickets On sale from Thu 1 May Presented with special support from Arts Council England's Exceptional Fund
The story of the Orchestra Symphonique Kimbanguiste and their choir from the Democratic Republic of Congo is miraculous and uplifting. Against the most extraordinary odds, in a country known for its extreme poverty and violence, conductor Armand Djiangenda has proved that music can provide hope and inspiration. We are thrilled to welcome them for a concert of orchestral and choral music in collaboration with musicians from London Southbank Centre’s resident and associate orchestras.
alison balsom mon 6 oct 2014, 7.30pm
tickets £34.94, £30.64, £26.34, £24.19, £20.96 incl. bf
The first solo show from the multi-award-winning trumpet player, in which Balsom promises a concert that really shows what the trumpet can do, partly by playing pure classical music without a microphone and partly by using enhanced lighting and sound to present more contemporary music. Balsom has won the Gramophone Magazine Artist Of The Year and three Classic BRITs, and has appeared at the Last Night Of The Proms.
john wilson orchestra sun 9 nov 2014, 7.30pm
tickets £48.38, £43, £37.63, £28.49 incl. bf
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The John Wilson Orchestra and special guests celebrate the works of Cole Porter in this brand new show. Hear performances of I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Night and Day and Let’s Do It in the lush arrangements originally written for Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and Peggy Lee. The orchestra will also play numbers from movies like Anything Goes, High Society and Can-Can.
box office 0844 887 1500 www.colstonhall.org
elgar: the dream of gerontius bristol choral society with bournemouth symphony orchestra sat 29 nov 2014, 7.30pm Conductor Adrian Partington Organ Peter King Mezzo-soprano Susan Bickley Tenor Mark Padmore Baritone David Stout
“This is the best of me,” wrote Elgar at the end of his completed The Dream of Gerontius score. Widely regarded as one of the finest of all English choral masterpieces, a dream team of renowned artists (including tenor Mark Padmore in the title role) assembles for tonight’s performance.
tickets £30.10, £21.50, £16.13, £10.75, under 25s £5.38 incl. bf, OAPs 10% discount
strauss gala bournemouth symphony orchestra: the orchestra at colston hall tue 30 dec 2014, 7.30pm tickets A £30, B £25, C £20, D £15, students £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf
Johann Strauss II is the king of the waltz and the New Year celebrations have become synonymous with the elegance of Viennese style and grandeur. Join the BSO and escape to a world of glittering dance halls in a concert filled with memorable polkas, marches, gallops and waltzes. With the power of a full symphony orchestra, this is Strauss as it should be heard – pulsating with shimmering strings and dashes of orchestral exuberance.
heroes and superheroes 2 bournemouth symphony orchestra: the orchestra at colston hall fri 27 feb 2015, 7.30pm Conductor Pete Harrison tickets A £30, B £25, C £20, D £15, students £8.50, under 18s £1 incl. bf
Back by popular demand! Following on from 2013’s hugely successful concert, join the BSO and Pete Harrison for another evening of the best movie soundtracks ever. Heroes, both fictitious and historical, and the superheroes of Marvel and DC comics are a fertile mine of inspiration for Hollywood, inspiring some of the most spectacular screen adventures ever. Delve into a world of superpowers and heroic bravery with music by John Williams, Hans Zimmer, James Horner, Maurice Jarre and more.
box office 0844 887 1500 www.colstonhall.org
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Special Concerts
other community community classicalconcerts concerts concerts
come & sing: 125th anniversary celebration bristol choral society sat 18 oct 2014, 11am (performance 3.30pm) Conductor Adrian Partington Organ Paul Walton tickets singers: £23.65, u18s £12.90 incl. bf, performance: £5.38 incl. bf
Bristol Choral Society has been singing at Colston Hall for 125 years, and to celebrate, all are welcome to Come & Sing a selection of favourite choruses from some best-loved works (with a souvenir music book for you to keep), followed by some birthday cake and a glass of something sparkling.
bristol metropolitan orchestra sat 15 nov 2014, 7.30pm
Shostakovich Festive Overture Orff Carmina Burana Dvorˇák Symphony from the New World tickets £21.50, £19.35, £17.20, students £10.75 incl. bf
Join Bristol Metropolitan Orchestra, the City of Bristol Choir and other singers for a stunning full-scale performance of Carl Orff ’s bawdy Carmina Burana. With lyrics from the Middle Ages, expressing earthly desires and a lusty enjoyment of life, and pulsating rhythms, full of passion and excitement, this is music of a primeval nature. The brass fanfare of Shostakovich's Festive Overture provides a lively opener and Dvořák’s ever-popular Symphony From the New World completes a thoroughly entertaining concert. Profits from this concert will go to St Peter’s Hospice. Sponsored by Ovation Finance.
handel's messiah & mini messiah family concert bristol choral society sat 20 dec 2014, 4.30pm (mini messiah) & 7.30pm (messiah) Conductor Adrian Partington tickets mini messiah £7.53 incl. bf, accompanied under 18s free tickets handel's messiah £26.88, £21.50, £16.13, £10.75, under 25s £5.38 incl. bf, OAPs 10% discount
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An essential part of Bristol's Christmas for generations, Handel's famous masterpiece – filled to overflowing with beautiful solo arias and magnificent choruses (including the Hallelujah chorus) – sung from memory with fine soloists and stylish period orchestra Music for Awhile. Mini Messiah is fast becoming a Bristol family Christmas tradition, this bite-sized version introduces children to Handel's masterpiece with a condensed performance taking in some of the favourite highlights in under an hour.
box office 0844 887 1500 www.colstonhall.org
community concerts
Special Concerts
the orchestra pitts sun 25 jan 2015, 4pm
Conductor David Pitts tickets free for audience. To participate, please visit the Orchestra Pitts website
It’s five years since the creation of The Orchestra Pitts, a ‘scratch’ event that brings together 250 amateur orchestral players and 300 chorus singers to raise money for Cancer Research UK. These musicians and singers meet for a day, spending the morning and early afternoon rehearsing before putting on a free concert. For more information on how to participate, please visit www. theorchestrapitts.wix.com/theorchestrapitts
haydn: the creation bristol choral society sat 28 mar 2015, 7.30pm Soprano Helen-Jane Howells Tenor Paul Badley Bass-baritone David Ireland tickets £26.88, £21.50, £16.13, £10.75, under 25s £5.38 incl. bf, OAPs 10% discount
From vivid depictions of initial chaos and darkness, through the creation of light, the world and its inhabitants, Haydn packs his musical creation with inventiveness, wit, beauty and wonder. “I spent much time over it because I expect it to last for a long time,” he wrote. 217 years later, it's easy to see why!
national children's orchestras of great britain sat 11 apr 2015, 7pm
tickets £23.65, £19.35, £15.05, £10.75, children £5.38 incl. bf. Concessions and family tickets available
Featuring the best young musical talent the UK has to offer, the NCO makes a welcome return to Colston Hall with the 2015 Main Orchestra. These talented young musicians are an inspiration to young and old. Get set for an evening of technically brilliant, youthfully exuberant music, showing a fresh yet mature approach to renowned concert repertoire. You will be amazed at the fantastic sound produced by NCO’s Main Orchestra – all aged 14 and under, as passion and talent unite to produce an incredible performance.
box office 0844 887 1500 www.colstonhall.org
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lunchtime concerts make the most of your lunch hour
YCAT lunchtime sessions We welcome back the Young Classical Artists Trust and some of the country’s most exceptional young musicians for another stimulating series of lunchtime concerts. Be among the first to see these maestros in the making. fri 3 oct 2014 piano Ji Liu
RAM lunchtime sessions Colston Hall and the Royal Academy of Music present a series of concerts given by top students of the prestigious London School. Every Tuesday throughout October and November 2014, and February and March 2015, enjoy a bite-sized performance by the rising stars of the classical world.
fri 31 oct 2014* violin Bartosz Woroch piano Robert Thompson fri 28 nov 2014* cello Michael Petrov fri 27 feb 2015* violin Benjamin Baker piano Erdem Misirlioglu fri 10 april 2015 mezzo-soprano Anna Huntley piano James Baillieu
Thanks to CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust, we are excited to be able to offer free tickets for 8-25 year olds to selected chamber concerts. All International Classical Season Chamber Concerts (see pages 13, 17, 20, 24) are eligible as well as the lunchtime concerts identified with an asterisk (*).
All concerts take place in the intimate surroundings of The Lantern and start at 1.05pm. tickets £5.50 incl. bf.
Claiming your CAVATINA ticket is really simple – just come to the box office and ask them for a CAVATINA ticket. There’s no catch, all you will be asked for is your name, date of birth, your email address, and how you found out about the scheme.
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box office 0844 887 1500 www.colstonhall.org
thu 21 may 2015* Trio Isimsiz
food & drink
gordito
colston st. bar & kitchen
Our take on the charcuterie and tapas bars of Barcelona's 'La Boqueria' Market. We’ve sourced some of the best cured meats and artisan cheeses from home and further afield. To compliment these fantastic products we have a drinks list that has been influenced by Spain: 12 wines all available by the glass, a selection of sherries, ports and bottled beers reminiscent of your last beach holiday.
Colston Street Bar & Kitchen boasts a fantastic bar, serving beers produced locally by Bath Ales. With a menu influenced by America and Europe, it is the perfect spot for breakfast, lunch and dinner or coffee, with an impressive selection of homemade cakes. There is also a tempting choice of boozy milkshakes. A great place to meet friends before a show. Reserve your table online at www.bathales.com.
@gorditobristol gordito@bathales.co.uk 0117 204 7130 mon – sat 4pm – 11pm
Food served all day every day. @colstonstbar colstonstbar@bathales.co.uk 0117 204 7131 mon – sat 8am – 11pm; sun 10am – 10.30pm
Colston Hall’s stalls and terrace bars open one hour before shows begin and remain open throughout. We serve a range of drinks in comfortable surroundings, the highlight being our third floor terrace bar.
box office 0844 887 1500 www.colstonhall.org
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become a subscriber and save money book for 3 or more concerts and save up to 30% on tickets Secure the best seats in an exclusive booking period from 22 April to 17 May No postage fees* Applies to concerts on pages 8 to 27 (excluding chamber concerts) Book for 3 concerts save 5% Book for 4-5 concerts save 10% and receive a free ticket to a lunchtime concert of your choice Book for 6-7 concerts save 15% and receive a free ticket to three lunchtime concerts of your choice Book for 8-10 concerts save 20% and receive a free ticket to all lunchtime concerts Book for 11-12 concerts save 25% and receive a free ticket to all lunchtime concerts, a free programme for each concert and an invitation to the launch of the 2015/16 classical season
how to book If you are booking for 3 or more concerts at the same time you are entitled to book ahead of everyone else. Priority booking opens on Tuesday 22 April and runs until Saturday 17 May. Please telephone the box office to receive a booking form and return it during this period. Online sales and general booking opens on Wednesday 28 May. All of the above benefits still apply. Tickets can be booked online or through the box office and the discount will be applied at the checkout. Only one discount applies at any time therefore students and under 18s cannot take advantage of the further subscription discounts. All prices include a 7.5% booking fee (bf) *All online bookings are subject to a ÂŁ1.50 postage fee.
Book for all 13 concerts save 30% and receive a free ticket to all lunchtime concerts, a free programme for each concert and an invitation to the launch of the 2015/16 classical season
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box office 0844 887 1500 www.colstonhall.org
seating plan choir
Price bands A B C D
D
stalls D Box
D Box
stage
stage
C
rows D-F D
A
rows G-K
A
rows O-Z
B
rows AA-HH
D
rows JJ-KK
box office 0844 887 1500 www.colstonhall.org
A-C AA-DD
balcony
A
rows A-D
A
rows E-H
B
rows J-R
C
rows S-U
D A-C AA-DD
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“San Carlo haS the ingredientS o t h e r S C a n o n ly d r e a m o F ”
The Observer
Aldo Zilli now part of the San Carlo team
44 Corn Street, Bristol BS1 1HQ E: bristol@sancarlo.co.uk T: 0117 922 6586 www.sancarlo.co.uk
Winner oF tWenty tWo preStigiouS aWardS
@SanCarloBristol
facebook.com/sancarlogroup
diary
box office 0844 887 1500 www.colstonhall.org
2014
2015
sep
jan
tue 16 kinshasa symphony orchestra p30 tue 30 soaring strauss bournemouth symphony orchestra p08
sat 24 the power and the glory the hallĂŠ p14 sun 25 the orchestra pitts p33
oct
thu 5
fri 3 mon 6 wed 8
lunchtime concert alison balsom brahms in bristol bbc national orchestra of wales
p34 p30 p09
sat 18 come and sing 125th anniversary celebration bristol choral society p32 tue 21 stephen johnson insight thu 23 arabian nights bournemouth symphony orchestra
rachmaninov: remembering russia bournemouth symphony orchestra p15
fri 27 lunchtime concert p34 fri 27 heroes and superheroes 2 bournemouth symphony orchestra p31 mar
p11
tue 10 stephen johnson insight and english piano trio p17
p10
fri 13 brava benedetti camerata salzburg p17 fri 27 swansongs bournemouth symphony orchestra p19
thu 30 the world changed national arts orchestra of canada
p11
fri 31
p34
lunchtime concert
feb
nov sat 8 sun 9 sat 15 tue 25
philip glass ensemble: retrospective p29 john wilson orchestra p30 bristol metropolitan orchestra p32 stephen johnson insight and english piano trio p13
thu 27 fri 28 sat 29
y viva espana! brussels philharmonic p12 lunchtime concert p34 elgar: the dream of gerontius bristol choral society and bournemouth symphony orchestra p31
sat 28 haydn: the creation bristol choral society p33 apr fri 10 sat 11 tue 21
lunchtime concert national children's orchestras of great britain
p33
stephen johnson insight and english piano trio p20
wed 22 double dvorˇåk czech philharmonic orchestra p20 thu 30 blood and fire bournemouth symphony orchestra
dec
may
sat 20 handel's messiah and mini messiah bristol choral society p32
tue 12 stephen johnson insight and english piano trio
tue 30 strauss gala bournemouth symphony orchestra p31
p34
p23
p24
thu 21 lunchtime concert p34 fri 22 ode to joy warsaw philharmonic orchestra p24 jun
Every Tuesday throughout October and November 2014, and February and March 2015, enjoy a bite-sized performance with the Royal Academy of Music Lunchtime Concerts. See p34
wed 10 sibelius 150th anniversary philharmonia orchestra
p27
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getting to colston hall and how to book getting here by car Via M5: Exit junction 18, follow A4 (Portway) to the centre. At the promenade (St Augustine’s Parade) turn left into Colston Street. Via M4: Exit junction 19 (M32). Follow brown signs to the Hall.
co lst on
ha ll
For dropping off/picking up turn into Colston Street, or use the lay-by next to the Hall in Pipe Lane.
Cover: Sunwook Kim, p. 23
we are here Colston Hall, Colston Street, Bristol BS1 5AR
We recommend parking in Trenchard Street car park, which is behind Colston Hall. Enter via Trenchard Street or Lodge Street. Charges are payable at the pay machine either at the entrance (before leaving the car park) or exit. 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 08457 48 49 50 for train times.
how to book By telephone on 0844 887 1500 Online at www.colstonhall.org In person at Colston Hall box office
by bus Most city centre buses stop at the central promenade where you should alight for Colston Hall. For bus information, call Traveline on 0871 200 2233.
booking fees All prices include a 7.5% booking fee (bf)
disability access
box office hours Monday–Saturday 10am–6pm
For information on disability access in the building, please visit www.colstonhall.org/visit-us/ accessibility
feeling social? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for ticket competitions, first news on event updates and much more www.facebook.com/ColstonHall @Colston_Hall instagram.com/colstonhall This programme is correct at time of going to press.