Whats On Guide April - August 2017 by Liverpool Philharmonic

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Featuring Holy Holy Mnozil Brass: Cirque George Harrison Within You Without You: The story of The Beatles and Indian Music Carleen Anderson The Spooky Men’s Chorale Box Office liverpoolphil.com 0151 709 3789

Image Carleen Anderson / Page 10

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In Harmony Liverpool

complete your evening... ...just across the road, we’re the perfect partner for your concert going prix fixe menu two courses £22.00 / post concert nightcaps / bedrooms from £90

WEDDINGS, PARTIES, MEETINGS, RECEPTIONS & CONFERENCES at Liverpool Philharmonic

The Art Deco splendour of Liverpool’s iconic Grade II* listed Liverpool Philharmonic Hall or the ultra-contemporary Music Room, is the perfect place for summer parties, weddings, private dining, meetings, receptions and conferences. –

For more information visit www. liverpoolphil.com/hire or email hire@ liverpoolphil.com Image xxxxxxxxxxx

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t: 0151 709 3000 e: sleep@hopestreethotel.co.uk web: www.hopestreethotel.co.uk

t: 0151 705 2222 e: eat@hopestreethotel.co.uk web: www.thelondoncarriageworks.co.uk

WELCOME

INTRODUCING

April – September 2017 at Liverpool Philharmonic

THE LONDON CARRIAGE WORKS

Contents

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC’S RESTAURANT PARTNER

LightNight Liverpool 2017 Page 5 – Contemporary Music Page 6 – Music Room Page 11 – Family & Variety Page 20 – Talks, Tours & Taking part Page 21 – Classical Music Page 23 – Comedy & Spoken Word Page 28 – Film Page 29

We are delighted to announce that The London Carriage Works is Liverpool Philharmonic’s new restaurant partner. We will no longer be offering pre-concert dining in the Grand Foyer (but will continue to offer a great range of beverages and bar snacks) and highly recommend The London Carriage Works for pre and post-concert dining. For our concert-going diners the pre fixe or à la carte menu is served from 5pm every day, with swift service guaranteed to get you across the road in time for the concert. A prix fixe two course is £22 and three courses is £27.50. (Pudding can be kept for post-concert return!) To book please call 0151 705 2222 or visit www.thelondoncarriageworks.co.uk.

GIFT CARDS GIVE THE GIFT OF LIVE MUSIC A perfect present for the music lover who has everything! Available online at liverpoolphil.com/giftcards, or phone 0151 709 3789. Redeemable online or at Box Office for any concert or event at Liverpool Philharmonic.

Alternatively, ask Liverpool Philharmonic’s Box Office team to put your call through to the restaurant after you have booked your concert tickets.

‘Since getting Priority Booking I get to see more great shows & have the best seats in the house... why wouldn’t you join?’ Mike, Priority Booking Member

Did you miss out on tickets to see Cast, Kraftwerk, Simple Minds, Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, Bryan Ferry, Seasick Steve or Lee Mack? Then join the Liverpool Philharmonic Priority Booking Scheme!

PRIORITY BOOKING BEAT THE CROWDS!

CHOOSE FROM 3 DIFFERENT DESIGNS

For just £35 a year members receive advanced email notification of every new show before it goes on sale and are able to book tickets up to 48 hours before everyone else!* To sign up call 0151 210 2921, email fundraising@liverpoolphil.com or buy online at liverpoolphil.com/priority

LightNight Liverpool 2017 Friday 19 May from 5.30pm Free – Liverpool’s annual late night arts festival returns. Liverpool Philharmonic, once again, joins venues across the city to present an evening of free events and treats for you to enjoy. An evening of diverse musical experiences awaits!

In the Music Room, enjoy performances by classical guitarist Craig Ogden, one of the UK’s most recorded guitarists. Then the Rubber Duck Orchestra takes the stage with its line up of 7 barmy, brassy, stomping, dancing musicians. They’ll make the floor bounce and walls sweat as they weave Balkan, Roma, Klezmer and Swing into an unabashed frenetic vibe. BBC Radio Merseyside legend Roger Hill also joins the fold. In the Grand Foyer, our

Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Company Ensembles perform new works by our Rushworth Young Composers Joshua Quinlan and Yasmin Al-Zuhairi. In the Hall, listen to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir under the direction of Chorusmaster Ian Tracey perform Bach, Vivaldi, Billy Joel and more!

Grand Foyer 5.30pm - 6pm: Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Company Ensembles –

Main Auditorium 6pm - 6.40pm, 7.20pm - 8pm and 8.20pm - 9pm: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir –

Music Room 6pm - 6.45pm: Craig Ogden, guitar 7pm - 7.45pm and 8.15pm - 9pm: Rubber Duck Orchestra 9.15 – 10pm Roger Hill –

*Terms and conditions apply

Book now at www.liverpoolphil.com

6 | Contemporary Music

Contemporary Music | 7

Robert Cray Band

Wednesday 26 April 7.30pm £25, £35, £40 – ‘If they could bottle the sort of bonhomie that can make an entire concert hall feel better, The Saw Doctors would have the medicine show to end them

all’ says The Times. After a three-year break from playing live Irish rock band, The Saw Doctors, are back! They return to Liverpool Philharmonic to debut new songs from their latest album, Uber Value, the band also bring back fan favourite hits including ‘N17’, ‘I Useta Lover’, and ‘To Win Just Once’.

The legendary folk singer and one of England’s most respected song collectors – has announced her return after 38 years with her new album, Lodestar. The album is a collection of English, American and Cajun songs dating from the 16th Century to

the 1950s, recorded at Shirley’s by Stephen Thrower and Ossian Brown of Cyclobe and produced and musically directed by Ian Kearey who has collaborated with Leon Rosselson, Oysterband and The Blue Aeroplanes. As well as these

musicians the show features a fine array of other musicians and dancers invited by Shirley including Boss Morris, Alasdair Roberts and others to be announced.

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three million people across the world and spent this summer splitting her time between the recording studio and headlining festivals across Europe.

Saturday 1 April 7.30pm £32, £35, £41 – Hugely influential in the history of popular music, 10cc are one of the few acts to have achieved commercial, critical and creative success, with their current live incarnation still selling-out major concert halls. Testament to 10cc’s ongoing appeal, the band count fellow artists Chrissie Hynde, Axl Rose, The Feeling’s Dan Gillespie and Sophie EllisBextor among their many millions of fans. With 11 top 10 hits and the number ones, ‘Rubber Bullets’, ‘I’m Not In Love ‘and ‘Dreadlock Holiday’ it’s no surprise the band has sold 15 million albums in the UK.

The Saw Doctors

Caro Emerald

Plus support Sunday 30 April 7.30pm £29.50, £35.50, £39.50 – Guitarist and singer-songwriter Robert Cray returns to Liverpool ahead of the release of a highly anticipated new album. Considered one of the greatest guitarists of his generation, Cray’s soulful and creative guitar work has been a dominant force in blues for over forty years, widely recognized and acknowledged by peers and audiences alike. This is the opportunity to witness a genre defining artist.

Monday 24 April 7.30pm £22.50, £35, £47.50 – The Amsterdam Conservatory jazz-trained vocalist is an original pop star with the look of a Hollywood icon of yesteryear.

Chris De Burgh

Thursday 13 April 7.30pm £34.50, £39.50, £45 – The Spiders From Mars, Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Woody Woodmansey joined forces with icon David Bowie to become an unstoppable force in music. Together, they dragged the whole world through musical technicolour – in a

career that defined a generation and inspired countless others. Now, in this incredible show, The Spiders, the band Holy Holy, featuring the original Spiders drummer Woody Woodmansey, long time Bowie collaborator and legendary producer Tony Visconti and Heaven 17’s Glenn Gregory, perform The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars in its entirety.

Holy Holy

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Saturday 8 April 7.30pm £22.50, £29.50, £37.50, £42.50 –

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Plus support Newton Faulkner

Amy Macdonald visits Liverpool Philharmonic in her first UK tour in four years. Still only 29 years old, Amy has released three albums and sold over five million records worldwide including 1.5 million here in the UK. She has performed to over

Plus support Ian Hornal

Image Amy Macdonald

Amy Macdonald

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

10cc: Greatest Hits & More

Beau and Friends Saturday 15 April 7.30pm £15, £25, £27.50, £30, £35, £40 – 12-year-old Widnes schoolgirl and singing sensation, Beau Dermott in her first ever concert.

Sunday 23 April 7.30pm £45, £55, £60 – His 26th studio album, A Better World is released a little over three months after the 30th anniversary of the release of his hugely successful album Into The Light.

Beau performs live the songs that brought her to national acclaim and took her to the Britain’s Got Talent final. In her debut show, Beau performs well-known musical theatre songs, pop and songs of various genres and will be joined by several special guests of local and national fame. The concert is in aid of Cancer Research, the Donna Louise Trust and the Mane Chance Sanctuary.

Shirley Collins presents Lodestar Plus very special guests Saturday 6 May 7.30pm £24.50, £30.50 –

Booking fees - Online and phone 7.50% per order administrative fee applies, this includes all costs and standard postage is free. In Person No fees for cash or debit card payments. Credit card payments incur a 2% transaction fee and cheque payments are subject to 70p per order charge.

Book now at www.liverpoolphil.com

8 | Contemporary Music

Contemporary Music | 9

Wednesday 10 May 7.30pm £22.50, £29.50, £39.50, £50 – One of the most important bands in the history of British music, in the development of symphonic rock and indeed

prog rock, Procol Harum celebrate the 50th anniversary of the band. In this concert the band dip into their vast catalogue and cannon of worldwide hits to bring to the stage the magic that they have always retained, with a few new surprises too.

Plus support Ainslie Wills

Tom Chaplin

Sunday 14 May 7.30pm £24, £30 – The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain is ‘sheer fun and outright daffiness tied to first-rate musicality and comic timing,’ raves The New York Times. In this show there are no drums, pianos, backing tracks, or electronic trickery. Instead, audiences can look forward to lots of catchy, foot-stomping tunes on ukuleles, a bit of comedy, and sheer fun.

welcome back Solid Silver 60s favourites The Merseybeats with Dave Berry performing alongside them. This year sees the return of Wayne Fontana and Vanity Fare and we are delighted to welcome back our very special guest Chris Montez from the USA.

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain: Heresy II Heritage

Saturday 13 May 7.30pm £29.50, £32, £38 – Over 30 years, the Solid Silver 60s Show has entertained the nation and celebrated history’s most successful decade of music. We’re delighted to

Plus special guests The Anchoress

The Solid Silver 60s Show

Plus special guests

Tuesday 16 May 7.30pm £18.50, £25, £35 – Former lead singer of the band Keane, Chaplin has assembled an incredible group of musicians who are all multiinstrumentalists, able to switch what they play as the richly layered songs demand. His band features MD, drummer and programmer Sebastian Sternberg; Rosie Langley on violin, synths and guitar; classically trained pianist and violinist Tobie Tripp; and Beau Holland on guitar, synths and piano. His stunning debut album, The Wave was released 14 October. Its hugely evocative and powerful sound is driven by his unmistakable voice.

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Procol Harum

Simple Minds

Monday 15 May 7.30pm £25, £35, £45 – Imelda May has announced her first UK tour in over three years in support of her highly anticipated new album Life Love Flesh Blood. Imelda has found a new groove, exploring blues, soul, gospel, folk, rock, sensitive acoustica, cinematic drama and explosive balladry on a set of the boldest, most personal and intimately songs she has ever written. Taking the biggest band line up she has ever toured, the shows promise to delight both old and new fans of Imelda’s music.

Sunday 7 May 7.30pm £27.50, £29.50, £35.50 – Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett and his band return with a new Genesis/solo set, including several gems from Genesis album Wind and Wuthering celebrating its 40th anniversary, along with other big favourites. This spectacular show also introduces numbers from Steve’s new album, due out early Spring 2017, with special favourites spanning his solo career, including ‘The Steppes’, ‘Serpentine’, ‘Every Day’ and never previously performed ‘Rise Again’.

1967-2017 Tour

Imelda May

Steve Hackett

Genesis Revisited with Classic Hackett

Monday 22 May 7.30pm £36, £46, £56, £76, £99 – Simple Minds perform their acclaimed acoustic show.

Liverpool Sound City

The Human League

Thursday 25 May 6pm Liverpool Waters, Clarence Dock £45 (£80 VIP) – Celebrating nearly 40 years at the very forefront of electronic

music, The Human League will be playing hits from their epoch defining albums Reproduction and Travelogue through to Dare, Hysteria and Crash at the iconic industrial landscape of Liverpool Waters. Support comes from 80’s electronic innovators Art of Noise featuring Dudley/Jeczalik/ Lanagan and A Certain Ratio.

The Magic of Motown

George Harrison Within You Without You: The Story of The Beatles and Indian Music

first-hand accounts of George’s embrace of Indian music told by some of those he encountered in this transformative period of his life. As part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, this unique performance will introduce you to those who took part in a story of the Beatles that has never fully been told.

Damien Dempsey Sunday 28 May 8pm £20, £26 – The phenomenal force that is Damien Dempsey is set to release his brand new studio album Soulsun on 26 May 2017. Produced by John Reynolds the album features duets with Dido and Imelda May and is without doubt Damien’s most exciting work to date. Ireland’s preeminent singer songwriter, Dempsey is renowned for his searing live shows and this time he will be delivering his magically infused rock potion with his full live band. All the classics and some amazing new tracks. ‘One of Ireland’s great singer-songwriters’ The Guardian

Madeleine Peyroux Friday 2 June 7.30pm £29.50, £37.50, £42.50 – French-American singer Madeleine Peyroux creates her own interpretations of some classic songs, leading an absorbing, intimate set drawn

from her acclaimed new album Secular Hymns. In a strippeddown trio set, Peyroux gets to the heart of a lyric, probing layers of emotional depth that reveal a bitter-sweet and effortless beauty. In Secular Hymns, she demonstrates her versatility with fresh takes on songs by some of the great songwriters of the 20th Century.

Friday 9 June 7.30pm £22.50, £28.50 – This concert celebrates George Harrison’s discovery of Indian music and the impact it had on the Beatles as they entered their ‘recording studio’ phase. Through the playing of an Indian ensemble together with a Liverpool band assembled for the concert, the synthesis between rock and roll and ragas will be explored. The concert will feature instruments, rare images and newly-produced

Saturday 27 May 7.30pm £27.50, £33.50 – Now seen by over a million people worldwide, prepare for a show of classic Motown hits, glittering costume changes, dazzling dance moves and outstanding musicianship. Celebrate the sound of a generation as the timeless music of Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves, Jackson 5, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson and many more are sensationally recreated for you including all you favourite songs ‘Ain’t No Mountain’, ‘Signed Sealed Delivered’, ‘Grapevine’, ‘Get Ready’, ‘Dancing In The Streets’, ‘My Girl’, ‘Blame It On The Boogie’, ‘Uptight, ‘All Night Long’, ‘Heatwave’ and many more.

Book now at www.liverpoolphil.com

10 | Contemporary Music

Music Room | 11 SOPTV

Sons of Pitches

Carleen Anderson Saturday 10 June 7.30pm £19.50, £25.50 – Acknowledged by BBC 6 Music’s Gilles Peterson as one of the most powerful singer/ songwriters of her generation, Carleen Anderson returns with her seventh album. Cage Street Memorial – The Pilgrimage is the third piece of a creative trilogy that includes a book and a live performance. An original blend of jazz, soul, gospel, opera, and classical chamber music, this performance presents an exciting and highly personal mixture of styles.

Saturday 1 July 7.30pm £24.50, £29.50 – The SOPTV show explores the highly entertaining world of television, through The Sons’ own inimitable style and vocal delivery, bringing a complete televisual experience to the stage. Expect performances of your favourite TV themes, sketches about panel shows, quiz shows and talent competitions, and more... all using the human voice. The boys will even hand the remote control over to the audience for the group’s trademark improvisation. This is the group’s first conceptual show since their smash 2014 Edinburgh Fringe hit, Boiler Alert.

The Spooky Men’s Chorale Thursday 13 July 7.30pm £18.50, £24.50 – The Spooky Men Chorale first attracted wider attention at the National Folk Festival in Canberra, 2004, which led to appearances at Woodford Festival and the first of six tours

to the UK in 2006. They seek to commentate on the absurdity and grandeur of the modern male armed only with their voices, a sly collection of hats and facial hair, and a twinkle in the eye. Expect a combination of Georgian table songs, pin drop beautiful ballads and highly inappropriate covers.

Image Coope Boyes and Simpson

Music Room is situated to the rear of Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, on Sugnall Street. This friendly and informal setting with fabulous sound is the perfect space to get closer to live music.

Kraftwerk 3-D

Home to folk roots, blues, world and new music artists. Music Room events are in a relaxed cabaret-style seating format, unless otherwise stated. Standing or theatre-style seating applies to some events (marked throughout).

Featuring Gilson Lavis, with special guest and guest vocalists Ruby Turner, Beth Rowley & Louise Marshall Saturday 15 July 7.30pm £37.50, £43.50, £45.50 – Jools Holland OBE, perhaps the UK’s most popular pianist and bandleader, returns with his 20piece Rhythm & Blues Orchestra with former Squeeze drummer, Gilson Lavis at the helm. Ruby

the rich and diverse work of Bob Dylan and is as straightforward as the title suggests: no frills, no gimmicks, no pretence, no lookalikes, no carbon copy.

International Beatleweek Presents

The Cavern 60th Anniversary Concert! Monday 28 August 8pm £25, £35 – Back by popular demand! The Cavern Club opened its doors on 16 January 1957 and this special show celebrates the

60th anniversary of ‘The Most Famous Club In The World’. This show will cover the past 6 decades and will feature the Beatles and Mersey Beat, the Who, Adele and McCartney’s legendary 1999 gig at the Cavern. This specially commissioned show is presented by The Overtures, the UK’s premiere 60s band and no strangers to Liverpool Philharmonic. 60 years and the beat goes on…

Tommy Fleming In Concert Saturday 1 April 8pm £20 – With our 3 million albums sold world-wide, Fleming is best known for his original arrangements of ‘Danny Boy’, ‘Isle of Inisfree’ and ‘Hard Times’. His other stirring renditions of ballads such as ‘You Raise Me Up’ to ‘Bridge over Troubled Waters’, have cemented his position as one of Ireland’s best loved exports. ‘The success of this concert was Tommy’s classic interpretation of The Leaving of Liverpool and The Auld Triangle - he had the audience on its feet.’ The New York Times

Brian Kennedy

ever, Jools and his Orchestra continue to dazzle audiences with their exuberant live performances.

Turner, Beth Rowley and Louise Marshall deliver true rhythm and blues boogie woogie with their show-stopping vocals. As

Sunday 27 August 7.30pm £25, £30, £35, £40 – This August Bank Holiday weekend enjoy a musical journey through the career of one of the world’s most iconic singer-songwriters! Simply Dylan is Liverpool based artist John O’Connell’s (formerly of Groundpig) personal exploration and celebration of

Simply Dylan

Jools Holland & his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra

Sunday 11 June 7.30pm £45, £55, £75 – Electro pioneers Kraftwerk perform their critically acclaimed live show. Bringing together music and performance art, Kraftwerk 3-D concerts are a true Gesamtkunstwerk, a total work of art. Their compositions, using innovative techniques, synthetic voices and computerised rhythms, have had a major international influence across an entire range of music genres. In their live performances, Kraftwerk illustrate their belief in the respective contributions of both man and machine.

MUSIC ROOM

Sunday 2 April 8pm (rescheduled from 30 March) £17.50 – Internationally celebrated, Belfast-born singer Kennedy is also a songwriter, novelist, TV and radio presenter and former lead vocalist with Van Morrison’s Blues & Soul Revue. He was also the lead singing performer in Riverdance on Broadway in a specially tailored role at the request of the composer Bill Whelan. Brian has shared the stage with an extraordinary list of legends like Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Jeff Buckley, Moya Brennan, Sinead O’Connor, Eddi Reader, Boy George and Sting.

Philly Soul Saturday 15 April 8pm £20 (standing show) – A triple-treat tribute night to male soul icons! Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye and Lionel Richie. The Ultimate Tribute to Michael Jackson has for twenty years been bringing to life the sensational dancing and distinctive sound of Michael and the Jackson 5 in a show of non-stop hits. Born in the USA, cool as Marvin Gaye with a voice to match, Robin Lee is a quality soul and motown singer. Marc Marcus is Europe’s top Lionel Richie tribute and has performed his vocal talents all over the world and now he joins us for a night of soul classics. Support comes from DJ Wink playing all your soul classics both new and old.

Fascinating Aïda’s

Dillie Keane Tuesday 18 April & Wednesday 19 April 7.30pm £19.50 – Dillie takes a short break from her Fascinating Aïda gal pals to bring her solo show to Music Room for the first time. With brand new tunes, grand old favourites, gorgeous songs of love and hilarious songs of utter wickedness, Dillie will break your heart, mend it again and have it sent to the cleaners for pressing. And she’ll give you her recipe for chutney while she’s at it. ‘Keane, whose piano-playing remains as sprightly and inventive as ever, prompts gales of laughter with merely the raising of a quizzical eyebrow.’ The Times

Book now at www.liverpoolphil.com

12 | Music Room

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Police Dog Hogan

Music Room | 13

Friday 21 April 8pm £16 – Police Dog Hogan are a highenergy and eclectic eight-piece, combining fiddle, banjo, trumpet, mandolin, drums and

guitars with knockout four-part harmonies in an exuberant and genre-defying fusing of country, pop, folk, and rocking urban bluegrass.

Of Sailors and Whalers

‘One of our new favourite bands’ The Telegraph

Sunday 23 April 8pm £15 (£17.50 on the door) – Kathryn Williams makes her Music Room debut in support of her new album Resonator, a collaboration with Anthony Kerr one of the world’s top jazz vibraphone players. The pair have been working on the album and this live version for six years, breathing new life into world famous beauties from the Great American Songbook.

this energetic young folk band from Wales, take to the stage. Breathing fire into the old traditions with their infectious rhythms and high voltage routines they have introduced a new generation of music fans to Welsh traditional music. They then go on to melt into

some of the most beautiful and haunting songs and explore the legends of Wales’ very own fairy realm with tales of magic, myth and mischief. Great fun, a huge sense of humour, and step-dancing from a champion dancer makes for an outstanding show.

‘A diverse ride between giddy Welsh reeling, healthy acoustic folk-pop with upfront attitude and brashness of youth’ fRoots

Frequencies

Saturday 22 April 8pm £20 – This is the second in the series of Django’s Legacy concerts showcasing the stunning music

Plus special guests

smugglers and wreckers. With the Mersey in their souls, and Scouse in their bellies they are steeped in folk and Irish traditions, Merseybeat, Beatles, Skiffle, Punk and even opera! Enjoy their haunting ballads, wonderful harmonies and raucous choruses.

Support Gerry French

Django’s Legacy II: The Robin Nolan Trio

Kathryn Williams

Saturday 6 May 8pm £12 –

Shanties and songs of river and sea, celebrate Liverpool’s maritime history with a rant and a roar! Port Sunlight Sea Dogs continue a great tradition of singing shanties and songs of a sailor’s hard life on the high seas, songs of heroes and villains and

Port Sunlight Sea Dogs

of legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt. World renowned gypsy jazz guitarist Robin Nolan has fused the worlds of his guitar heroes Django Reinhardt and Angus Young. Enjoy an evening of Django classics, Gypsy Jazz, Swing, and Beatles tunes mixed with AC/DC classics played like you’ve never heard them before!

Mark Radcliffe... Should You Be Interested Tuesday 25 April 8pm £16 – See page 28 for details

Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Company Brass Band

Saturday 29 April For more information please visit www.mfy.org.uk – Frequencies returns to Liverpool Philharmonic’s Music Room for the second year. Run by Music for Youth, Frequencies is a one-day event that offers emerging musicians under 21 of any style the stage, giving them chance to perform and receive expert feedback, along with opportunities to network and collaborate with both emerging and established artists, and learn from the industry in panel Q&A sessions. Come along to the evening showcase from 7:30pm to catch brilliant new talent on the way up.

Calan

with special guest Dan Wilde Sunday 7 May 8pm £14 – Fiddles, guitar, accordion, bagpipes and step dancing explode into life when Calan,

Philharmonic Orchestra and Besses O’th Barn Brass Band, this pre-concert performance

will showcase a range of brass music, from symphonic classics to rousing brass band music.

Thursday 27 April 6pm Free (booking required) – Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Company provides a range of performance and ensemble opportunities for talented young musicians from across the North West, including Youth Company Brass Band. Directed by trombonist Simon Cowen from the Royal Liverpool

Book now at www.liverpoolphil.com

14 | Music Room Lunchtime Concert

Jonathan Aasgaard and Ian Buckle Monday 8 May 1pm £8 – Beethoven Cello Sonata in A major Op.69

Music Room | 15

The Fureys Thursday 11 May 8pm £21 – For over 39 years now Ireland’s the Fureys have been selling out

concerts worldwide. Prepare yourself for another great night of Irish music, songs and stories. Hear them sing their timeless classics including ‘When you were sweet 16’, ‘I Will Love You’, ‘The Green

Fields of France’, ‘The Old Man’, ‘Red Rose Café’, ‘From Clare to here’, ‘Her Father didn’t like me anyway’, ‘Leaving Nancy’ and ‘Steal away’ plus songs from their new CD The Times They Are A Changing.

Shostakovich Cello Sonata in D minor Op.40 Jonathan Aasgaard cello Ian Buckle piano

50th Anniversary Tour

Fairport Convention

Saturday 20 & Sunday 21 May 8pm £27 – Enjoy an evening of musical celebration with Fairport Convention at this golden anniversary concert. Credited with originating British folkrock, Fairport first took to the stage in 1967’s summer of love.

Over five decades the band’s passion for live performance has never wavered. To mark its fiftieth year, Fairport has released a brand new CD titled 50:50@50. The concert will also feature an opening performance by Sally Barker, one of England’s most talented singer-songwriters. Sally came to prominence in the all-girl folk group The Poozies but is also known for her appearances on the BBC TV talent show The Voice.

Farewell Tour Wednesday 24 May 8pm £15 – Coope, Boyes and Simpson embark on their farewell tour as a trio. This gig is a celebration of their career featuring material from across their entire repertoire. In 1993, three blokes from South Yorkshire and Derbyshire, with a name like a firm of solicitors, released an album of acappella songs full of social comment and (in the words of fRoots) ‘harmonies

Join Jonathan and Ian for a musical interlude to your busy day in this Lunchtime Concert. These concerts last about an hour and doors open at 12 noon. Sponsored by

Boo Hewerdine and Band

plus Findlay Napier Friday 12 May 8pm £15, (£17.50 on the door) – ‘One of the country’s most consistently admired songwriters’ says Folk Radio UK, Boo Hewerdine releases his first new studio album in eight years, Swimming In Mercury, in April. And for this concert, in a rare fullband line up, Boo is joined by

Anna and Elizabeth Wednesday 17 May 8pm £14 – Anna Roberts-Gevalt and Elizabeth Laprelle’s growing acclaim springs from a shared quartet of talents: Both are historians, storytellers, visual artists, and gifted, intuitive musicians—in combination, it’s a ground-breaking approach. Inspired by the richness and tradition of the music, Anna & Elizabeth gather songs and stories from archives and visits with elders. They bring these songs to life in performance with sparse, atmospheric

Chris Pepper (drums), Chris Bradbury (guitar & keys) and Mark Ellis (bass). Recently Boo wrote Radio Ballads for the BBC’s Olympic and recent Child Migration series. He formed the duo State Of The Union with American guitarist Brooks Williams and has written lyrics and played on over 30 new recordings by and with other artists including the acclaimed releases with Eddi Reader, and an album with Kris Drever of Lau.

arrangements using guitar, banjo, fiddle, and the uncanny blend of their voices in close harmony. Anna & Elizabeth accompany their songs with stories—of the lyrics, of the singer, of the quest to learn the song—and they illustrate them in mesmerizing fashion. ‘If you’ve never thought your tastes would lean to mountain music, take a deep breath and soak it all in.’ NPR Music

Coope Boyes & Simpson

you could chew’. Twenty four years later Coope, Boyes & Simpson have released what will be their final studio album. Coda is a collection of songs covering issues such as refugees, Iraq and climate change. With an anger undimmed, the trio are returning to their roots and completing the circle that started. ‘Coda is a magnificent conclusion to a magnificent career; but somehow I still can’t believe it will be the last word from CB&S.’ fRoots

The Monochrome Set Plus special guests Sunday 28 May 8pm

Sally Barker & Brooks Williams Tuesday 23 May 8pm £14 – This collaboration between two classy and versatile singer songwriters is something special. They met when Brooks was making his latest album My Turn Now on which Sally did some guest vocals, there was an instant connection. For many years, Barker led all female folk band The Poozies and is known most recently for her appearance on The Voice, on which her singing reduced Tom Jones to tears. Sally has supported Bob Dylan, Robert Plant and sings with the reformed Sandy Denny’s Fotheringay. Brooks hails from Statesboro, Georgia, the

town made famous by countryblues legend Blind Willie McTell. Ranked in the ‘Top 100 Acoustic Guitarists’, his music is a fusion of blues, old country and Americana. He is also half of State Of The Union with Boo Hewerdine, and fronts Lightning Express, with Andy Seward and Keith Angel.

Jon Gomm Saturday 27 May 8pm £15 (standing show) – Jon Gomm is an acoustic singer-songwriter with a revolutionary virtuoso guitar style. Live, he combines deeply personal performances and a natural wit. His once seen, never forgotten two-handed guitar style, produces sounds you can barely believe are coming from a humble acoustic guitar.

£15 (£17.50 on the door) (standing show) – The new wave favourites are back with their original line up - Bid (Guitar/Vocals) and Andy Warren (bass) with John Paul Moran (Keyboard) and Mike Urban (Drums). The Monochrome Set’s early releases were on the legendary Rough Trade Label before signing with Virgin offshoot Din Disc. After a hiatus of over a decade the band reformed full time in 2010 and have since toured all over the UK, Europe, Japan and the USA, whilst also releasing four new critically acclaimed studio albums, the most recent, Cosmonaut in September 2016.

Book now at www.liverpoolphil.com

16 | Music Room

Music Room | 17

The Temperance Seven Thursday 8 June 8pm £16 – It was 1955 when The Temperance Seven began their quest to promote all things British and nostalgic cricket, steam trains, real ale and jazz music of the 1920s. With connections to the likes of Spike Milligan and Terry Jones, in 1960 they recorded

Lizanne Knott Tuesday 30 May 8pm £12 – Award-winning singersongwriter from Philadelphia, USA, Lizanne Knott has been is making her mark on the Americana scene, captivating audiences throughout the States and the European festival circuit. You may have caught one of her frequent appearances on BBC Radio 2’s Bob Harris

27 June & 28 June 8pm £22.50 – ‘I spent the summer with Monika and Monika spent the summer with me’.

Charlie Dore with Julian Littman

Show. What is so compelling about Lizanne’s music is her innate ability to capture little snapshots of life with vivid imagery, understated music and a voice that resonates with passion and soothes.

Saturday 24 June 8pm £12.50 – Numerous award winning songwriter and singer, Dore, teams up with multiinstrumentalist Julian Littman of Steeleye Span to perform material from her album, Dark Matter. In this fast moving show the pair swap guitars,

‘Absolutely gorgeous music. We’ve rarely had as big a reaction to any artist in recent years as we’ve had for Lizanne Knott.’ Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2.

mandolin, harmonium, ukulele, piano and autoharp dipping into favourites from the past six albums as well as sharing original acoustic versions of hits Charlie has written for others, including George Harrison. ‘A gift for melody, brave, poignant, entertaining, original.’ The Guardian

Roger McGough’s magical, iconic tale of love was published in 1967 and subsequently scored and released on record with music by composer and guitarist Andy Roberts. Now, for the 50th anniversary, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s new music group, Ensemble 10/10, will play Robert’s original arrangements as McGough reads his epic poem, and will also feature more of his classic poetry set alongside other music. Summer with Monika: Roger McGough with Ensemble 10/10 is part of Liverpool’s citywide season of performances and events marking the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Summer

Billy Bragg

Django’s Legacy III: John Jorgensen & John Wheatcroft Saturday 3 June 8pm £20 – Blue Drag Music returns with the third Django’s Legacy concert showcasing the music of legendary gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt. Since discovering Django in 1979, John Jorgenson has honoured the legacy of Reinhardt by bringing his unique brand of Gypsy Jazz to the masses with his John Jorgenson Quintet. Featuring John Jorgenson (solo guitar), John Wheatcroft (solo guitar), Micky Dunn (rhythm guitar).

Summer with Monika: Roger McGough with Ensemble 10/10

with Peter Sellers on vocals and came to the attention of a young producer. Intrigued by the prospect of getting their eccentric sound recorded, a certain Sir George Martin cleverly placed them around one microphone in an attempt to simulate a recording from the 1920s. The result was ‘You, You’re Driving me Crazy’ Sir George’s his first number one hit. Their brilliant musicianship and preposterous quirk endures today.

Elephant Sessions

My Darling Clementine

Friday 9 June 8pm £14 – Recently nominated Live Act of the Year at the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards 2016, fiery Highland fivepiece Elephant Sessions are a musical powerhouse, welding weapons-grade grooves and guitar attack with quicksilver

fiddle/mandolin melodies. The group fuse folk and trad with electronica in an instantly captivating, progressive, visceral blend. Winners of Up and Coming Artist of the Year at the 2014 Trad Awards, in just a few short years the group have become renowned for breathtaking live shows, taking the festival scene well and truly by storm.

Sunday 4 June 8pm £15 – The husband and wife Americana and country duo are back. Their 4th album, Still Testifying, will be released in May 2017 and sees the pair further shifting away from classic country to embrace gospel and country soul.

Monday 3 July 7.30pm £7 – Billy Bragg discusses his new book ‘Roots, Radicals and Rockers - How Skiffle Changed the World’. Join the singer and activist as he traces how the guitar came to the forefront of music in the UK and led directly to the British Invasion of the US charts in the 1960s. You can

Silicon Dreams Festival 2017 Saturday 8 July 6.30pm £21.50 (standing show) – A selection of the best new electronic pop comes to Liverpool for this premier boutique festival. Internationally acclaimed headliners Parralox have performed in Germany, Spain, Sweden and the US and have worked with a catalogue of musicians including Ian Burden from The Human League. They

are joined by contemporary electropop duo Avec Sans, with perennial favourites Future Perfect and Berlyn Trilogy. Critically acclaimed soloists Caroline McLavy and Voi Vang complete the very special line-up. If you love pop, you’ll love this fantastic and unique show. Visit www.silicondreams. org.uk for more details about the festival line-up.

The Vale of Clwyd Singers: Madrigals and Motets at Lunchtime Tuesday 4 July 1pm £10 – At Christmas time 2011, five friends came together to sing carols in pubs around Denbigh. The Vale of Clwyd Singers was born. Now a group of 16, they specialize in unaccompanied vocal repertoire from the Renaissance and Baroque, as well as modern music and folk.

of Love, one of the defining moments in modern culture and creativity. 1967 saw the release of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra joins forces with The Bootleg Beatles and Roger McGough once again, for a symphonic recreation, arranged by Nigel Osborne, of the famous album. The best-selling Penguin Modern Poets No.10, The Mersey Sound, which featured the poetry of Roger McGough, Brian Patten and the late Adrian Henri, was published, and our Hope Street neighbours, Everyman and Unity Theatres, will also present events that celebrate the trio. catch Bragg again at Liverpool Philharmonic on 14 November – more details to follow.

The group comprises trained amateur and professional singers and is conducted by Robert Sells, conductor Laureate of the Crosby Symphony Orchestra and a former Liverpool Philharmonic Board Member.

Book now at www.liverpoolphil.com

18 | Music Room

Music Room | 19

Jon Cleary

Young DaDaFest Music

Wednesday 12 July 8pm £15 (standing show) – Beyond Cleary’s considerable skills as a tunesmith he is equally renowned around the globe as an accomplished keyboardist and guitarist, and a deeply soulful vocalist. Cleary’s thirty-five years of intensive hands-on work on the Crescent City scene has made him a respected peer of such New Orleans R&B icons as Dr. John and Allen Toussaint.

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival

Reem Kelani

Saturday 15 July 8pm £14 – World renowned Palestinian singer, musicologist and

Dean Friedman Friday 21 July 8pm £27.50 – Singer and songwriter Friedman, known for charttopping 70s hits ‘Ariel’, ‘Lucky Stars’, ‘Lydia’, and ‘Woman of Mine’ performs songs from throughout his three-decade career. Join Friedman for an evening of powerful, poignant, hilarious songs about the ordinary and extraordinary lives

Friday 14 July 6.30pm £5, £3 – (British Sign Language Interpretation) DaDaFest develops young disabled and deaf artists by providing a platform for them to showcase their creative talent at our Young DaDaFest events, these events are coordinated by DaDa Fest’s Young Leaders. This year’s show includes performances from Arden Rockers, Young DaDa Ensemble, Six For Tennis and Owen Jones.

broadcaster, Kelani’s reputation extends across the Arab and non-Arab worlds. She has led major tours with her band around the globe. In this unique up-close performance, you’ll be thrilled by the sheer power of her live vocal performance, and

Ian Prowse Saturday 29 July 8pm £14 – This year Prowse has been celebrating the 25th anniversary of the release of Fireworks, the first album from his former band Pele. Since then, the Mersey troubadour has become a pillar of the Liverpool music scene, with his current band Amsterdam and now with two acclaimed solo albums.

rapt by talks between songs. The Liverpool Arab Arts Festival is the UK’s biggest annual celebration of Arab arts and culture. Visit www.arabartsfestival. com for details.

we share. Among his fans is Half Man Half Biscuit lyricist Nigel Blackwell who penned a song to Friedman. He has since written a song in riposte. So expect story songs and suburban vignettes. ‘Songsmith extraordinaire!’ Music Week

Coming soon in September Peace Train: The Cat Stevens Story Saturday 2 September 7.30pm Liverpool Philharmonic Hall £27, £33.50 – Peace Train is journey back in time, telling the story behind the songs. Featuring songs such as ‘First Cut is the Deepest’, ‘Father & Son’, ‘Peace Train’, ‘Moonshadow’ and ‘Where do the Children Play’, the show traces the path of a man who never stopped wondering about how to make the world a better place. The Cat Stevens Story has had audiences on their feet, cheering for more all around the globe.

Graeme Clark: Thought Collector Thursday 14 September 8pm Music Room £17.50 – This is Graeme’s story about life in the band, how he wrote some of the major hits, and his own live performance of some of the classics and original material. Wet Wet Wet were one of the most successful bands of the late 80’s and early 90’s with 8 albums and a 15 week stint at number 1. This is a fascinating insight into the band; their highs and lows from forming in Glasgow in 1982 right up to the present day and festival appearances. Graeme will also be performing some of Wet Wet Wet’s greatest hits acoustically and answering audience questions.

Tubular Brass Saturday 23 September 7.30pm Liverpool Philharmonic Hall £19.50, £25.50 – Music Net presents Mike Oldfield’s classic album performed live by Tubular Brass - a 28-piece brass band featuring some of the UK’s finest players. Plus their world premiere performance of Mary Casio by Hannah Peel that combines synthesizers and brass to stunning effect.

A.J. Croce Saturday 2 September 8pm Music Room £15 – From his debut as a jazzinfluenced blues artist to his evolution into a pop music iconoclast, singer-songwriter A.J. Croce has travelled a circuitous musical road. The son of legendary singersongwriter Jim Croce, A.J.’s career has spanned over 20 years, at the age of just 18 he toured with B.B. King. An ivorysearing New Orleans piano style established an essential juju, but his exploratory pop gems revealed a spectrum of influences from art rock to Americana and beyond. His bluesy vocals and pop sensibility complete his unique sound.

Stewart Lee: Content Provider Thursday 14 September 8pm Friday 15 September 8pm Liverpool Philharmonic Hall £23.50, £29.50 – Content Provider is Stewart’s first brand new full-length show since the award-winning Carpet Remnant World and follows four years of writing and performing his TV show Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle.

Magnetic Fields Sunday 3 September & Monday 4 September 8pm Liverpool Philharmonic Hall £15 – 50 Song Memoir is the new album from songwriter Stephin Merritt’s beloved recording project, the Magnetic Fields. In concert, the music will be played and sung by seven performers in a stage set featuring fifty years of artefacts both musical (vintage computers, reel-to-reel tape decks, newly invented instruments), and decorative (tiki bar, shag carpet, vintage magazines for the perusal of idle musicians). The seven performers each play seven different instruments, traditional (cello, charango, clavichord) or invented in the last fifty years (Slinky guitar, Swarmatron, synthesizer).

Miles Hunt & Erica Nockalls Friday 22 September 8pm (Rescheduled from 4 February) Music Room £14 – During The Wonder Stuff’s year out in 2007 front man Miles Hunt and violinist Erica Nockalls released a debut album together Not an Exit. A ten date tour quickly turned into an 18 month tour, pausing only to play a handful of Wonder Stuff shows. Their follow up album Catching More Than We Miss was heralded by the music press as Hunt’s best work in his 21 year career. The duos Now Never Ending acoustic tour sees them regularly tour the world playing a mixture of their own material as well as classic and rare Wonder Stuff tunes.

Martin Simpson: Album Launch Show Friday 29 September 8pm Music Room £14 – Universally acclaimed as one of the finest ever acoustic and slide guitar players, and a fine banjo-

All or Nothing: The Mod Musical 8, 9, 10 September 7.30pm Liverpool Philharmonic Hall £22, £25, £31 – The Small Faces encapsulated all that is Mod, a unique blend of taste and testosterone, neat, clothes-obsessed and street wise. But these cult sophisticates shared another passion, their dedication to Rhythm ‘n’ Blues. This ‘Mod’ Musical is a sensational musical experience celebrating the unique sound of the iconic Mod band, The Small Faces.

Django’s Legacy IV: The Remi Harris Trio Saturday 30 September 8pm Music Room £20 – Blue Drag Music returns with the fourth of its Django’s Legacy concerts aimed at celebrating the music of legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt. Fresh from recent appearances at the Montreal Jazz festival (2016) and the BBC Proms, with Jamie Cullum, young rising star guitarist Remi Harris brings the ‘Remi Harris Trio’ to Liverpool for their first concert appearance. Get ready for another exciting evening of Django classics, Gypsy Jazz, Swing, Jazz Standards, blues and the Beatles plus a few more surprises on the way! Featuring Remi Harris (Solo Guitar), Caley Groves (Rhythm Guitar) and Mike Green (Double Bass).

picker to boot, Simpson’s solo shows bear witness to an artist at the very top of his game. This album launch show previews Simpson’s eagerly awaited new solo album entitled Trails and Tribulations which will be released in September 2017 on Topic Records. Album guests include Andy Cutting, Kathryn Tickell, Nancy Kerr and John Smith.

Book now at www.liverpoolphil.com

21 | Talks, Tours & Taking Part

20 | Family & Variety LL SE

FAMILY & VARIETY

G IN

Remembering Fred

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Monday 10 April 7.30pm £19.50, £29.50, £35, £41, £55 – Strictly stars Aljaz and Janette pay tribute to Fred Astaire in a spectacular new show. Step back in time and relive special moments from the career of dancing extraordinaire, Fred Astaire. Remembering Fred takes you on a magical journey of dance, live music and entertainment supported by special appearances from celebrity guests. A magical evening of top hat, white tie and wonderful tales, backed by a cast of dancers, a live band and sensational singers with classic songs.

TALKS, TOURS & TAKING PART

Suggested age: 3-5 years

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Friday 2 June 10am – Suggested age: 0-18 months

Baby Voices

Delve Deep Thursday 4 May 11am £15 – In Delve Deep, with historical material from the archives, delve into the orchestra’s history and workings, hear some of the intriguing (and ghostly!) stories, gain a better understanding of a musician’s life and experience a live performance by a Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra musician. The experience lasts approximately 2 hours.

LIMITED

Saturday 13 May 11am £12 (adult), £8 (children) – Play is a super-engaging experience for kids* and adults with musical surprises and untold tales. You’ll experience what it’s like to play an instrument centre-stage, hold the conductor’s baton and enjoy a live demonstration by a Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra musician. The tour lasts approximately 90 minutes. OU

Friday 2 June 11.45am –

Have you ever wondered what happens backstage, been curious about the workings of the UK’s oldest continuing professional symphony orchestra or wanted to learn more about the heritage of our glorious Art Deco building? The Liverpool Philharmonic Experience is just the ticket...with different types of experience scheduled throughout the year, we’ve something to suit everyone from our youngest audiences to families, music lovers and heritage hunters! The experience lasts approximately 2 hours. Tours are accessible, but if you are a wheelchair user or have access needs, please call us to make your booking, so we can accommodate your needs.

Play

Thursday 1 June 11.45am

Liverpool Philharmonic Experience Tours

Little Notes

It’s never too early to introduce your children to the sights and sounds of an Orchestra. This season we’ve got new concerts

Thursday 8 June 7.30pm £24.50, £34.50, £46.50, £48.50 – ‘Strictly’ sweethearts Kevin and Karen Clifton tour the UK for the first time with their sensational live show. It’s a high-energy performance filled with sassy tunes, heartpounding choreography and sparkling costumes. Kevin and Karen dazzle audiences as they weave their own spellbinding style of ballroom magic, backed by a supporting cast of dancers and a live 12-piece show band.

Thursday 1 June 10am – Suggested age: 18-36 months SO

Especially for the under 5s

In this concert children learn all about the different families of instruments as the Mad Professor attempts to create her own! Each orchestra section will demonstrate their instruments, and the Mad Professor attempts to play her own mad-cap musical creations. With help from the audience (and the Prof’s trusty friend Freddie the Frog) your little ones will learn all about music making.

Kevin & Karen Dance

Saturday 17 June 1pm & 2.45pm SOLD OUT Music Room £11 (adults), £7 (children) – Claire Henry presenter Musicians from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Monday 8 May 2pm £12, £15 – The League of Welldoers presents a variety benefit concert featuring your compere Tony Ravel plus eight other well-known Liverpool entertainers. A 3 hour benefit concert for all the family so don’t delay book early to avoid disappointment and help support one of Liverpool’s oldest independent charities.

Toddler Tunes

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The Mad Professor

designed specifically for our youngest audiences. Fidgeting, wriggling, dancing and exploring are all part of the experience!

The League of Welldoers

Workshops for children SO

Family Concert

From fairy tale palaces to princes and princesses, join the Orchestra and court jester (and presenter) Alasdair Malloy as we explore the musical and magical kingdoms from Robin

Sunday 9 April 2.30pm £11, £15, £19 (adults) £8, £10, £12 (children) – Michael Seal conductor Alasdair Malloy presenter

Tuesday 25 April 8pm £27.50, £33.50 – Star of Gino’s Italian Escape on ITV, D’Acampo brings his passion and flair for Italian cookery to Liverpool Philharmonic. This live stage

show features signature recipes from all corners of his beloved Italy and sees him demonstrate how to cook some of his favourite dishes from his popular series – and he’s sure to be inviting some lucky audience members to join him on stage for a memorable, upclose experience. G

Magical Musical Kingdoms

Gino’s Italian Escape Live

Family Concert

Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Frozen, Aladdin and many more. Sleeping Beauty, Robin Hood, Pocahontas, Aladdin, who is your favourite character from the land of fairy tales? Why not dress up and let us know? Liverpool Philharmonic Family Concerts, which last for about an hour, are a great way for children and adults to experience the sights and sounds of a full symphony orchestra. Fidgeting and wriggling are allowed!

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

*Suitable for children aged 5+

Discover Thursday 25 May 11am £15 – In Discover, learn about the organisation’s rich heritage, explore some of the ‘secret spaces’ and enjoy a musical surprise by a Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra musician. The tour lasts approximately 2 hours.

Book now at www.liverpoolphil.com

22 | Talks, Tours & Taking Part

Thursday 20 April 6.15pm Music Room Free to all ticketholders – Conductor Andrew Manze discusses Vaughan Williams’ Symphonies No.5 and 6. See page 23 for concert details. Pre-concert talks and interviews with visiting artists are a great way to get more out of the performance. There is no need to book (you’ll already have your concert ticket) just turn up.

It Was 50 Years Ago Today

Rehearsal Visit: Symphonic Landscapes

Wednesday 31 May 9.30pm Free to all ticketholders – Born in Liverpool, Roger McGough is President of the Poetry Society and one of Britain’s best loved poets. He rose to fame

Post-Concert Question Time

– If you’ve ever left a concert wanting to learn more about the performers or repertoire performed, this is your chance to ask! Join conductors and soloists in an informal question and answer session starting 15 minutes after the end of the concert in the Music Room. The events are free to all ticketholders and last approximately 30 minutes.

in the sixties with the publication of the ground-breaking collection The Mersey Sound. Tonight as we celebrate 50 years of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, he is joined by Mike Jones, Lecturer of Music Industries at University of Liverpool…ready for your questions. See page 25 for concert details.

Wednesday 19 April 12.45pm £15 per session (£10 claimants & students) – Linked to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra concert on 20 April, Symphonic Landscapes (see page 23). The rehearsal includes music of Sibelius and Vaughan Williams, with conductor Andrew Manze.

A lone trumpet sounds in the darkness and Gustav Mahler begins his great struggle from tragedy to triumph – by way of midnight storms, joyous horn-calls, and the most tender love-letter ever written without words: the rapturous Adagietto. ‘The symphony should be like the world’ said Mahler; and with Vasily Petrenko conducting, 70 minutes of music becomes the emotional experience of a lifetime. To start, rarities from a close friend of Mahler’s youth – the doomed genius Hugo Wolf. Played together, they’re a revelation.

Image Vasily Petrenko, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Chief Conductor

Series

Symphonie Fantastique!

Symphonic Landscapes

Thursday 6 April 7.30pm Friday 7 April 7.30pm £15, £20, £26, £32, £42 –

Thursday 20 April 7.30pm £15, £20, £26, £32, £42 – Sibelius Intermezzo and Alla Marcia from Karelia Suite Vaughan Williams Symphony No.5 Sibelius Valse Triste Vaughan Williams Symphony No.6 Andrew Manze conductor

Sponsored by

Wednesday 12 April 7.30pm £15, £20, £26, £32, £42 –

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra ED

Thursday 22 June 9.30pm Free to all ticketholders – This is your last opportunity this season to join us in our post-concert question time, so come and ask Chief Conductor Vasily Petrenko and violinist Ray Chen your questions. See page 26 for concert details.

Hope and Passion

White Nights

All you need is love! Hector Berlioz couldn’t get the girl of his dreams. So – as you do – he wrote her a symphony: a huge, opium-fuelled riot of passions, nightmares and guillotines. Fantastique by name, fantastic by nature, it’s one of those pieces that you’ve simply got to hear live – and that goes double for Szymanowski’s shimmering dreamscape of the First Violin Concerto, especially when performed by the incomparable Baiba Skride. Vasily Petrenko gets the party started Hungarian-style: in a blaze of fiddles.

In these sessions with The Ensemble of St Luke’s, a string quartet of Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra musicians, we will explore Beethoven’s string quartets, looking into some of the music that inspired him and the quartets that followed in his revolutionary footsteps.

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Beethoven and Friends 2

£15 (£10 claimants & students) –

Mendelssohn Violin Concerto Mahler Symphony No.5 Vasily Petrenko Conductor Tamsin Waley-Cohen violin

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

–

Thursday 8 June 12pm

Sunday 2 April 2.30pm £15, £20, £26, £32, £42 –

Vasily Petrenko conductor Baiba Skride violin

Beethoven and Friends

Beethoven and Friends 3

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Kodály Dances of Galánta Szymanowski Violin Concerto No.1 Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique

(Please note that only a selection of repertoire will be discussed in each session. We cannot guarantee that the orchestral rehearsals will cover the entire repertoire listed or involve all the soloists mentioned).

Monday 15 May 12pm

Petrenko’s Mahler

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– Ever wanted to learn more about classical music or ask musicians about the pieces they love to play? Join composer and lecturer Ian Stephens in the Music Room for an informal and friendly two hour session. Lunchtime Learning is an opportunity to learn more, whether you are new to orchestral music or a regular concert-goer.

Pre-concert talk: Symphonic Landscapes

Lunchtime Learning

Classical Music | 23

Barber Adagio for Strings Rutter Requiem Rutter The Gift of Life John Rutter conductor Elin Manahan Thomas soprano Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Dedicated to Sibelius, Vaughan Williams’s Fifth Symphony is a vision of rural peace, hauntingly beautiful and aglow with the spirit of folk song. So the one thing no-one expected was his sixth: a shattering vision of a world laid waste by World War II, told in music of devastating intensity and power. Two different faces of one very British genius, both utterly unforgettable – and conductor Andrew Manze loves them both. These two masterpieces are paired together with atmospheric miniatures by Vaughan Williams’s musical hero, Jean Sibelius. Sponsored by

John Rutter might just be the world’s best-loved living classical composer. Millions have sung his music, millions more have been touched by it. The man himself conducts both his deeply-moving Requiem, and the first Liverpool performance of The Gift of Life – a joyous new choral masterpiece celebrating ‘the living earth, creation and life itself’. An evening of beauty with a true living master.

Book now at www.liverpoolphil.com

24 | Classical Music

Classical Music | 25

Kitty Whately, mezzo soprano

Kitty Whately mezzo soprano Joseph Middleton piano Madelaine Newton speaker

A horn sounds quietly in the distance, and with a gentle answer from the piano, Brahms launches his second Piano Concerto: 45 minutes of majesty, mellow humour, and a slow movement that’ll melt your heart. To play it we’re proud to welcome back the American keyboard legend Garrick Ohlsson. He’s perfectly paired with our Conductor Emeritus Sir Andrew Davis, who starts the evening with two musical tributes to an unlikely hero Sponsored by who simply gets better with age – Shakespeare’s Falstaff.

Former BBC New Generation Artist, Kitty Whately has emerged as one of Britain’s most characterful young mezzo sopranos. This Other Eden is an evening inspired by the landscape of England, with music by Vaughan Williams, Britten and Arne matched by the words of Shakespeare, Walter de la Mare, Thomas Hardy and many others – performed by Kitty’s mother, actress Madelaine Newton. Sponsored by

Sir Andrew Davis conductor Garrick Ohlsson piano Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Series

Journey through Italy Thursday 27 April 7.30pm Friday 28 April 7.30pm £15, £20, £26, £32, £42 – Beethoven Overture, Coriolan Berlioz Harold in Italy Mendelssohn Symphony No.4 ‘Italian’ Rossini Overture, William Tell Andrew Manze conductor Lawrence Power viola Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Lord Byron’s narrative poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage is about a maverick, an outcast, a revolutionary. But bring him together with Hector Berlioz, and the result is the world’s craziest viola concerto. The wonderful British viola player Lawrence Power stars in this Italian adventure, one that takes us from the sunlit fiesta of Mendelssohn’s Fourth symphony to the headlong gallop of Rossini’s William Tell Overture: the one piece everyone in the world knows! Beethoven’s overture to the play about the Roman soldier Coriolan makes a suitably dramatic start to an evening of sunshine, celebration and shameless excess, conducted with verve by Andrew Manze.

Mnozil Brass: Cirque Friday 5 May 7.30pm £25.50, £31.50 – “Cirque” is the newest escapade of the magnificent seven.

Guitar Concerto Saturday 20 May 7.30pm £15, £20, £26, £32, £42 –

Garrick Ohlsson, piano

Opera North’s Turandot

Friday 5 May 7.30pm St George’s Hall Concert Room £25 – Beethoven Sonata No.24 in F sharp major Op.78 Schubert Sonata in A major D959 Smetana Selection from Czech Dances Falla Suite from El Amor Brujo

Thursday 18 May 7.30pm £17, £25, £29, £36, £45 –

It’s taken us over two decades to bring the great American pianist Garrick Ohlsson back to Liverpool Philharmonic and following his performance of Brahms’s second Concerto this recital will show why it’s been worth the wait. Ohlsson’s command of Beethoven and Schubert goes without saying – but from Smetana’s playful Czech dances to a whole sequence of Spanish miniatures, the second half of his programme shows that he’s not afraid to smile, too. them a cross between Mr Bean and the Monty Python of the music world. They really have to be seen to be believed.

Orla Boylan Turandot of Windsor Rafael Rojas Calaf Alastair Miles Timur Bonaventura Bottone Emperor Altoum Sunyoung Seo Liù Sponsored by Gavan Ring Ping Joseph Shovelton Pang Nicholas Watts Pong In ancient Beijing, Princess Turandot decrees that she will marry the prince who can solve three riddles. Those who fail are put to death. Prince Calaf, dazzled by her beauty, determines to win her despite the pleas of the servant girl Liu who is secretly in love with him. Puccini’s final opera includes music of overwhelming power, including Calaf’s celebrated ‘Nessun Dorma’. Following in the wake of its worldbeating Ring cycle, Turandot is the latest in Opera North’s acclaimed series of concert stagings of epic operas. Summer Classics

Wednesday 31 May 9.30pm Saturday 3 June 2017 7:30pm Saturday 8 July 2017 7:30pm £35, £49, £55, £65 –

Vasily Petrenko conductor Craig Ogden guitar When the young William Walton unleashed his First Symphony on an unsuspecting public, it was like a volcano had suddenly erupted amidst the peaceful countryside of English music. Fiery, furious and driven by emotions, it’s an electrifying experience. Two altogether gentler inter-war gems set the scene: Respighi’s magical toybox of a ballet, and the Italian Mario CastelnuovoTedesco’s dreamy Guitar Concerto – inspired by the sunlit hills of Tuscany, played tonight by one Sponsored by of the world’s leading classical guitarists.

Series

The Dream Team Returns Thursday 25 May 7.30pm Friday 26 May 7.30pm £15, £20, £26, £32, £42 –

Tchaikovsky The Seasons: April, May, June, July, August (orchestrated by Sergei Abir) Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.3 Smetana Má Vlast: Vltava, Šárka, Blaník Vasily Petrenko conductor Simon Trpčeski piano Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra They’ve been called the “dream team” and when Vasily Petrenko and the Orchestra come together with Macedonian firebrand Simon Trpčeski, they generate enough electricity to light up a city. Mind you, Prokofiev’s explosive Third Piano Concerto is pretty high-voltage to begin with: believe us; this is going to get hot. But first Petrenko begins with Tchaikovsky’s lovely little watercolours of the Russian seasons – and ends with a true orchestral party-piece: Smetana’s stirring tribute to his Czech homeland, including his gloriously scenic musical trip down the river Vltava. Celebrating the sound of a generation Sponsored by

The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (arranged by Nigel Osborne) T

It Was 50 Years Ago Today

Respighi, after Rossini La Boutique Fantasque Castelnuovo-Tedesco Guitar Concerto No.1 Walton Symphony No.1

This septet from Vienna is probably the strangest brass ensemble ever. With their musical virtuosity mixed with their own special kind of comedy, the only way to describe Mnozil Brass is possibly to label

Aleksandar Markovic conductor Orchestra of Opera North

In summary: The earth is round, humanity laughs and in a nutshell, the world is a circus.

Sponsored by

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Mnozil Brass will be plumbing the depths of their instruments once again to entertain you in this brand new show. Entering the ring to combat the monkey business of daily life with music and humour, transforming the stage into a musical flea circus…Come one! Come all! Listen and be amazed!

Mnozil are decisive and strong believers that the earth is round, and assiduously go out of their way, travelling the globe on a mission and with the firm intention of bringing their Elysian style of music and laughter to the rest of the world.

James Clark director/violin Mahan Esfahani harpsichord

Thursday 11 May 7.30pm £15, £20, £26, £32, £42 – Stravinsky Concerto in D Bach Harpsichord Concerto in F minor BWV 1056 Bach Brandenburg Concerto No.5 Bach Harpsichord Concerto in D minor BWV 1052 Stravinsky Danses Concertantes

Bach Concerti

Thursday 4 May 7.30pm £15, £20, £26, £32, £42 – Otto Nicolai Overture, The Merry Wives of Windsor Elgar Falstaff Brahms Piano Concerto No.2

Sounds Like Shakespeare

Tuesday 25 April 7.30pm St George’s Hall Concert Room £25 – This other Eden Vaughan Williams Silent Noon Trad. ‘Ma Bonny Lad’ Gurney Down By The Salley Gardens Arne Where the Bee Sucks, There Suck I Korngold Four Shakespeare Songs Op.31

When Stravinsky turned to the music of the 18th century for inspiration, critics joked that he’d gone “Back to Bach”. In fact, he could hardly have done much better – because from the bustling celebration of JS Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos to the limitless energy and invention of his harpsichord concertos, music simply doesn’t get any more satisfying – or timeless – than this. and we’ve got one of the world’s most charismatic harpsichordists to play it: the one and only Mahan Esfahani. Joint Leader of the Orchestra James Clark directs with two of Stravinsky’s salutes to the Baroque era.

Henry E Rensburg Series

LL SE

Henry E Rensburg Series

Roger McGough presenter Richard Balcombe conductor Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

As Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band reaches its half century, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the nation’s premier Beatle group The Bootleg Beatles team up to perform this iconic album live in its entirety.’

Book now at www.liverpoolphil.com

26 | Classical Music Liverpool Welsh Choral

Carmina Burana Sunday 4 June 2.30pm £6.50, £9, £11, £12, £13, £13.50, £18, £22, £24, £27 – Come and be thrilled by the voices of 200 singers as the Liverpool Welsh Choral is joined by the renowned Birmingham Festival Choral Society and the Belvedere Academy Chamber Choir, as they perform the vibrant Hebrew work Chichester Psalms by Leonard Bernstein and Carl Orff’s spectacular Carmina Burana!

Katona Twins, guitars Tuesday 6 June 7.30pm St George’s Hall Concert Room £25 Works by Bach, Bartok, Kodaly and The Beatles – Born in Hungary but at home in Liverpool, there’s only one word to describe the classical guitar playing of Peter and Zoltán Katona: phenomenal. Their appearances always bring the house down: in tonight’s programme, two musical worlds collide, as folk-inspired music from Bartók and Kodály will spark off their own versions of Beatles songs – performed with that unforgettable Katona showmanship. Watch those fingers fly!

Sponsored by

Classical Music | 27

Gloria!

Henry E Rensburg Series

Saturday 10 June 7.30pm Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral £25 (unreserved) – Gabrieli Canzonas James MacMillan Gloria Messiaen Les Offrandes oubliées Poulenc Gloria

Thursday 15 June 7.30pm £15, £20, £26, £32, £42 – Strauss Till Eulenspiegel Beethoven Piano Concerto No.3 Bartók Concerto for Orchestra

Sir James MacMillan cbe conductor Ian Bostridge cbe tenor Mary Bevan soprano Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir with choirs of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Undoubtedly the most high-profile composer of religious music in the country today, James MacMillan originally wrote Gloria to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the consecration of the new cathedral in Coventry. Written specifically for a leading tenor soloist, Ian Bostridge performed in that first performance, and both join us in Liverpool as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Liverpool’s second cathedral on Hope Street. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir, joined by the choirs of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral will surely raise the roof with an evening that promises to be glorious. This concert will last approximately one hour with no interval. Sponsored by

Close Up

Goldberg Variations Thursday 15 June 10pm £10 – Bach Goldberg Variations (arranged by Dmitri Sitkovetsky) James Clark violin Vicci Wardman viola Jonathan Aasgaard cello They say that Bach wrote his Goldberg Variations to soothe a sleepless nobleman. A simple melody unlocks a chain of 30 musical puzzles. Tonight, three of our string players come together for a late night encounter with one of music’s most beautiful minds. This performance starts at 10pm, and follows the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra concert Concerto for Orchestra.

Concerto for Orchestra

Juraj Valčuha conductor Evgeni Bozhanov piano

Youth Ensembles

Choral Celebration! Sunday 2 July 2.30pm £9 adults, £6 under 25s – Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir Liverpool Philharmonic Children’s Choir Melody Makers Simon Emery conductor, Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Ensembles Artistic Director

Alison White conductor, Liverpool Philharmonic Children’s Choir & Melody Makers Director Join Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir, Children’s Choir and Melody Makers for a romantic afternoon at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall with a programme filled with love, including Eric Whitacre’s Five Hebrew Love Songs.

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Crosby Symphony Orchestra

Once upon a time…a practical joker causes mayhem in medieval Germany: you’ll hear every bang, crash and giggle in Strauss’s outrageous Till Eulenspiegel. Exiled and ill, Béla Bartók looks into his soul and finds a roof-raising shout of joy in his irresistibly colourful Concerto for Orchestra. And the 25-year-old Beethoven is a man in a hurry, out to make a serious splash.

Heroes and Demons Sunday 9 July 2017 2.30pm £15, £18 (Under 18 students £5, £9) – Mussorgsky Night on the Bare Mountain Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.3 Shostakovich Symphony No.5 Juan Ortuno conductor William Bracken piano

Sponsored by

Series

White Nights Thursday 22 June 7.30pm Friday 23 June 7.30pm £15, £20, £26, £32, £42 – Stravinsky Circus Polka Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Stravinsky Petrushka (1911 original) Vasily Petrenko conductor Ray Chen violin Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Thursday 22 June - post concert question time starts 15 minutes after the end of the concert (Music Room). Come and ask Chief Conductor Vasily Petrenko and violinist Ray Chen your questions. The White Nights are here, and in Russia, the sun shines all night long. Stravinsky’s Petrushka crackles with all the colours and noises of a Russian funfair, and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto begins as a love song and ends in an all-night dance off. Violinist Ray Chen stormed the Liverpool stage in 2014 and returns to get the party started, after Vasily Petrenko and the Orchestra don’t so much ignore the elephant in the room as boogie right on down with it in Stravinsky’s utterly daft and immensely enjoyable Circus Polka.

The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Thursday 6 July 7.30pm £15, £20, £26, £32, £42 – Debussy Danse Dvořák Rondo for cello and orchestra Rimsky-Korsakov Suite, The Golden Cockerel Milhaud Le boeuf sur le toit Shostakovich Nocturne from The Gadfly for cello and orchestra Casals The Song of the Birds for cello and orchestra Britten The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Vasily Petrenko conductor Sheku Kanneh-Mason cello Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Originally written to accompany a short education film, The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra was premiered in Liverpool in 1946 under the baton of Sir Malcolm Sergeant. Charmingly full of catchy tunes, enjoy this epic tour of the instruments of the orchestra. Milhaud’s Le boeuf sur le toit was originally written for a surrealist ballet and offers a playful, Brazilian tinged composition. Next, RimskyKorsakov’s colourful Suite, The Golden Cockerel breathes life into Pushkin’s muchloved fairytale about a warmongering tsar losing both love and power. Don’t miss Petrenko’s final concert of the season and his signature Shostakovich, as well as BBC Young Musician of the Year 2016, Sheku Kanneh-Mason performing Dvorák’s Rondo.

A concert helping to fundraise for local charities. Local teenage sensation William Bracken (son of Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra cellists Ian and Hilary) makes his Liverpool Philharmonic debut with possibly one of the most demanding concertos in the repertoire. This exciting young talent was named Chester Young Musician of the Year in 2016. An all-Russian programme starts with the demonic Night on the Bare Mountain, and end with Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony one of the most popular symphonies of the 20th Century.

Youth Ensembles

Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Sunday 16 July 2:30pm £9 adults, £6 under 25s – Berlioz Hungarian March from The Damnation of Faust Bach Extract from Orchestral Suite No.1 Concerto Competition Winner TBC Bartók Concerto for Orchestra Simon Emery conductor Winner of the 2016/17 Concerto Competition piano Side by side with musicians from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Last Night! Saturday 22 July 2017 7:30pm £19, £25, £33, £38, £45 Programme to include: – Parry Jerusalem Elgar Pomp and Circumstance March No.1 Wood Theme from The Archers (Barwick Green) Delius The Walk to the Paradise Garden Grainger Irish Tune (Londonderry Air) Burgon Theme from Brideshead Revisited Morricone Gabriel’s Oboe (from The Mission) Ian Tracey conductor Jess Gillam saxophone Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra It’s the last night of the Summer season so enjoy some much-loved British classics with themes from The Archers, Brideshead Revisited, the well-loved Sailing By, and some romping choral favourites including Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No.1 and Parry’s Jerusalem. Jess Gillam, the first ever saxophonist to win the Woodwind Final of BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2016 “has her place in the saxophone hall of fame already” (John Harle) and under the baton of Ian Tracey there’s tunes to waltz to, march, sing and dance. It’s the last night so come and party!

Book now at www.liverpoolphil.com

28 | Comedy & Spoken Word

Film | 29

Mark Radcliffe... Should You Be Interested

COMEDY & SPOKEN WORD

Tuesday 25 April 8pm £16 Music Room – Radio and television presenter, musician, writer, friend of the stars and all round cheese fetishist Mark Radcliffe has been making a little go a long way for several decades now. This show is no exception. Expect stories and songs of middle aged angst and ennui along with tales of ineptitude and encounters with some of music’s most famous names who Mark has on speed dial. Even if his calls are blocked at the other end.

Image Mark Radcliffe Writing On the Wall

Joanne Harris #Storytime

Writing On the Wall

Ian McMillan & Tony Husband: A Cartoon History of Here Tuesday 2 May 8pm £14 (£10 concessions) – Comedy, cartoonery, poetry and improv with Yorkshire poet, broadcaster and comedian Ian McMillan and Cartoonist of the Writing On the Wall

Henry Normal Wednesday 3 May 8pm £12 (£6 concessions) – Co-writer of award-winning TV shows and films such as The Royle Family, The Mrs Merton Show and The Parole Officer, and producer of Gavin and Stacey, Moone Boy, Alan Partridge and the Oscarnominated Philomena, Henry returns to his first love: poetry.

Year Tony Husband. This is an evening of fast-flowing, rapidrafting adventure in which two top funny men reflect upon local stories and legends. Ian is poet-in-residence for The Academy of Urbanism and Barnsley FC and a regular BBC Radio 4 voice. Tony is the ‘legendary Private Eye cartoonist’ PR Weekly. His cartoons also appear regularly in The Times, Sunday Express, The Spectator and Punch.

Here, he showcases work from Staring Directly at the Eclipse, his first collection of poetry for over 20 years, including poems from his acclaimed BBC R4 programme A Normal Family. As well as his trademark humour, the show covers the subjects of death, loneliness, loss, human frailty and other classic conversation stoppers.

Friday 5 May 8pm £12 (£6 concessions) – The acclaimed author of Chocolat, (which was made into an Oscar-winning movie starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp) joins forces with the Storytime Band, for a unique live show featuring tales from her book Honeycomb due to be published in 2018. The stories emerged from Harris’s popular live storytelling on Twitter. The band is made up of Paul Marshall on keyboards, vocals and guitar; Kevin Harris on drums, vocals and percussion; Matt Cundy on bass and effects; and Joanne Harris on flute and vocals. Using projections, original music and song this engaging, quirky and darkly magical show appeals to audiences of all ages, but especially lovers of folklore, fantasy and fairytale.

Laughterhouse Sunday 4 June 8pm £20, £25, £29, £35 – A truly once-in-a-lifetime comedy event! Enjoy an evening of hilarity with your favourite panel-show comics, alongside Live At The Apollo stars and the very best acts on the international comedycircuit! Laughterhouse Live is the only place in Liverpool to see host of TV comedians of the highest calibre on a single stellar line-up that will have you rolling in the aisles! So bring your partner, your best mates and your nan as we guarantee something for everyone at this show!

FILM

Hidden Figures is the incredible untold story of Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) - brilliant African American women working at NASA, who were the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.

Image Hidden Figures

Viceroy’s House Tuesday 2 May 7.30pm £8, £10, £12 – Director Gurinder Chadha Starring Gillian Anderson, Hugh Bonneville, Manish Dayal, Huma Qureshi 2017, UK In 1947 Lord Mountbatten, great grandson of Queen Victoria, assumed the post of the last Viceroy, charged with handing India back to its

people. Viceroy’s House charts the end of British rule in India through the prism of both a marriage - that of Louis and Edwina Mountbatten – and a romance - that between a young Hindu servant, Jeet, and his intended Muslim bride, Aalia. The young lovers find themselves caught up in the seismic end of Empire, in conflict with the Mountbattens and with their own communities, but never ever giving up hope.

The Sense of an Ending Tuesday 23 May 7.30pm £8, £10, £12 Rescheduled from 2 May – Director Ritesh Batra Starring Jim Broadbent, Charlotte Rampling, Harriet Walter, Emily Mortimer, Michelle Dockery 2017, UK

Wednesday 7 June 7.30pm £8, £10, £12 – Director Garth Davis Starring Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara

Monday 3 July 7.30pm £7 – See page 17 for details

Tuesday 4 April 2017 7.30pm £8, £10, £12 – Director Theodore Melfi Starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe 2hrs 7mins. 2017, USA

Lion

Billy Bragg

Hidden Figures

Five year old Saroo gets lost on a train which takes him thousands of miles across India, away from home and family. Saroo must learn to survive alone in Kolkata, before ultimately being adopted by an Australian couple. Twenty five years later, armed with

only a handful of memories, his unwavering determination, and a revolutionary technology known as Google Earth, he sets out to find his lost family and finally return to his first home.

Their Finest

Tony Webster (Jim Broadbent), divorced and retired, leads a reclusive and relatively quiet life. One day, he learns that the mother of his university girlfriend, Veronica (Charlotte Rampling), left in her will a diary kept by his best friend who dated Veronica after she and Tony parted ways. He is forced to revisit his flawed recollections of his friends and of his younger self as he digs deeper into his past. It all starts to come back; first love, the broken heart, the deceit, regrets, guilt... and devastating consequences of actions he took so long ago.

Wednesday 5 July 7.30pm £8, £10, £12 – Director Lone Scherfig Starring Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin, Bill Nighy 2017, UK In 1940, a married woman (Gemma Arterton) and a screenwriter (Sam Claflin) develop a growing attraction while working together on a propaganda film about the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk, France.

Book now at www.liverpoolphil.com

Your Perfect Partner Located in the heart of the city, The Nadler Liverpool hotel is the perfect partner for an unforgettable evening. 0151 705 2626 nadlerhotels.com The Nadler Liverpool Hotel, 29 Seel Street, Liverpool, L1 4AU

it was‘50years ago today

uk tour dates

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GT .... A CELEBRATION OF SGT PEPPER AND THE SUMMER OF LOVE

Liverpool Philharmonic Hall Wednesday SO 31 May 2017 OUT 2017 Saturday 3LDJune Saturday 8 July 2017

WITH ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA AND

WINNER

ULTIMATE 100 BRITISH HOTELS 2015

SOL Royal Albert Hall, London DO UT Thursday 1 June 2017 SOL Symphony Hall, Birmingham DO UT Tuesday 6 June 2017

Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham Thursday 29 June 2017 Sage Gateshead Tuesday 11 July 2017

“

A historic departure in the progress of music ... any music. Time Magazine

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Bridgewater Hall, Manchester Friday 14 July 2017

“A tasteful oasis”

Festival No 6, Portmeirion Sunday 10th September 2017

“A place to sleep late and luxuriate”

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Diary | 33

DIARY How to Book Online at www.liverpoolphil.com Post Box Office, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BP

Telephone 0151 709 3789

In person Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BP

Monday to Saturday 9.30am to 5.30pm Sunday 12noon – 5pm

Monday to Saturday 10am to 5.30pm and 90 minutes prior to each performance

Plan Your Visit For full booking information, directions and terms & conditions please visit www.liverpoolphil.com/ planyourvisit, where you can also see the view from your seat on our seating plan.

Thu

11am

Experience: Discover

P21

Thu

6pm

The Human League

July 2017

Thu

7.30pm RLPO: The Dream Team Returns

P25

Sat

7.30pm Sons of Pitches

Fri

7.30pm RLPO: The Dream Team Returns

P25

Sun

2.30pm Youth Ensembles: Choral Celebration! P27

Sat

7.30pm The Magic of Motown

Mon 3 7.30pm Billy Bragg*

P17

Sat 27 8pm

Jon Gomm*

P15

Tue

P17

Sun

Damien Dempsey

Wed 5

Sun 28 8pm

The Monochrome Set*

P15

Thu 6 7.30pm RLPO: Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra P27

Tue 30 8pm

Lizanne Knott*

P16

SOLD OUT Sat 8 7.30pm RLPO: It Was 50 Years Ago Today P25

8pm

1pm

The Vale of Clwyd Singers

7.30pm Film: Their Finest

Sat 8 6.30pm Silicon Dreams Festival*

P17

Wed 31

Sun

P27

Post-Concert Question Time*

P22

2.30pm Heroes and Demons

Wed 12 8pm

Key * Music Room / ** St George’s Hall Concert Room / *** Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral

Thu

Jon Cleary*

7.30pm The Spooky Men’s Chorale

Fri 14 6.30pm Young DaDaFest Music*

May 2017

Sat 1 7.30pm 10cc

P29

Thu 1 10am

SOLD OUT

P21

Tue 2 8pm

Ian McMillan & Tony Husband*

P28

Thu 1 11.45am Little Notes*

SOLD OUT

P21

P23

Wed 3 8pm

Henry Normal*

P28

Fri 2 10am

SOLD OUT

P21

P11

Thu

11am

Experience: Delve Deep

P21

Fri 2 11.45am Little Notes*

LIMITED

P21

Tue 4 7.30pm Film: Hidden Figures

P29

Thu

7.30pm RLPO: Sounds like Shakespeare

P24

Fri 2 7.30pm Madeleine Peyroux

Thu 6 7.30pm RLPO: Symphonie Fantastique!

P23

Fri

7.30pm Mnozil Brass

P24

SOLD OUT Sat 3 7.30pm RLPO: It Was 50 Years Ago Today P25

Fri 7 7.30pm RLPO: Symphonie Fantastique!

P23

Fri 5 7.30pm Chamber Music: Garrick Ohlsson, piano** P24

Sat 3 8pm

Sat 8 7.30pm Amy Macdonald

P28

Sun

Sun 4 8pm

My Darling Clementine* Laughterhouse Live

P28

2.30pm RLPO: Petrenko’s Mahler

Sun 2 8pm

Brian Kennedy*

SOLD OUT

7.30pm Film: Viceroy’s House

Sat 15 8pm

Tue

Sun

June 2017

P11

SOLD OUT

Tommy Flemming*

John Jorgensen & John Wheatcroft*

P13

Sun 4 8pm

Sun 7 7.30pm Steve Hackett

Tue 6 7.30pm Chamber Music: Katona Twins, guitars** P26

Thu

7.30pm Holy Holy

Sun 7 8pm

Calan*

P13

Wed 7

Sat

7.30pm Beau and Friends

Mon 8 1pm

Jonathan Aasgaard & Ian Buckle*

P14

Thu 8 12pm

P11

Mon 8 2pm

League of Welldoers

P21

Thu

Tue 18 7.30pm Dillie Keane*

P11

Wed 10

7.30pm Procol Harum

Thu 8 8pm

Wed 19

P22

Thu

7.30pm RLPO: Bach Concerti

P25

P11

Thu 11 8pm

The Fureys*

Thu 20 6.15pm Pre-Concert Talk: Symphonic Landscapes* P22

Fri 12 8pm

Boo Hewerdine & Band*

Thu

P23

Sat

11am

Experience: Play

7.30pm RLPO: Symphonic Landscapes

SOLD OUT

Dean Friedman*

7.30pm RLPO: Last Night!

Sat 29 8pm

P18 P27

P10

Sat 6 8pm

Mon 28 8pm

P23

Wed 19 7.30pm Dillie Keane*

Sat

Sun 27 7.30pm Simply Dylan

P20

Fri 21 8pm

P16

7.30pm RLPO: Hope and Passion

12.45pm Lunchtime Learning: Rehearsal Visit

P18

P26

Wed 12

2.30pm Carmina Burana

P16

Mon 10 7.30pm Remembering Fred

Philly Soul*

Reem Kelani*

Sun 16 2.30pm Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra P27

Sat

Sat 15 8pm

P18

Fri 5 8pm

Port Sunlight Sea Dogs*

P10

Ian Prowse*

P20

7.30pm Shirley Collins

Baby Voices*

Joanne Harris*

Toddler Tunes*

Sun 9 2.30pm RLPO: Magical Musical Kingdoms

SOLD OUT

P18

Sat 15 7.30pm Jools Holland & his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra P10

Sat 1 8pm

P29

SOLD OUT Wed 31 7.30pm RLPO: It Was 50 Years Ago Today P25

All major credit cards accepted (and are subject to a booking fee) Mastercard/Visa. We do not accept AMEX. Please make cheques payable to ‘RLPS’.

April 2017

P10

7.30pm Film: Lion

P29

Beethoven and Friends III*

7.30pm Kevin & Karen Dance The Temperance Seven*

August 2017 The Cavern 60th Anniversary Concert! P10

September 2017

P22

Sat

P20

Sat 2 8pm

A.J. Croce*

P19

P16

Sun

P19

7.30pm Peace Train: The Cat Stevens Story

P19

8pm

Magnetic Fields

Fri 9 7.30pm George Harrison’s Journey to Indian Music P9

Mon 4

8pm

Magnetic Fields

P14

Fri 9 8pm

P16

Fri

7.30pm All or Nothing: The Mod Musical

P19

P14

Sat

P10

Sat

7.30pm All or Nothing: The Mod Musical

P19

P21

Sat 10 7.30pm RLPO: Gloria!***

P26

Sun

7.30pm All or Nothing: The Mod Musical

P19

P10

Thu 14 8pm

Graeme Clark: Thought Collector*

P19

P26

Thu

8pm

Stewart Lee: Content Provider

P19

8pm

Stewart Lee: Content Provider

P19

Miles Hunt & Erica Nockalls*

P19

Elephant Sessions*

7.30pm Carleen Anderson

P19

Fri 21 8pm

Police Dog Hogan*

P12

Sat

7.30pm The Solid Silver 60s Show

Sun

7.30pm Kraftwerk 3-D

Sat 22 8pm

The Robin Nolan Trio*

P12

Sun

7.30pm The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain P8

Thu

7.30pm RLPO: Concerto for Orchestra

Mon 15 12pm

P22

Thu

10pm

Goldberg Variations

P26

Fri

P12

Mon 15

7.30pm Imelda May

Sat 17 1pm

The Mad Professor*

P20

Fri 22 8pm

Tue

7.30pm Tom Chaplin

Sat 17 2.45pm The Mad Professor*

P20

Sat

Tue 25 7.30pm Chamber Music: This Other Eden**

P24

Wed 17 8pm

P14

Thu 22 7.30pm RLPO: White Nights

P26

Fri 29 8pm

Martin Simpson*

P19

Tue 25 8pm

Mark Radcliffe*

P28

Thu

7.30pm Opera North’s Turandot

P25

Thu 22

P22

Sat 30 8pm

Remi Harris*

P19

Tue

Gino’s Italian Escape Live

P20

Fri

5.30pm LightNight Liverpool 2017

Fri

Sat

7.30pm RLPO: Guitar Concerto

P25

Sat 24 8pm

Charlie Dore with Julian Littman*

P15

Tue 27 8pm

Roger McGough with Ensemble 10/10* P17

P15

Wed 28 8pm

Roger McGough with Ensemble 10/10* P17

Sun

7.30pm Chris De Burgh

Sun 23 8pm Mon 24

Wed 26

Kathryn Williams*

7.30pm Caro Emerald

8pm

SOLD OUT

7.30pm The Saw Doctors

Thu 27 6pm

Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Company* P12

Beethoven and Friends II*

Anna and Elizabeth*

Sat 20 8pm

Fairport Convention* Fairport Convention*

Thu

7.30pm RLPO: Journey Through Italy

P24

Sun 21 8pm

Fri

7.30pm RLPO: Journey Through Italy

P24

Mon 22

7.30pm Simple Minds

Sat

P13

Tue

7.30pm Film: The Sense of an Ending

Sun

7.30pm Robert Cray Band

Tue 23 8pm

Sally Barker & Brooks Williams*

P15

Wed 24 8pm

Cope Boyes & Simpson*

P15

Frequencies

SOLD OUT

P9 P29

SOLD OUT

Post-Concert Question Time*

7.30pm RLPO: White Nights

7.30pm Tubular Brass

P26 P17

Book tickets now at liverpoolphil.com Box Office 0151 709 3789

Fb.com/LiverpoolPhilharmonic @Liverpoolphil

P19

PH L R IL IVE OY H R A OF AR PO L FE M OL R ON IC

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To reserve your bedroom contact reservations on: 0151 709 7090 or Email Reservations@hiliverpool.com

Wealth & Investment. A talented ensemble As Principal Partner of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra we know what it means to be dedicated to performance. With more than 150 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience of serving clients by investing their money wisely, Investec Wealth & Investment have the knowledge and expertise to help make your financial goals a reality. Our specialist teams manage the wealth of over 50,000 clients, seeking the best and most tax-efficient returns on their capital. With a network of 15 offices across the UK, including Liverpool, we are well placed to oversee your investments, pensions or other financial matters. Please bear in mind that the value of investments and the income derived from them can go down as well as up and that you may not get back the amount that you have put in. Please visit our website, call David Owen on 0151 227 2030 or email david.owen@investecwin.co.uk investecwin.co.uk

Member firm of the London Stock Exchange. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Investec Wealth & Investment Limited is registered in England. Registered No. 2122340. Registered Office: 2 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7QP. Offices at: Bath Belfast Birmingham Bournemouth Cheltenham Edinburgh Exeter Glasgow Guildford Leeds Liverpool London Manchester Reigate Sheffield