St George's Bristol - Jan-Jul 2015 Brochure

January — July 2015 Box Office: 0845 40 24 001 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

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hile there’s an inevitability to the changing of the seasons, there’s nothing predictable about the astonishing richness of the 100 events on offer in our new season. Our open doors policy is evident across our entire programme: we profile composers from the past and present, musical styles traditional and contemporary, and artists who hail from around the globe but who are united in their extraordinary ability to convey a whole world of emotions in just a single line of music. We care deeply about the quality of the events that happen on our stage and the rewards of getting the conditions just right are clear — we’ve created a space where you really feel that the music is reaching out to you just as much as you are reaching out to it. When the two touch there’s an intense, ‘unknowable’ sense of being lifted out of yourself and transformed by the experience — that’s the St George’s effect.

We take an ‘open for all’ approach to audiences too: we offer concerts at different times of the day and we’re progressing plans for the future that will see us opening up the building for activities during the daytime as well as evening (read about Building a Sound Future opposite).

Finally, St George’s is a place where you can not only listen to the music you love but revel in an unashamed enthusiasm for the subject, dipping into special articles on our website, attending talks or listening to the musicians’ own spontaneous introductions that dig down into the inner workings of the music and offer unexpected insights. And when you’re ready to ‘meet your music’, you can step into a hall that can’t be bettered anywhere in the City and enjoy the magic of Paul Lewis, Courtney Pine, Martin Carthy, the OAE and the numerous other musicians listed in the following pages.

As ever, enjoy!

Suzanne Rolt DIRECTOR

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e are thrilled to confirm that our major development plans to extend St George’s with new artist and audience facilities are now well underway, following confirmation of a major funding pledge from Arts Council England.

Our ‘Building a Sound Future’ capital appeal is targeted to raise a total of £5.5 million over the next year, ahead of building works commencing in 2016. We are especially grateful to the Garfield Weston Foundation and the J.Paul Getty Jr. Charitable Trust who have joined ACE in making generous commitments to this first phase of the appeal.

Follow progress of the project on our website, including further details of how you can contribute to the appeal and play an active role in ‘Building a Sound Future’ for St George’s.

For more information about the appeal contact Simon Farley, Head of Fundraising & Development on 0117 929 4929 (Ext 205) or email s.farley@stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

MEET THE ARCHITECTS See page 22 for details Tuesday 3 March 6.30pm Tickets Free Admission, Advance Booking Recommended

4 Book now 0845 40 24 001

Hire this Beautiful Venue

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ur grand hall, vaulted rooms, Crypt Bar and glorious grounds are available to hire for large-scale conferences, meetings, weddings, private parties and gala dinners.

St George’s Bristol offers both varied space and a beautiful setting, so whatever your needs and whatever inspires you, get in touch to discuss your event. Our talented team will work closely with you to ensure delivery of a top class service and truly inspired occasion.

Photos: ©Martins Kikulis

To hire St George’s please contact the events team on 0117 929 4929 or email events@stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

Venue Hire

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Learn with us

Learn with us

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e promote some exceptional musical talent and, through our relationships with partners, inspire and nurture new generations of musicians.

Throughout the year we present fun and inspirational concerts for young people and families, and work with local schools and organisations to create opportunities for young people to perform and experience live music. For further information on any aspects of our Education & Learning Programme, please contact Catherine Freda on 0117 929 4929 or email c.freda@stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

Family friendly events JAN UARY — J U LY Sat 17 Jan ⁄ 11am Raise The Roof!

Mon 2 Feb ⁄ 1pm Lunchtime Concert Young Musicians Showcase Tue 10 Feb ⁄ 7.30pm Badminton School Musicians Sun 15 Feb ⁄ 10am / 11.15am MiniBeats Brilliant Brass!

Wed 18 Feb / 3pm Wild Words Magic Flutes!

Sun 8 Mar ⁄ 3pm Red Maids’ Spring Concert Mon 16 Mar ⁄ 7pm QEH Spring Concert Wed 18 Mar / 7.30pm Bristol Grammar School Sun 22 Mar ⁄ 3pm Bristol Suzuki Group Concert Tue 28 Apr ⁄ 7.30pm Bristol Cathedral Choir School Gospel Choir Sun 10 May ⁄ 10am ⁄ 11.15am MiniBeats Vibrant Voices!

Sun 17 May ⁄ 4pm Kathakali Sat 27 June ⁄ 4pm Young Musician 2014 Finalists Concert

CAVATINA F ree Tickets For 8 → 25 Year Olds CAVATINA is a charity that subsidises free tickets for young people (aged 8-25) to some of our concerts. Children and students are welcome, so please spread the word and help us engage with the classical music audiences of the future. Simply quote ‘CAVATINA’ when booking tickets and look out for the in the brochure and online to see where the offer applies.

£5 Tickets for Students Look out for our special student discount, which applies to many of our concerts. Discounted tickets are limited, so make sure you book in advance. The offer is open to full or part time students provided you have a valid student ID card.

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

6 Book now 0845 40 24 001

Bite-Sized Music

Bite-Sized Music

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ur high quality, accessible daytime concerts are perfect if you like your classical music in smaller bites...

LUNCHTIME CONCERTS Thur 29 Jan ⁄ Aurea Quartet Mon 2 Feb ⁄ Young Musicians Showcase Thur 19 Feb ⁄ AJSW Ensemble Thur 5 Mar ⁄ Vida Guitar Quartet Thur 12 Mar ⁄ Chisato Kusunoki piano Thur 19 Mar ⁄ Sterling Trio Thur 26 Mar ⁄ Bartholomew LaFollette cello and Caroline Palmer piano Thur 2 Apr / Leslie Howard piano Thur 9 Apr / Madalyn Parnas violin and Nicola Eimer piano Thur 23 Apr / Niklas Sivelov piano Thur 30 Apr / Liv-Marie Kodurand violin and Jan Rautio piano Thur 7 May ⁄ Yukiko Shinohara piano Thur 28 May ⁄ Eleftheria Kotzia guitar Thur 4 Jun ⁄ Reiko Fujisawa piano

SUNDAY SERIES WITH THE WIHAN QUARTET Join us for three Sunday morning helpings of Dvořák and Schubert, with this awardwinning quartet.

Special OΩer Buy tickets for four lunchtime concerts at the same time and get a fifth for free, saving £1.40 per ticket*

Special OΩer Two concerts for £18 or three for £27, saving £1 per ticket*

Lunchtime Concerts 1pm

Sun 22 Feb, Sun 26 Apr & Sun 21 Jun 11am

Tickets £7 (plus fees), Free U21s

Tickets £10 (plus fees), Free 8 — 25s with CAVATINA

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable / *tickets must be booked in one transaction

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Beyond the Barline

Beyond the Barline Talks re you interested in the cultural and historical context of the music you hear at St George’s? Then why not join Jonathan James and David Bednall, on selected Thursday mornings, to explore the music more deeply.

THE VOICE OF THE NORTH Thur 29 Jan — Thur 26 Mar* The anniversaries of Sibelius and Nielsen in 2015 give the ideal prompt for exploring the innovative sounds of Scandinavia around the turn of the century, and how its rugged landscape, lore and legend can be heard through its music. Broadening the canvas to encompass the northern Baltic states, we also look at the blossoming of both instrumental and choral traditions in Estonia and Latvia and trace common threads in their style and musical aesthetic. How far did the influence of Sibelius and Nielsen reach?

MUSICAL CREATIVITY UNMASKED Thur 23 Apr — Thur 4 Jun** How do creative processes work in music? Whether improvising on a French cathedral organ, composing a grand opera, or jamming a solo in a jazz band, there are so many fascinating insights to be had into the way creative musicians work and what this reflects about their cultural context.

We will ask how improvising, composing and performing are distinguished from other forms of creativity and look at the fascinating routes to musical inspiration, drawing also on our own experience as creative practitioners.

11.15am — 12.15pm Tickets £8 (plus fees) *except Thu 26 Feb £1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

**except Thu 14 May

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January

SOLD OUT

CELLOPHONY

NILS LOFGREN

Wagner Prelude to Tristan & Isolde Schubert Three Songs from ‘Schwanengesang’ Edward Nesbit To Dance on Sands (UK Première) Mendelssohn Ave Maria Liszt Three World Folk Songs (arr. James Barralet)

With special guest Greg Varlotta

What better way to kick start 2015 than with a concert by this exuberant cello octet — that’s right, eight cello players. With unique repertoire and exhilarating delivery, this bold and brilliant bunch have won a following across the globe.

Their magic and mastery has been enjoyed by audiences at festivals across Europe and as far afield as South Korea.

This concert runs without interval.

Running time 70 mins approx.

‘A bold and brilliant bunch’ cellophony.net

THE TIMES

Legendary American songwriter, virtuoso guitarist and pianist Nils Lofgren returns to the UK in January. After touring with Bruce Springsteen as a long-time member of the E Street Band on both the 2012 — 13 Wrecking Ball tour and the 2014 High Hopes tour, Nils Lofgren is back to perform his own legendary live show.

Known for his world-class guitar playing, and his on-stage acrobatics, Nils Lofgren is a true rock legend in his own right. Expect classic Lofgren favorites like ‘Shine Silently’, ‘I Came to Dance’, ‘Keith Don’t Go’ and many others from his vast back catalogue.

‘Nils’ singing and guitar playing voice remains as distinctive today as it’s ever been’ BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

nilslofgren.com Promoted by CMP Entertainment

Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Friday 9 January 8.30pm

Sunday 11 January 8pm

Tickets £12 (plus fees)

Tickets Sold Out

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

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The Cycle Continues...

Symphony Nos 4 & 5 & Beethoven Piano Concerto No 1 (Stephen Hough) on Sunday 15 March

RAISE THE ROOF! Join leader David Ogden, members of City of Bristol Choir and fellow fans of musicals and films for an unashamedly indulgent day of singing blockbusting hits from stage and screen. Now in its fifth successful year, the day culminates in a grand (but very informal) showcase performed by the day’s ‘cast’, accompanied by a live band.

Sessions 11am — 1pm and 2pm — 4pm, including performance at 3.15pm davidogden.co.uk Promoted by St George’s Bristol

BRISTOL CLASSICAL PLAYERS / JENNIFER PIKE SIBELIUS CYCLE 2 Jennifer Pike violin Tom Gauterin conductor Sibelius Symphony No 3 in C Violin Concerto in D minor Symphony No 2 in D The Bristol Classical Players’ Sibelius cycle continues with the 3rd and 2nd symphonies, book ending what many people consider to be the greatest violin concerto of the 20th century, the intensely virtuosic and deeply romantic D minor concerto. The orchestra is joined by Jennifer Pike, former BBC Young Musician of the Year, whose recent recording of the Concerto was awarded five stars by BBC Music Magazine. ‘a truly engaging musicality’ THE TIMES (ON JENNIFER PIKE)

bristolclassicalplayers.co.uk jenniferpike.com

Saturday 17 January 11am — 4pm

Saturday 24 January 7.30pm

Tickets Singers: £12, £5 U18s (plus fees) 3.15pm Audience: £3 (plus fees), Free U18s

Tickets £20 (£18), £16 (£14), £14 (£12), £12 (£10) (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

10 Book now 0845 40 24 001

January

AUREA QUARTET

DAVID RUSSELL GUITAR

Daniel Tong piano

F Sor Fantasia III in F Vivaldi Sonata In B flat S Goss Cantigas De Santiago (World Première) J S Bach Partita I J Morel Sonatina

Brahms String Quartet in A minor Op 51 No 2 Schumann Piano Quintet in E flat Op 44 Hailing from Glasgow, this prize-winning young quartet joins us for the first lunchtime concert of the season to perform Brahms’ dramatic A minor Quartet, before being joined on stage by pianist Daniel Tong for Schumann’s exuberant and fiendishly challenging Quintet, a masterpiece of the genre. wyevalleyfestival.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol in association with the Wye Valley Chamber Music Festival

Grammy award-winning guitarist David Russell is world renowned for his superb musicianship and inspired artistry, having earned the highest praise from audiences and critics alike.

Russell spends his time touring the world, appearing regularly at prestigious concert halls. Twice winner of the Julian Bream prize during his time at the Royal Academy, Russell later went on to claim first prize at numerous international competitions including the Andrés Segovia Competition, José Ramírez Competition, and Spain's prestigious Fransisco Tárrega Competition.

‘Until I heard David Russell, I never realised how beautiful a guitar could sound, how technically flawless a guitarist could be’ THE SKIDMORE NEWS

davidrussellguitar.com Promoted by IGF

Special OΩer See page 6 for details Thursday 29 January 1pm

Thursday 29 January 7.30pm

Tickets £7 (plus fees)

Tickets £25 (£23) (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

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‘ The silver lining was Ksenija Sidorova… for she has the ability to steal a musical heart.’

THE TELEGRAPH

Earlybird OΩer £10 tickets available before Wednesday 31 December

LATE NIGHT CLASSICAL CAFÉ Thomas Gould violin Ksenija Sidorova accordion Schnittke Suite in the Old Style J S Bach Sonata for Violin & Keyboard in G Bartok Romanian Folk Dances Piazzolla Café 1930 and Oblivion Monti Czardas

What happens when you bring together an amazingly accomplished Latvian accordion virtuoso with a brilliant young violinist. From what we hear, it’s a show-stopping concert where sparks fly, audiences laugh along to the lively introductions, and the playing reaches the parts that few other concerts can! There is light and shade, delicacy and exoticism, with the tension rising as the music builds and builds — from one of Bach’s finest violin sonatas and the melancholy strains of the tango in Piazzolla’s Argentinian Café scene to the earthy gypsy melodies of Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances and the dazzling finale that comes by way of Monti’s Czardas.

This concert runs for approx 70 minutes without interval.

Friday 30 January 8.30pm Tickets £12 (plus fees)

ksenijasidorova.com thomasgould.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

12 Book now 0845 40 24 001

February

TOM EVESON MEMORIAL CONCERT

YOUNG ARTIST SHOWCASE

Christopher Northam host Gala Youth Orchestra Jonathan James conductor Kate Radmilovic soprano Eveson Quartet Members of Ivy Arts Theatre Company

With musicians from Bristol Cathedral Choir School, Churchill Academy & Sixth Form

Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals Boublil & Schönberg Les Misérables (excerpts) ... plus a selection of Cabaret songs A special Gala Concert featuring some of the best of Bristol’s musical youth, in memory of Tom Eveson, a young musician whose short life and story has touched everyone who has heard it.

We are delighted to welcome top young performers from these two outstandingly musical schools. This annual showcase event includes prize-winners of the 2015 Churchill Young Musician of the Year competition, supported by Churchill Music! Come and support the musicians of the future.

Promoted by St George’s Bristol

The concert is hosted by Christopher Northam, who has gathered together these fine performers to create a showcase in celebration of Tom’s life and to perpetuate his memory by setting up a fund to help young musicians further their musical studies.

This concert is suitable for audiences of all ages.

Promoted in association with St George’s Bristol

Sunday 1 February 4pm

Monday 2 February 1pm

Tickets £10, £5 U18s

Tickets Free Admission

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

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‘ The finest living exponent of the sarod’ THE GUARDIAN

AMJAD ALI KHAN SAROD The sixth generation of an illustrious Bangash lineage, Amjad Ali Khan is a renowned maestro in classical Indian music. Asian Arts Agency in partnership with St George’s Bristol offers you the rare opportunity to see this master of the sarod and his family at work in a performance that is sure to hypnotise and enchant. The ‘Indian string superstar’ is a celebrated musician internationally and at home, and in 2001 he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, one of the highest Indian civilian awards. Appearing with his two sons, both virtuosos in their own right, Amjad Ali Khan’s skill in classical Indian music and delicate and expressive performance promises a night few will forget. sarod.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol in association with Asian Arts Agency

Wednesday 4 February 8pm Tickets £18, £15 (plus fees) £1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

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February

OUT THERE MUSIC BRISTOL WINTER CONCERT 2015

GOING BEYOND ADVENTURE ON YOUR DOORSTEP

Out There Music Bristol Tom Jones director

With Alastair Humphreys

Out There Music Bristol is a unique assembly of choirs and orchestras. The winter concert is a celebration of the year’s most popular performances from the community choir, chamber choir, orchestra and children’s choir, culminating in a spectacular mass performance of all the groups.

Founded and directed by Tom Jones, the ensembles within OTMB have been running for seven years and the latest addition to the family is a brand new community choir in Totterdown.

Out There Music brings music alive through a philosophy of inclusion and enjoyment. Profits from the concert are in aid of ‘Changing Tunes’.

‘Going Beyond’ returns with a talk by the truly remarkable modern explorer, author and pioneer of the micro-adventure, Alastair Humphreys. Alastair was named one of National Geographic’s Adventurers of the Year 2012 and is an Ambassador for the Youth Adventure Trust. The evening’s proceeds go to this local charity. Treat your inner adventurer to a truly inspirational evening. alastairhumphreys.com youthadventuretrust.org.uk

outtheremusic.net

Sunday 8 February 7.30pm

Wednesday 11 February 7.30pm

Tickets £10, £6 U18s (plus fees)

Tickets £10 (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

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‘ Edgy, adventurous, elite... the future of music.’

EVENING STANDARD

AURORA ORCHESTRA PULSE: STEVE REICH AND HIS INFLUENCES Thomas Gould violin Timothy Orpen clarinet Aurora Orchestra J S Bach Chaconne from Partita in D minor for solo violin BWV 1004 Stravinsky Concerto for Two Pianos Reich New York Counterpoint Bartók Contrasts Reich Double Sextet Steve Reich’s pioneering exploration of ‘pulse’ and ‘phase’ music, where repeating rhythmic patterns gradually shift to create richly compelling sonic landscapes, established him as one of the leading trailblazers in the minimalist movement from the 1960s onwards.

Aurora Orchestra uses the concept of pulse as the starting point for this characteristically eclectic programme, built around Reich’s ‘New York Counterpoint’(1985) — a mesmeric work for live and multi-track recorded clarinet — and the dazzling ‘Double Sextet’ for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in 2009. auroraorchestra.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Thursday 12 February 7pm Tickets £20, £15, £10, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees) £1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

16 Book now 0845 40 24 001

EXULTATE SINGERS A SENSE OF THE DIVINE: SONGS OF LOVE David Ogden conductor Richard May cello Olena Shvetsova piano Richard Johnson piano Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur Excerpts from Le Cantique des Cantiques David Bednall Three Songs of Love (World Première) Morten Lauridsen Dirait-on Eric Whitacre A Boy and a Girl Carl Rütti Thou hast ravished my heart Brahms Excerpts from Liebeslieder Waltzer Giovanni Palestrina Motets Tomas Luis de Victoria Motets Chopin Second movement of Cello Sonata Piazzolla Oblivion A feast of beautiful choral music for Valentine’s Day on the theme of love. Sensuous motets with words from the Song of Songs by Victoria and Palestrina are contrasted with ravishing choral pieces by Lauridsen, Rütti, Whitacre and Daniel-Lesur together with the world première of a set of love songs by David Bednall, and exquisite music for cello and piano. The programme is completed by arrangements of folk songs of love won and lost, along with hot and steamy Latin American dance-inspired pieces for choir and cello by Piazzolla. Why not treat a loved one to some champagne and chocolate cake in the interval? exultatesingers.org Promoted by St George’s Bristol in association with Exultate Singers

Saturday 14 February 7.30pm Tickets £24, £20, £12, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees) £1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

February

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HALF TERM

HALF TERM

MINI BEATS BRILLIANT BRASS!

WILD WORDS MAGIC FLUTES!

Laura Tanner presenter Bristol Ensemble Brass

Michael Loader storyteller James Watts flutes Shivani Sharma dancer

Calling all Mini Beats fans!

Can you put your lips together and blow a massive raspberry?

Excellent... You’re hired!

Come and join the Brilliant Brass of the Bristol Ensemble and presenter Laura Tanner to find out how to turn some of the human body’s rudest noises into beautiful music, using only the magical powers of a few large metal tubes!

10am Great for kids aged 3 — 5 11.15am Great for kids aged 5 — 8 Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Journey with Wild Words through Europe, Asia and the Middle East with Mozart’s mesmerising music and Kathak dance, meeting Hindu Gods and Demons from Jewish folklore.

An imagined story of how Wolfgang found his Papageno, and how it’s wise not to confuse Amadeus with Asmodeus!

Storytelling and storymaking from Michael Loader, James Watts on flutes and other instruments and Kathak dance from Shivani Sharma.

Participant Tickets £1 advance booking recommended.

Recommended Age 6 + Running Time: 60 mins approx.

Promoted by St George’s Bristol in association with Bristol Storyfest and Somerset Storyfest

Pre-show Playshop Your chance to dance and play on stage with the artists. Running time 45 mins approx.

Sunday 15 February 10am & 11.15am

Wednesday 18 February 2.45pm

Tickets £6 (plus fees), Family Ticket available

Tickets £6 (plus fees), Family Ticket available

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

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February

AJSW CHAMBER MUSIC ENSEMBLE

WIHAN QUARTET

SCOTT MATTHEWS

Handel Arrival of the Queen of Sheba; Sarabande in D minor Elgar Serenade for Strings Kurt Atterberg Suite No 3 Op 19 ‘Vision’ Coleridge-Taylor Fantasiestücke Op 5 Gershwin Lullaby (arr. J Manookian) Piazolla Libertango (arr. Norbert Gerl)

Dvořák String Quartet in F ‘American’ Schubert String Quartet in D minor ‘Death and the Maiden’

Scott Matthews has garnered serious critical acclaim in his 10 year career to date and has taken this time to nurture his craft. He was always deliberate in his actions, as witnessed by the time he spent as a guitarist before becoming the singer songwriter behind the groundbreaking debut album Passing Stranger.

This international collective, comprising musicians from Japan, UK, Spain, Belarus, Korea, Lithuania and China, presents a delightful programme of music for strings, including Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s five ‘Fantasy Pieces‘ and Elgar’s enchanting ‘Serenade for Strings’, and ends on a distinctly jazzy Argentinean note.

With an outstanding reputation spanning 30 years, the Wihan Quartet launches its Sunday Series trio of recitals with two of the giants of the string quartet repertoire — Dvořák’s nostalgic ‘American’ and Schubert’s tense and relentlessly dramatic ‘Death and the Maiden’.

The series continues on Sunday 26 April and Sunday 21 June. wihanquartet.co.uk Promoted by St George’s Bristol

ajsw.org.uk Promoted by St George’s Bristol in association with the Anglo Japanese Society of Wessex

Scott is forever moving forwards and bringing forth gems of songs that seem to gestate over time and then ‘arrive‘ as if he was a conduit to some magical power.

His vocal style has been much referenced in ethereal terms — ‘ghostly‘, ‘haunting‘, ‘eerie‘ and ‘hypnotic‘ — so perhaps there is magic afoot.

Among the re-occurring constants in his world are ‘home' and what it means to everyone. scottmatthewsmusic.co.uk Promoted by DHP Concerts

Special OΩer

Special OΩer

See page 6 for details

See page 6 for details

Thursday 19 February 1pm

Sunday 22 February 11am

Sunday 22 February 7pm (Doors Open), Start Time TBC

Tickets £7 (plus fees)

Tickets £10 (plus fees)

Tickets £16.50 (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

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ULRICH GERHARTZ LIFTING THE LID Have you ever wondered what goes on inside a Steinway Concert Grand, and what it takes to get it ready for the concert stage where it has to satisfy the world’s greatest performers?

Ulrich Gerhartz, Director of Concert and Artists Services at Steinway & Sons, gives a fascinating talk about this most magnificent of instruments, covering its history and evolution into the dominant stringed keyboard instrument as well as highlighting Steinway’s role in creating what is now regarded as the preferred choice and standard of a performance piano.

Ulrich Gerhartz continues to work closely with artists including Mitsuko Uchida, András Schiff, Murray Perahia and Paul Lewis and enjoyed accompanying Alfred Brendel over 20 years.

In this talk he shares the ‘secrets’ of keeping the world’s finest pianos in tune — including our own Steinways which Ulrich has helped to select and tend to over the past 20 years. This event runs for an hour without interval.

TIM GARLAND Whether playing sax and arranging for superstar Chick Corea or composing and leading his own projects from small group to orchestra, Tim Garland is world-class. Tonight he presents his latest all-star band — Jason Rebello on piano, Asaf Sirkis on drums / percussion and Ant Law on guitar, (plus possible surprise guests) playing music from the album ‘Songs to the North Sky‘, lauded by five star reviews in The Observer and The Guardian, whose John Fordham called it ‘the culmination of a life’s work.‘ timgarland.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol

steinway.co.uk Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Tuesday 24 February 6.30pm

Thursday 26 February 8pm

Tickets £8 (plus fees)

Tickets £15, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

20 Book now 0845 40 24 001

February THE LAST WORD

PAUL LEWIS: THE LAST WORD Beethoven Piano Sonata No 30 in E Op 109 Piano Sonata No 31 in A flat Op 110 Piano Sonata No 32 in C minor Op 111 Paul Lewis is an artist of exceptional talent who has won a formidable reputation for his understated but profoundly thoughtful playing. It is always a pleasure to welcome him back to St George’s and on this occasion he takes up the thread of our piano series ‘The Last Word’, bringing the final trilogy of ground breaking piano sonatas by a composer with whom he has become deeply connected. These three sonatas share a special quality of spiritual expression and exalted mood that has been widely interpreted as Beethoven’s intimate exploration of man’s predicament and the human struggle fought in mind and body.

In the final movement of the Op 111 Sonata there is a strong sense that he succeeded in resolving this conflict in a representation of transcendence and the world to come.

‘ the finest Beethoven pianist of his generation’ INTERNATIONAL RECORD REVIEW

The series continues on Wednesday 15 April with Peter Donohoe. paullewispiano.co.uk Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Friday 27 February 7.30pm Tickets £35, £30, £28, £24 (plus fees) £1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

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February / March

‘ Thorne combines superb control and phrasing with a beautiful eΩortless quality of sound reminiscent of Hollywood’s finest, Vince De Rosa’ THE HORN MAGAZINE

BRANDON HILL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

BRISTOL UNIVERSITY MUSIC SOCIETY

Catherine Larsen-Maguire conductor Tim Thorpe french horn

Josh Hargreaves, Douglas Watts conductors

Weber Overture to Oberon Strauss Horn Concerto No 1 Brahms Symphony No 1 in C minor The French horn is the star from the very outset of this concert. A ‘magic’ horn call summons the spirits to start Weber’s overture ‘Oberon’, and the Romantic signature is developed in Richard Strauss’s heroic 1st Horn Concerto, played by Tim Thorpe, one of the UK’s leading horn soloists and a Hans Hoyer artist.

Conductor Catherine Larsen-Maguire draws her debut with BHCO at St George’s to a close with Brahms’s towering 1st Symphony.

Beethoven Symphony No 6 in F ‘Pastoral’ Fauré Requiem in D minor The Bristol University Music Society brings together its Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Choir for its annual joint concert at St Georges.

Both ensembles regularly perform varied and exciting repertoire from some of the great composers to a very high standard. As one of the biggest and most active Union societies, Bristol University Music Society aims to provide different musical opportunities in an open and welcoming environment for audience and members alike. bumsonline.org.uk

Pre-concert talk 7pm: Join conductor Catherine Larsen-Maguire to hear her thoughts on tonight’s programme. Free to ticket holders. bhco.co.uk Saturday 28 February 7.45pm

Sunday 1 March 7.30pm

Tickets £15 (£14), £13 (£12), £1 U16s (plus fees)

Tickets £12 (£6), £3 BUMS Members (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

22 Book now 0845 40 24 001

March

MEET THE ARCHITECTS

AN EVENING WITH IAN MCCULLOCH

VIDA GUITAR QUARTET

A unique opportunity to gain an insight into St George’s ‘Building a Sound Future’ capital development plans.

This is a chance to learn more about the vision for the project from key staff at St George’s and to hear directly from Andrew Taylor of Patel Taylor Architects, the award winning architectural practice responsible for designing our new extension. You’ll also be able to see detailed drawings and find out more about how the creative vision is becoming a reality.

A true icon of indie music since Liverpool’s post-punk golden age, Echo & the Bunnymen frontman Ian McCulloch gives a rare acoustic performance featuring stripped-back versions of Bunnymen favourites plus songs from his solo back catalogue.

Vaughan Williams March ‘Seventeen come Sunday’ (arr. M. Ashford) J S Bach Brandenburg Concerto No 3 (arr. M. Eden) Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue (arr. C. Stell) Cartledge The Great British Rock and Roll Journey

Promoted by St George’s Bristol

This masterful quartet brings a sparkling programme of popular repertoire spanning many styles and centuries and demonstrates the guitar’s amazing versatility. vidagq.com

pateltaylor.co.uk

Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Special OΩer Tuesday 3 March 6.30pm Tickets Free Admission, advance booking recommended

See page 6 for details Wednesday 4 March 8pm

Thursday 5 March 1pm

Tickets £20 (plus fees)

Tickets £7 (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

23 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk March

‘ Arguably the greatest English Folk Song performer, writer, collector and editor of them all’ Q MAGAZINE

MARTIN CARTHY He’s brilliant in any setting but a solo performance by Martin Carthy represents the distilled essence — stronger, harder, more intensely emotional — of his formidable talent. Playing the folk tradition from ancient ballads to ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, Martin’s voice and expert guitar playing — an important influence on Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Richard Thompson — shrink St George’s down to folk-club dimensions, making the renowned sound really sing. watersoncarthy.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Friday 6 March 8pm Tickets £18, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

24 Book now 0845 40 24 001

March

‘ Exquisite and Electrifying Performances’ BRISTOL POST

BRISTOL METROPOLITAN ORCHESTRA

RED MAIDS’ SPRING CONCERT

William Goodchild conductor Natalia Lomeiko violin

Stephen Browne, Rachel Killick & Catherine Woodman conductors

Borodin Polovtsian Dances Prokofiev Violin Concerto No 1 in D Borodin In The Steppes Of Central Asia Tchaikovsky Symphony No 4 in F minor

Otto Nicolai Merry Wives of Windsor ‘Overture’ Schumann Concerto in A minor (1st Movement) Eleanor Daley The Lake Isle of Innisfree J S Bach Cantata 140; ‘Sleepers Wake’

Renowned Russian violinist Natalia Lomeiko performs Prokofiev’s ‘Violin Concerto No 1’, composed in 1917, the year of the Revolution.

At times serene, at others fiery, it proved an immediate success. These contrasting emotions are reflected equally in Borodin’s two works: the ‘Polovtsian Dances’ progress from the softly lyrical to frenzied energy and back again; ‘In the Steppes of Central Asia’ depicts a desert caravan quietly travelling across deserted grassland. Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony exposes the turmoil within the composer’s troubled soul and crowns this all-Russian programme.

Red Maids’ School has a strong choral and orchestral tradition with a reputation for high quality performances. Put simply, this afternoon promises outstanding music from an excellent school.

This special concert, one of Stephen Browne’s last for the school after 36 years as Director of Music, brings together talented musicians and singers — both past and present — to celebrate the passion for music at the heart of Red Maids’ School. redmaids.bristol.sch.uk

bristolmetropolitanorchestra.com Saturday 7 March 7.30pm

Sunday 8 March 3pm

Tickets £15 (£14), £12 (£11), £8 (£6) (plus fees)

Tickets £6 (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

25 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk March

‘ England’s best loved clarinet player’ BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE

EMMA JOHNSON CLARINET GOES TO TOWN Emma Johnson clarinet John Lenehan piano Paul Clarvis percussion Join Emma Johnson in a glorious exploration of European and African music traditions — ragtime, cakewalks, popular song, habanera, Negro Spirituals — that all collided and fused together in the southern United States in the early twentieth century to create a new music: Jazz!

Featuring standards by Gershwin, Joplin, Bernstein, Chaplin, Dankworth, Piazzolla, Goodman... the list goes on.

Wednesday 11 March 7.30pm Tickets £20, £15, £5 Students (limited availability)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

26 Book now 0845 40 24 001

CHISATO KUSUNOKI PIANO

March

NAT BIRCHALL

Chisato makes a welcome return to our lunchtime series with a lovely traditionalmeets-modern programme, from Schubert’s delightful Sonata and Chopin’s passionate first Ballade to Russian composer Murad Kazhlaev’s ‘Romantic Sonatina’. For Chisato, Kazhlaev is one of today’s most important contemporary composers.

Praised by Gilles Peterson as ‘one of the best musicians in the UK', saxophonist/composer Nat Birchall makes spiritually-uplifting, groove-based jazz that matches the passionate intensity of classic John Coltrane and other Sixties masters with folk-influenced themes that call upon the same distinctively Northern aesthetic as his Manchester colleague and occasional musical partner Matthew Halsall.

Birchall's last album, 'Live in Larissa', was a scorching set of originals and soul-jazz standards and tonight's concert features Nat's latest quintet, with Adam Fairhall on piano, Corey Mwamba on vibes, Michael Bardon on double bass and Johnny Hunter on drums.

chisatokusunoki.com

natbirchall.com

Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Schubert Piano Sonata in A D664 Chopin Ballade No 1 in G minor Op 23 Kara Karaev Three Preludes Otar Taktakishvili In the Mountain; Poem Murad Kazhlaev Romantic Sonatina

Special OΩer See page 6 for details Thursday 12 March 1pm

Thursday 12 March 8pm

Tickets £7 (plus fees)

Tickets £15, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

27 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk March

BRISTOL CONCERT ORCHESTRA / ASHLEY WASS

HOUGH PLAYS BEETHOVEN I

Ashley Wass piano Stefan Hofkes conductor

Stephen Hough piano Tom Gauterin conductor Bristol Classical Players

Debussy Images: Ibéria Liszt Piano Concerto No 1 in E flat Beethoven Symphony No 5 in C minor

Sibelius Symphony No 4 in A minor Beethoven Piano Concerto No 1 in C Sibelius Symphony No 5 in E flat

Debussy’s ‘Ibéria’ opens this concert and conveys the sights, sounds and scents of Spain: the streets and byways; the fragrance of night; and the morning of festival day! Ashley Wass is a superb artist whom the orchestra is thrilled to welcome back, this time to perform Liszt’s dazzling and witty ‘Piano Concerto No 1 in E flat’. For Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony the superlatives could go on forever, but there is perhaps one simple reason why this work has proved to be so enduring: it is a triumph of abstract musical creation that captures and transmits the human spirit.

The Bristol Classical Players’ Sibelius cycle concludes with the desolate fourth and the triumphant fifth symphony with its famous ‘Swan Hymn’. In between, legendary pianist Stephen Hough starts his first complete series of Beethoven concertos, with the dazzling first concerto in which Beethoven gives full, gleeful reign to his youthful exuberance.

Not to be missed.

ashleywass.com bristolconcertorchestra.org.uk

‘that Titan of the keyboard’

THE OBSERVER

The Beethoven series continues…

Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3 (Stephen Hough) on Sunday 14 June Piano Concertos Nos. 4 and 5 (Stephen Hough) on Saturday 19 September stephenhough.com / bristolclassicalplayers.co.uk

Saturday 14 March 7.30pm

Sunday 15 March 7.30pm

Tickets £15 (£13), £13 (£11), £10 (£8), £8 (£6), £1 U18s (plus fees)

Tickets £24 (£20), £18 (£16), £16 (£14), £12 (£10) (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

28 Book now 0845 40 24 001

March

GRETCHEN PETERS IN CONCERT

BRISTOL GRAMMAR SCHOOL CONCERT

Since the release of her ‘career album’ (NPR), 2012’s ‘Hello Cruel World’, two-time Grammy nominee Gretchen Peters has been in nearconstant motion, touring for the past two years and releasing a live DVD and CD, Woman On The Wheel, in early 2013. Since 2012 she’s appeared at the Glastonbury, Isle of Wight and Cambridge Folk Festivals; and in addition to headlining her own soldout tours, she’s supported country and folk legends Guy Clark, Arlo Guthrie and John Prine (duetting with the latter at several shows).

The end-of-term concert from Bristol Grammar School is much anticipated by performers and audience alike. Featuring the best of the school’s musical talent in an array of ensembles, it promises as always to be a superb evening. bristolgrammarschool.co.uk

Cavallini Rêverie Russe JS Bach Trio Sonata in G BWV1038 (trans. Sterling Trio) Blake Trio Op 25 Connesson Techno-Parade Wilson The Cider Press Trio Arnold Grand Fantasia Formed at the Royal Northern College of Music, the Sterling Trio comprises flute, clarinet and piano, a unique combination of instruments with a repertoire spanning music from the Renaissance to present day. thesterlingtrio.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol

gretchenpeters.com

Special OΩer

Tuesday 17 March 8pm Tickets £20, £18 in advance (plus fees) £22, £20 on the door (plus fees)

STERLING TRIO

See page 6 for details Wednesday 18 March 7.30pm

Thursday 19 March 1pm

Tickets £7 (£5) (plus fees)

Tickets £7 (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

29 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk March

‘ The Duke’s honeyed tones are perfect for these honest, passionate songs about love and loss.’

THE INDEPENDENT’

DUKE SPECIAL Jools Holland favourite Duke Special is a cult singer-songwriter and pianist from Northern Ireland whose theatrical style and grandiloquent, big-R, Romantic music and lyrics mark him out as a true original. He’s performed with Tim Minchin, written songs for the National Theatre’s ‘Mother Courage’ directed by Deborah Warner, and paid tribute to Harry Nilsson and Ruby Murray. Tonight, Duke Special goes solo, performing the whole of his latest album. dukespecial.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Thursday 19 March 8pm Tickets £15, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

30 Book now 0845 40 24 001

March

A Passion: Music for Easter at St George’s Easter and the events leading up to it have been the inspiration for artists throughout the ages, and the musical settings of its sacred texts have resulted in some truly elevating masterpieces.

Across a series of concerts throughout the Easter period, St George's presents some of the most cherished of these works, both classic and contemporary.

Join with us in this special celebration.

Fri 10 Mar / 8.30pm Bristol Ensemble & Choir of Royal Holloway A Late Night Passion Sat 21 Mar / 7.30pm Bristol Bach Choir Seasons of Life Sat 28 Mar / 7.30pm Exultate Singers Bach’s Mass in B Minor Wed 1 Apr / 7.30pm Rachel Podger Guardian Angel

A LATE NIGHT PASSION Choir of Royal Holloway Bristol Ensemble Rupert Gough choir director Roger Huckle leader Arvo Pärt Passio Few post-Baroque Passion settings can be said to reach the heights of Bach’s masterpieces, the St Matthew and St John Passions, but the ‘Passio’ of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt is an extraordinary work that undoubtedly ranks as one of the greatest composed in recent times.

Against a slow moving tide of hypnotic musical undulations the suffering at the heart of the Easter story gradually unfolds, connecting with the listener in an intensely powerful way.

Performed in the stillness and contemplative atmosphere of St George’s this promises to be a profoundly moving and affecting experience.

Thur 2 Apr / 11.15am Jonathan James Liszt: The Priest of the Piano

This concert runs for approximately 70 minutes without interval.

Thur 2 Apr / 1pm Leslie Howard Via Cruces

bristolensemble.com chapelchoir.co.uk

Fri 3 Apr / 7pm OAE & Mark Padmore Bach’s St Matthew Passion

Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Earlybird OΩer £12 tickets available before Saturday 31 January Friday 20 March 8.30pm Tickets £15 (plus fees) £1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

31 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk March MUSIC FOR EASTER

BRISTOL BACH CHOIR SEASONS OF LIFE Christopher Finch music director Nigel Nash & Claire Alsop piano Jonathan Dove The Passing of the Year Brahms Requiem Brahms’ seminal work speaks directly to all humanity, with its comforting and consolatory aesthetic. The music, suitably poignant and reverential, is always hopeful and speaks clearly and profoundly in the composer’s intimate arrangement for piano duet. Jonathan Dove’s sensational work vividly illuminates the seasons of the year and life’s journey with imagination and beauty.

BRISTOL SUZUKI GROUP CONCERT The annual celebration of children learning to play violin, piano, flute and cello with the Suzuki approach.

The concert includes children of all ages in a wide variety of pieces for groups and soloists and shows off their remarkable achievements, having been brought up with this unique approach to learning music. bristolsuzukigroup.org.uk

BARTHOLOMEW LAFOLLETTE CELLO WITH CAROLINE PALMER PIANO Nadia Boulanger Three Pieces Schubert Sonata in A minor (‘per arpeggione’) Brahms Sonata No 1 in E minor One of today’s most exciting young classical musicians, Bartholomew LaFollette is joined by acclaimed pianist Caroline Palmer in a performance that contrasts Schubert’s light, romantic ‘Arpeggione’ Sonata with Brahms’ more moody and powerful E minor Sonata. bartholomew-lafollette.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol

bristolbach.org.uk

Saturday 21 March 7.30pm

Sunday 22 March 3pm

Thursday 26 March 1pm

Tickets £20, £15, £10 (plus fees)

Tickets £8 (£5) (plus fees)

Tickets £7 (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

32 Book now 0845 40 24 001

March AMERICANA DOUBLE BILL

‘ the soul of a poet and the voice of an angel’ RODNEY CROWELL (ON KIMMIE RHODES)

KIMMIE RHODES & AWNA TEIXEIRA Texan singer and songwriter Kimmie Rhodes, a regular duet partner with Willie Nelson, is country music royalty. Her fifteen albums include songs covered

by Nelson — who has called her ‘an undiscovered superstar‘ — Emmylou Harris, Joe Ely, Trisha Yearwood, Waylon Jennings and Mark Knopfler. Tonight she appears in a trio, with the show opened by Po’ Girl’s Awna Teixeira, whose performance here a few years ago on a bill with the Carrivick Sisters was so good it hurt. Awna is accompanied once again by the superb Bart de Win on keyboards and accordion.

This very special date — followed by more music at an after-party in the Crypt — acts as the launch for the forthcoming Bristol Americana Weekend (July 10-12), our brand new partnership with Colston Hall. See the websites for more details as they appear. kimmierhodes.com hazytales.me Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Friday 27 March 8pm Tickets £16, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

33 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk March MUSIC FOR EASTER

‘ superbly engaging’ BACHTRACK

EXULTATE SINGERS MASS IN B MINOR David Ogden conductor Natalie Clifton-Griffith soprano Alexei Winter tenor Martin Le Poidevin bass The Lochrian Ensemble Catherine Black leader J S Bach Mass in B minor Given as part of the St George’s Easter Passion festival, Exultate Singers and the Lochrian Ensemble perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B minor, undoubtedly one of the greatest works in the choral repertoire.

BRISTOL FESTIVAL OF MUSIC, SPEECH & DRAMA CELEBRATION CONCERT A variety of vocal and instrumental music, and drama, featuring a selection from the best performers of the Bristol Festival of Music, Speech & Drama (Bristol Eisteddfod) which takes place earlier in March. The Bristol Eisteddfod, founded in 1903 by William Fowler, has run annually without a break for 112 years. bristolfestival.co.uk

From the majestically solemn opening ‘Kyrie’ to the celebratory blaze of trumpets and drums that concludes the final ‘Dona nobis pacem’, Bach’s music expresses the full range of human emotions from intense sadness to great joy and zest for life. exultatesingers.org / lochrianensemble.co.uk Saturday 28 March 7.30pm Tickets £26 (£25), £23 (£22), £16 (£14), £12 (£10) (plus fees)

Tuesday 31 March 7.30pm Tickets £7 (£4) (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

34 Book now 0845 40 24 001

April

MUSIC FOR EASTER

MUSIC FOR EASTER

RACHEL PODGER GUARDIAN ANGEL

LESLIE HOWARD VIA CRUCES

Rachel Podger violin

Leslie Howard piano

J S Bach Partita in G minor BWV1013 Tartini Sonata in B minor No 13 Biber Passacaglia ‘Guardian Angel’ J S Bach Partita No 2 in D minor BWV1004

Liszt Litanies de Marie, Via Cruces, Choräle Vexilla regis prodeunt

Rachel Podger is one of the finest and most inventive musicians to have emerged in the field of Baroque performance in recent years.

With characteristic care, not to mention enormous passion, she has selected each piece in this sumptuous haul of musical gems and brought them together under the evocative title of ‘Guardian Angel’. She begins with her own transcription of Bach’s wonderful ‘Partita in G minor’, gliding seamlessly into the haunting and mesmeric final sonata ‘Guardian Angel’ from Biber’s ‘Mystery Sonatas’ and Bach’s second, glorious D minor partita.

‘Characteristically unforced and natural, the playing manages to sound endlessly considered and yet spontaneous… utterly stupendous’ BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE

rachelpodger.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Matching the devotional intensity of the larger scale choral works in our Easter Festival, this hour-long concert of Liszt’s highly distilled piano music promises to be a revelation. At its heart is Liszt’s late masterpiece, ‘Via Cruces’, a musical depiction of the fourteen Stations of the Cross. It opens with an introduction of disarming simplicity before Liszt begins to push the boundaries of tonality and the piano itself to the very edge of its capabilities. There are moments of violence and desolation in the music, but also reminders of love in the midst of sorrow.

‘The pianist seems absolutely in key with Liszt’s own musicianship’ MUSICAL OPINION

leslie-howard.com Pre-Concert Talk at 11.15am ‘Liszt the Priest of the Piano — transcendence of technique and the soul' with Jonathan James.

Tickets £8, advance booking recommended.

Running time 60 mins approx.

Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Special OΩer Wednesday 1 April 7.30pm Tickets £20, £15, £10, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees)

See page 6 for details Thursday 2 April 1pm Tickets £7 (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

35 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk April MUSIC FOR EASTER

‘ …searing, sublime performance… the superb tenor, Mark Padmore…’

THE NEW YORK TIMES

GOOD FRIDAY CONCERT ST MATTHEW PASSION Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Mark Padmore tenor J S Bach St Matthew Passion

Intense, impassioned and deeply moving, the OAE’s collaborations with tenor Mark Padmore have led in recent years to revelatory performances of Bach’s sacred works. This season they return to one of their most celebrated collaborations, featuring the St Matthew Passion.

This performance promises to shed light on an undisputed masterpiece, a work that even after 300 years has huge emotional power.

Please note that this performance starts at the slightly earlier time of 7pm and will last approximately three hours including an interval, finishing at around 10pm. oae.co.uk Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Friday 3 April 7pm Tickets £35, £30, £25, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees) £1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

36 Book now 0845 40 24 001

THE FURROW COLLECTIVE Folk Noir Special: four of the finest young singer-songwriters from both sides of the Scottish/English border — Alasdair Roberts, Emily Portman, Lucy Farrell and Rachel Newton — have delved into the obscure byways of traditional balladry to unearth dark and quirky narratives of murder, hauntings and worse, as heard on their debut album ‘At Our Next Meeting’.

With the songs arranged for solo voice, four-part harmony and a collection of instruments that includes musical saw, this promises to be a stark and spine-chilling evening of folk noir at its bleakest and best. thefurrowcollective.co.uk Promoted by St George’s Bristol

‘ The Furrow Collective are a bleakly charming and intriguing curiosity’ THE GUARDIAN

Saturday 4 April 8pm Tickets £15, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees) £1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

April FILMIC 2015

37 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk April

FILMIC 2015

HOWE GELB OUT OF THE DESERT Filmic 2015 presents a rip-roaring music and film double-bill: in the first half, legendary Tucson, Arizona singer-songwriter Howe Gelb plays a full 70-minute solo set, followed after the interval by the European premiere of ‘Out of the Desert — The Giant Sand Film’, a cinematic record of Gelb’s most celebrated band, introduced by its director Peter Triest.

A phenomenon of US indie and Americana for over 30 years, Howe Gelb is a performer, producer (KT Tunstall, Sylvie Simmons) and bandleader whose most famous creation, Giant (later Giant Giant) Sand is 26 albums old and still going strong. howegelb.com

MADALYN PARNAS VIOLIN WITH NICOLA EIMER PIANO Prokofiev Violin Sonata No 1 Op 80 Ravel Violin Sonata No 2 Two highly accomplished young musicians, American violinist Madalyn Parnas and pianist Nicola Eimer perform one of Prokofiev’s most magnificent chamber works, his profoundly tormented first Violin Sonata, coupled with the better-known of Ravel’s two violin sonatas, complete with his French take on the ‘Blues’ as its middle movement. parnasmusic.com nicolaeimer.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Special OΩer See page 6 for details Wednesday 8 April 8pm

Thursday 9 April 1pm

Tickets £18, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees)

Tickets £7 (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

38 Book now 0845 40 24 001

COURTNEY PINE PRESENTS ‘SONG’ WITH ZOE RAHMAN This is going to be awesome: Courtney Pine strips everything back for the most intimate set of shows in his long and illustrious career, playing a repertoire of ballads and nothing but in a sensitive duo with featured pianist Zoe Rahman. 'I have always wanted to record a collection of my favourite ballads and there is nothing like playing in a duet format for bringing out the intimacy of great songs', says Courtney. A star in her own right, Zoe Rahman is well known to St George’s audiences through her previous appearances here, both as a pianist in Courtney’s band, and solo. courtneypine.co.uk Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Thursday 9 April 8pm Tickets £20, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees) £1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

April

39 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk April THE LAST WORD

THE LONDON SWING ORCHESTRA ‘GREAT LEGENDS OF JAZZ AND SWING’ Graham Dalby director / narrator

PETER DONOHOE THE LAST WORD Chopin Polonaise Fantasie Op 61 Nocturnes in B Op 62 15 3 Waltzes Op 64 10 Ballade No 4 Op 52 8 Scriabin Sonata No 10 Op 70 Brahms Vier Klavierstücke Op 119 Prokofiev Sonata No 8 Op 84

Graham Dalby and his London Swing Orchestra return to St George’s to present a fabulous chronology, in words and music, charting the amazing story of the rise of Jazz and Swing from Scott Joplin in 1900 through to Frank Sinatra in 1965. Featuring classics from Ragtime to the Roaring Twenties, Goodman and Glenn Miller, Ellington and Satchmo and, of course, Sinatra, this is a treat for connoisseurs and beginners alike. The concert is in aid of The Trussell Trust, the UK’s largest food bank 'restoring dignity and hope'.

A pianist with an extraordinary forty-year career, Peter Donohoe has worked with the world's greatest orchestra and conductors, while at the same time making a name for himself as a soloist and chamber musician.

This third concert in our series 'The Last Word' sees Peter present the final keyboard works of Fréderic Chopin, including his shimmering 'Nocturnes in B' and the intricate ‘Ballade No 4’.

‘Real singing, real instruments, real style’

peter-donohoe.com

THE TIMES

Promoted by St George’s Bristol

londonswingorchestra.co.uk

Sunday 12 April 7.30pm Tickets £20, £10 Students (plus fees)

Wednesday 15 April 7.30pm Tickets £25, £20, £15, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

40 Book now 0845 40 24 001

April

NIKLAS SIVELÖV PIANO

ST GEORGE'S DAY CELEBRATION CONCERT

Beethoven Sonata No 30 in E Op 109 Scriabin Selection of Mazurkas, Preludes & Etudes N. Sivelöv 8 Preludes from 24 Preludes for Piano (2013)

The English Concert Erebus Ensemble Harry Bicket director

Swedish pianist and composer Niklas Sivelöv presents a heady collection of Scriabin’s works for piano alongside Beethoven’s late masterpiece of a sonata. This distinctly Nordic artist also treats us to a selection of his own mesmerising compositions for piano. sivelov.com Promoted by St George‘s Bristol

Locke Suite from ‘The Tempest’ Purcell Scenes from ‘King Arthur’ Celebrate St George’s Day with us and join Harry Bicket and The English Concert as they tread the boards in a programme that takes its lead from stage works of the 17th Century.

Matthew Locke’s incidental music for ‘The Tempest’ was first heard at the Duke’s Theatre on Lincoln’s Inn Field in 1674 and was notable at the time thanks to the composer’s use of stylistic directions to his players. Henry Purcell, on the other hand, composed some of his most acclaimed and recognisable music to accompany a ‘semi-opera’ about King Arthur’s battles with the Saxons. Expect trills and tremolos as we wave the flag and raise a glass to our namesake saint’s day. englishconcert.co.uk

Special OΩer See page 6 for details Thursday 23 April 1pm Tickets £7 (plus fees)

Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Thursday 23 April 7.30pm Tickets £25, £20, £15, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

41 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk April

WIHAN QUARTET Schubert String Quartet in E flat Op 125 No 1 Dvořák String Quartet in E flat Op 51 ‘Slavonic’ The Wihan Quartet has an outstanding reputation for the interpretation of its native Czech musical heritage, and treats us to a perfect example of this today with Dvořák’s ‘Slavonic’ Quartet.

The series concludes on Sunday 21 June. wihanquartet.co.uk Promoted by St George’s Bristol

BRISTOL CATHEDRAL CHOIR SCHOOL GOSPEL CHOIR The award-winning Bristol Cathedral Choir School Gospel Choir brings its dynamic and inspirational sound to the wonderful acoustic of St George’s. Don’t miss this exceptional night of gospel joy, featuring works

by Fred Hammond, Richard Smallwood and Kirk Franklin as well as more traditional Gospel tunes. The wonderful choir will have you dancing and singing by the end of the night! bccs.bristol.sch.uk

STEVE KNIGHTLEY Steve Knightley, frontman of ‘Show of Hands’, has been out on the road since January 2014 with his 100 date ‘Grow Your Own Gig’ project. He has travelled from Cornwall to The Borders, bringing a collection of songs about those who live and work in the countryside to new venues, challenging a new generation of promoters to turn their community buildings into music venues for a night. Profits from the concert will go to the Anthony Nolan Trust — a pioneering charity that saves the lives of people with blood cancer and uses their register to match individuals willing to donate their bone marrow to a complete stranger.

‘Committed and distinctive songs of conscience, love and history BBC RADIO 2 growyourowngig.co.uk

Special OΩer See page 6 for details Sunday 26 April 11am

Tuesday 28 April 7.30pm

Tickets £10 (plus fees)

Tickets £8 (£4) (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

Wednesday 29 April 8pm Tickets £20, £15, £10 Students (plus fees)

42 Book now 0845 40 24 001

April

‘ Yevgeny Sudbin is already hailed as potentially one of the greatest pianists of the 21st century’ THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

LIV-MARIE KODURAND VIOLIN WITH JAN RAUTIO PIANO Beethoven Sonata for Violin and Piano No 3 in E flat Op 12 Catoire Sonata No 2 ‘Poeme’ Op 20 Suk Four Pieces for Violin and Piano Acclaimed violinist Liv-Marie Kodurand and duo-partner Jan Rautio make a welcome return to our lunchtime series, teaming an early Beethoven sonata with two works written right at the turn of the 20th century — Suk’s ‘Four Pieces’, with its finale of instrumental pyrotechnics, and a virtuosic one-movement sonata by the rarely heard Russian composer Georgy Catoire.

Promoted by St George’s Bristol

YEVGENY SUDBIN PIANO Haydn Sonata in B minor Hob XVI/32 Beethoven 6 Bagatelles Op 126 Tchaikovsky Nocturne in F Op 10 No 1 Chopin Nocturne in C sharp minor Op 27 No 1; Mazurka in B flat minor Op 24 No 4 Scriabin Mazurka in E minor Op 25 No 3; Sonata No 9 in F Op 68 (‘Black Mass’) Saint-Saëns Danse Macabre (arr. Sudbin) Russian pianist Yevgeny Sudbin is one of the stars of the Southbank Centre’s International Piano Series — not surprising given that he’s been acclaimed as a ‘wonder pianist’ by The Times and has captivated audiences at St George’s on more than one occasion.

The music he has chosen illustrates multiple layers of connections and influences between major composers down the ages, from Haydn and Beethoven through to Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Scriabin. yevgenysudbin.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Special OΩer See page 6 for details Thursday 30 April 1pm Tickets £7 (plus fees)

Thursday 30 April 7.30pm Tickets £20, £15, £10, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

43 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk May

The Full English

BRISTOL FOLK FESTIVAL 2015 Bristol Folk Festival returns to St George’s and Bristol Folk House for 2015. Morris dancers, singarounds, ceilidhs, market stalls, shanty singing, open mic sessions, workshops, talks, indoor camping, local food and drink!

Featuring…

The Full English Seth Lakeman, Sam Sweeney, Fay Hield, Nancy Kerr, Martin Simpson, Ben Nicolls, Rob Harbron.

With…

The Gasworks Choir, Andy Irvine, Greg Russell & Ciaran Algar, Steve Tilston, Three Cane Whale, Folklaw, Mawkin, Granny’s Attic, Roving Crows, Maz O`Connor, Gentlemen Of Few, Heg & The Wolf Chorus, Skelad, Chris Cleverley, Matt Woosey, Brakeman, Rag Morris, Bristol Morris Men, Pigsty Morris, Mr Wilkins’ Shilling, Northgate Rapper and much more to be announced. bristolfolkfestival.co.uk

Home Service John Tams, Graeme Taylor, Steve King, Jon Davie, Michael Gregory, Paul Archibald, Roger Williams, Andy Findon Leveret Andy Cutting, Rob Harbron, Sam Sweeney

Saturday 2 & Sunday 3 May All Day

Lady Maisery Hannah James, Hazel Askew, Rowan Rheingans

Tickets £60 ‘Earlybird’ Weekend Ticket (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

44 Book now 0845 40 24 001

May

YUKIKO SHINOHARA JAZZ IN THE CLASSICS

ROBERTO SOLO FONSECA

Yukiko Shinohara piano

Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca, who succeeded Ruben Gonzales in the Afro-Cuban All-Stars before co-producing the final album by Buena Vista Social Club’s vocalist Ibrahim Ferrer and going on to become an international star of jazz and world music with his own hit albums, presents a brand new, very special show.

Debuted at Bouffes de Nord (the director Peter Brook’s old theatre) in Paris in November last year, Roberto SOLO Fonseca is a one-man performance in which Fonseca sings and plays, conjuring up a vivid world of music and memory through poetry, percussion and pianism.‘Overall, the show is like a day in my house‘, Fonseca says. ‘It’s about the objects I encounter, the things I do, the things that inspire me. It’s about my own philosophy, the way I work and the way I compose and play my music‘.

J S Bach Preludes Nos 1 & 2 / “Bach à la Jazz” (arr. Matt Herskowitz) from ‘Well-Tempered Clavier’ Book One Gershwin Three Preludes Ravel Valse nobles et sentimentales (selection) Ligeti Etude No 8 ‘Fem’ Gubaidulina Piano Sonata (2nd mvt) A. Rosenblatt Paganini Variations N G Kapustin Sonata Fantasy (4th mvt) Japanese pianist Yukiko Shinohara has created a sumptuous programme of classical works that have been inspired by the harmonic structures and rhythms of jazz or have themselves been the inspiration for jazz creations. Works range from J S Bach’s first two Preludes to jazz-inspired pieces by three modern-day Russian composers. ajsw.org.uk

robertofonseca.com

Promoted by St George’s Bristol in association with the Anglo Japanese Society of Wessex

Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Special OΩer See page 6 for details Thursday 7 May 1pm

Friday 8 May 8pm

Tickets £7 (plus fees)

Tickets £18, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

45 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk May

MINI BEATS VIBRANT VOICES!

AN EVENING WITH JULIAN LLOYD WEBBER

Laura Tanner presenter

With Jiaxin Lloyd Webber cello Pam Chowhan piano

Attention all Mini Beaters...

It's time to tone up those tonsils...

It's time to limber up those lips...

It's time to beef up that breathing...

It's time to SING with Vibrant Voices!

Join our super singers and presenter Laura Tanner for the grand finale of the current Mini Beats series, as they explore the most amazing instrument of all, the human voice!

Promoted by St George’s Bristol

While he has now retired from performing, Julian Lloyd Webber returns for a fascinating evening, recounting stories and anecdotes of touring, recording sessions, concerts, TV shows and the like, all of which are linked with rare video footage of him playing and talking with many of the people involved in his amazing life.

He is joined by his wife and fellow cellist Jiaxin Lloyd Webber and pianist Pam Chowhan, who perform works such as Fauré’s ‘Elegy’, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘The Music of the Night’, Rachmaninov’s ‘Cello Sonata’ as well as works by composers William Lloyd Webber, Philip Glass, Frank Bridge, and J S Bach.

Please note Julian will not be performing at this concert. julianlloydwebber.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol Sponsored by DAC Beachcroft

Sunday 10 May 10am & 11.15am

Monday 11 May 7.30pm

Tickets £6 (plus fees), Family Ticket available

Tickets £15, £12 (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

46 Book now 0845 40 24 001

TRIO APACHES Matthew Trusler violin Thomas Carroll cello Ashley Wass piano

May

BRANDON HILL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Tom Poster piano Luigi de Filippi conductor

Rossini William Tell Overture (trans. Trio Apaches) Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht (trans. Steuermann) Ravel Piano Trio

Mozart Serenade for Violin and Orchestra K203 Mozart Piano Concerto No 21 K 467 ‘Elvira Madigan’ Beethoven Symphony No 6 ‘Pastoral’

A ravishing European programme from Matthew Trusler, Thomas Carroll and Ashley Wass, aka Trio Apaches, with Rossini’s reduced ‘William Tell Overture’ losing none of its exuberance and setting hearts racing, and Ravel’s animated ‘Piano Trio’ (a test of any musician’s mettle). It is Schoenberg’s 'Verklärte Nacht' which is the main draw this evening, however, as it represents one of the lofty peaks of late Romantic music. Highly charged and drenched in expressive lyricism, it's sure to leave you breathless.

Beethoven and Mozart (Wolfgang and Leopold!) BHCO teams up once again with Tom Poster, recognized as a versatile and sensitive musician whether he is performing as a soloist, chamber musician or accompanist. He is the soloist in the sublime twenty-first Mozart Piano Concerto, often known as ‘Elvira Madigan’. On the rostrum, Luigi de Filippi builds on preceding seasons’ collaborations with BHCO exploring Mozart and his contemporary Linley. He is both conductor and violin soloist in a rare performance of Wolfgang’s ‘Serenade’ K 203 in an edition devised by his father Leopold.

Beethoven’s ever-beguiling ‘Pastoral’ Symphony completes the programme.

trioapaches.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol

bhco.co.uk tomposter.co.uk

Wednesday 13 May 7.30pm

Saturday 16 May 7.45pm

Tickets £14 (plus fees)

Tickets £15 (£14), £13 (£12), £1 U16s (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

47 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk May

KATHAKALI HIMA SUNDARI

AURORA ORCHESTRA JITTERBUG

The Kala Chethena Kathakali Company makes a welcome return to St George’s as part of their UK Tour, with a performance of ‘Hima Sundari’ — a beautiful story similar to Snow White, complete with princess, prince, evil stepmother and poisoned apple, performed in the classical style of Kathakali.

Rameau Les Indes Galantes Ellington Jubilee Stomp (arr. Iain Farrington) J C Johnson Travellin’ All Alone (arr. Dave O’Brien) Stravinsky Concerto in E flat (‘Dumbarton Oaks’) Paganini Caprice No 5 in A minor Original Dixieland Jazz Band Tiger Rag (arr. Iain Farrington) Traditional St James Infirmary (arr. Iain Farrington) Gershwin Porgy and Bess Fantasy (arr. Iain Farrington)

Kathakali is a 500 year old masterpiece of visual storytelling from Kerala, South India.

The stories are brought alive by the skills of the artists who take the audience on a journey into the imagination where the characters tell their stories.

Recommended age: 6+ kathakali.net Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Drama & Music Workshop 2pm — 3pm / An introduction to the drama, followed by drumming and singing demonstrations (with audience participation!).

Open to all ticket holders of any age. Participant Tickets £1, advance booking recommended.

Sunday 17 May 4pm Tickets £10, £6 U18s, Family Ticket available

Man Overboard Thomas Gould violin Aurora Orchestra Nicholas Collon conductor Hush Hush Folks! Aurora Orchestra returns to St George’s with a prohibition-inspired programme, featuring the melodic, infectious swing of Man Overboard and Aurora’s very own Stéphane Grappelli, Thomas Gould. auroraorchestra.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Wednesday 20 May 7pm Tickets £20, £15, £10, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

48 Book now 0845 40 24 001

May

‘ Tom Paxton embodies the spirit of folk music in the most beautiful sense’ ANI DEFRANCO

TOM PAXTON Folk troubadour Tom Paxton has written some of the best-loved songs of the last half-century. If we get to hear ‘Ramblin’ Boy’ and ‘The Last Thing On My Mind’ tonight — and we surely will — the whole hall is likely to join in too, for a Tom Paxton performance is a kind of collective celebration of common humanity. As well as his warm and wise songs of love and regret, there are searing satires about government and business, and protests about war and racism that update the ethical concerns of the Sixties Greenwich Village folk-scene to the big issues and historical events of today. As always, Tom sings and plays guitar with great skill and grace. tompaxton.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Saturday 23 May 8pm Tickets £24.50, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees) £1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

49 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk May

‘ ...the OAE’s playing was so alert, with widespread solo instrumental excellence and spontaneity’

OAE: 20 YEARS AT ST GEORGE'S

THE GUARDIAN

ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT 20 TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT Rebecca Miller conductor David Blackadder trumpet C P E Bach Symphony in D W 183/1 Haydn Trumpet Concerto in E flat Beethoven Overture ‘Coriolan’ Haydn Symphony No 104 ‘London’ St George’s celebrates one of its most enduring and cherished partnerships tonight as we toast two decades of concerts with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

For this special visit the orchestra is joined by trumpeter David Blackadder and conductor Rebecca Miller in a programme which features such masterworks as Beethoven’s ‘Coriolan’ overture and Haydn’s majestic love letter to our fair capital. oae.co.uk Promoted by St George’s Bristol

ELEFTHERIA KOTZIA GUITAR Described by USA Review as ‘doing for the Greek soul what flamenco does for the Spanish’, international guitarist Eleftheria Kotzia returns to St George’s to take us on a fiery musical journey from the old world to the new, with works from the Balkans, Spain and Persia to Argentina and Brazil, all taken from her new CD ‘Gypsy Ballad’.

Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Special OΩer See page 6 for details

Wednesday 27 May 7.30pm

Thursday 28 May 1pm

Tickets £33, £28, £23, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees)

Tickets £7 (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

50 Book now 0845 40 24 001

June

HERITAGE BLUES ORCHESTRA

REIKO FUJISAWA PIANO

Like fellow neo-traditionalists Carolina Chocolate Drops, the Grammy-nominated Heritage Blues Orchestra — a sextet for this date — aims to reclaim the African-American folk roots that have nourished popular music for a century, from juke-joint country blues and Mississippi work-songs to New Orleans voodoo music and urban R&B. Every member of the band is a star: Bill Sims Jr from Georgia is a singer, guitarist/pianist and occasional film actor (‘American Gangster’, ‘Cadillac Records’); Bill’s daughter Chaney Sims sings everything from spirituals to soul; Junior Mack plays hotshot lead guitar; Bruno Wilhelm blows mean sax alongside harmonica ace Vincent Bucher; and Kenny ‘Beedy-Eyes’ Smith — whose dad played drums for Muddy Waters — is the hottest blues sticks man in Chicago. This is going to be wild.

Toru Takemitsu Rain Tree Sketch II Beethoven Piano Sonata No 21 in C Op 53 ‘Waldstein’ Schubert Impromptus D899 (Nos 2, 3 & 4) Japanese-born pianist Reiko Fujisawa explores the deep textures of Beethoven’s mighty Waldstein Sonata and the joyful spirit of Schubert’s Impromptus in a recital that begins with Takemitsu’s second, and beautifully delicate, ‘Rain Tree Sketch’. reikofujisawa.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol

ELIAS QUARTET WITH DANIEL TONG PIANO Debussy Debussy Quartet in G minor; Sonata for Cello & Piano in D minor Fauré Piano Quintet No 2 in C minor Last seen at St George’s on its immersive exploration of the Beethoven’s great String Quartets, the thrilling Elias Quartet is back, this time joined by pianist Daniel Tong.

This is a fragrant programme of French classics from the pens of Claude Debussy and Gabriel Fauré. If their triumphant Beethoven journey is anything to go by, this French foray will no doubt captivate and enchant. eliasstringquartet.com danieltong.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol

heritagebluesorchestra.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Wednesday 3 June 8pm Tickets £18, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees)

Special OΩer See page 6 for details Thursday 4 June 1pm Tickets £7 (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

Friday 5 June 7.30pm Tickets £20, £15, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees)

51 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk June

‘ An irrepressible force in the early music world, bringing bags of style, energy and dramatic excitement to everything they touch’ INTERNATIONAL RECORD REVIEW

CARNEVALE VENEZIANO FUNDRAISING GALA With I Fagiolini Vocal ensemble extraordinaire I Fagiolini brings the music and spirit of the Venetian Carnival to life in a hugely entertaining cabaret that encompasses an infectious mix of masques, street songs, humour and commedia dell’arte, balanced by erotic duets and music for special occasions — from Monteverdi to Monty Python. All historically informed, beautifully sung and wondrously acted!

This gala banquet is in aid of our 'Building a Sound Future' Appeal and is presented 'Cabaret Style' with table seating. If you would like to make a booking please contact the Development Team on 0117 929 4929 or email development@ stgeorgesbristol.co.uk. ifagiolini.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Friday 12 June 7.30pm Tickets £100 (plus fees, includes banquet) £1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

52 Book now 0845 40 24 001

June

HOUGH PLAYS BEETHOVEN II

BRISTOL METROPOLITAN ORCHESTRA

Bristol Classical Players Stephen Hough piano Tom Gauterin conductor

William Goodchild conductor Pavel Timofejevsky piano

Mozart Symphony No 35 in D ‘Haffner’ K385 Beethoven Piano Concerto No 2 in B flat Haydn Symphony No 76 in E flat Hob I/76 Beethoven Piano Concerto No 4 in G Stephen Hough returns for a celebration of all things Classical, playing contrasting Beethoven concertos — the impish second and the serene fourth, with its depiction of ‘Orpheus taming the wild beasts’. In between, two sparkling symphonies by Beethoven’s great idols, Haydn and Mozart.

‘Britain’s finest pianist’ SUNDAY TIMES

stephenhough.com bristolclassicalplayers.co.uk

Bizet L'Arlésienne Suite No 1 Ravel Piano Concerto in G Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique Pavel Timofejevsky, a multi-talented pianist, composer, conductor and lecturer, joins the orchestra to perform Ravel's stunning piano concerto. Works by three very different composers comprise this summer concert, each one epitomising the French music of its day. We hear Ravel's lyrical mastery of harmony and counterpoint, Bizet's gift of melody and orchestration and Berlioz's unusually orchestrated symphony in five movements with its idée fixe. This last work tells the story of a young musician poisoned by opium who imagines himself and his beloved at a ball, wandering through the countryside only to confront a nightmare scenario where he has killed her and must go to the gallows.

‘Magical Moments’

BRISTOL POST

bristolmetropolitanorchestra.com Sunday 14 June 7.30pm Tickets £24 (£20), £18 (£15), £16 (£12), £12 (£10) (plus fees)

Saturday 20 June 7.30pm Tickets £15 (£14), £12 (£11), £8 (£6) (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

53 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk June

WIHAN QUARTET Schubert String Quartet in A minor ‘Rosamunde’ Dvořák String Quartet No 11 in C Op 61 The Wihan Quartet’s Sunday Series cycle culminates in performances of Schubert’s haunting masterpiece, the ‘Rosamunde’ Quartet, and Dvořák’s wonderfully lyrical 11th Quartet.

‘This is the finest recorded performance I have encountered to date’.

BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE (ON THE WIHAN QUARTET’S DVO Ř ÁK OP 61 RECORDING)

wihanquartet.co.uk Promoted by St George’s Bristol

BBC YOUNG MUSICIAN 2014 FINALISTS SHOWCASE Martin James Bartlett piano Sophie Westbrooke recorders Elliott Gaston-Ross percussion The three finalists from last year’s BBC Young Musician competition reunite for a very special afternoon concert, with winning pianist Martin James Bartlett performing a complete second half recital. Expect magical musical performances from their competition repertoire; they truly are the classical stars of the future. Be there from the beginning!

Promoted by St George’s Bristol

Special OΩer See page 6 for details Sunday 21 June 11am

Saturday 27 June 4pm

Tickets £10 (plus fees)

Tickets £10, £6 U18s (plus fees), Family Ticket available

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

54 Book now 0845 40 24 001

JEAN-GUIHEN QUERYAS & THE CHEMIRANI BROTHERS The highly versatile cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras explores the hypnotic and spellbinding music of Algeria and the Mediterranean with the Iranian Chemirani brothers. Bijan and Kevyan Chemirani, two masters of the zarb — the most important percussion instrument of Persia, join Queyras for a programme of traditional, contemporary and improvised music inspired from Queyras’ childhood in Algeria. This eclectic programme explores the acrobatic and percussive rhythms of the Chemirani brothers alongside Queyras’ improvisation on Mediterranean melodies remembered from his youth. jeanguihenqueyras.com bijanchemirani.com Promoted by St George’s Bristol in partnership with Cheltenham Music Festival

Thursday 2 July 7.30pm Tickets £25, £20, £5 Students (limited availability) (plus fees)

July

PEOPLE OF NOTE COMMUNITY CHOIR BIG SUMMER CONCERT Nickomo Clarke & Rasullah Clarke conductors ‘People of Note’ is one of Bristol’s longest established open-access community choirs, this year celebrating their 15th year of singing together. Although they are involved in various performances throughout the year, the Summer Concert at St George's is the big one! Every year they present an entirely new repertoire of songs of astonishing variety including popular music form the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, contemporary choir compositions, and songs from around the world. Audiences are consistently amazed by the quality of performance, and uplifted by the joy and exuberance of the choir. peopleofnote.org

Saturday 4 July 8pm Tickets £7 (£6) (plus fees)

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

55 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

Bristol Americana Weekend Police Dog Hogan

Bristol Americana Weekend Friday—Sunday 10—12 July

S

t George's Bristol and Colston Hall/ Bristol Music Trust combine to present the debut weekend of what we hope will become a regular annual event across both venues. Check websites nearer to the time for updates on who’s appearing, with everything on sale in time for the launch date concert by Kimmie Rhodes on 27 March. Acts booked so far at St George's for the Saturday and Sunday (Colston Hall go it alone for the opening Friday) include Guardian-readers' favourites Police Dog Hogan and bluegrass specialists The Coal Porters, fronted by ex Long Ryder and altcountry legend Sid Griffin. stgeorgesbristol.co.uk colstonhall.org

The Coal Porters

£1 administration fee charged per transaction plus £1 card transaction fee where applicable

56 Book now 0845 40 24 001

Information

Join the Friends t St George’s we are fortunate to have a wonderfully supportive network of Friends.

Through their generous support the Friends of St George’s help us deliver our world class artistic programme, provide inspirational music making opportunities for children and young people in and around Bristol, and care for our beautiful grade II* listed building.

‘The atmosphere at St George’s is always electric. The acoustic space allows a uniquely close connection between audience and performers, and the range of music on offer is absolutely brilliant.

For this reason I think it is the best classical music venue in Bristol!

Become a Friend of St George's today and help us secure this special place for the future. Contact the Development Team on 0117 929 4929 or email development @stgeorgesbristol.co.uk.

‘Pound for pound, being a Benefactor of St Georges is one of the best investments I have made. I play a small part in ensuring that world class music, to suit every musical taste, is on my doorstep in Bristol.

SARAH MUMFORD

ELINOR COOPER

Our Supporters

St George’s Bristol would like to thank all of our supporters:

Arts + Refugees Network

57 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk Information

Booking Information OPENING HOURS Our Box Office opening hours are Monday to Friday 12pm — 6pm, with the Box Office remaining open until the end of the interval on concert days and opening one and a half hours before the concert start time for weekend and daytime shows.

WHEN TO BOOK

Patrons priority booking opens Monday 1 December

Benefactors priority booking opens Tuesday 2 December

Gala Friends priority booking opens Wednesday 3 December

Friends priority booking opens Thursday 4 December

General booking opens Monday 8 December

Credit/debit card transaction fee £1 — charged to all customers per transaction using a credit or debit card online, over the phone or in person.

Administration fee £1 — charged per transaction to all bookers and standardised across all booking methods (online, in person and by telephone).

Postage fee 70p — tickets can be posted if requested at a charge of 70p covering postage and materials.

Further information about booking fees can be found at stgeorgesbristol.co.uk/booking.

Concessions Concession prices are indicated in brackets after the full price. These apply to those in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance or benefits, registered disabled, senior citizens, young people under-18 and full time students. Please note only one type of concession can be claimed per ticket and proof of eligibility must be presented in order to qualify, where appropriate.

Carers Free carer tickets are available for each full paying ticket holder who requires someone to assist them with their visit. See above for concession details.

Please note that on the first day of Friends priority booking (Thurs 4 Dec) and the first two days of General booking the Box Office will be open from 10am.

CAVATINA Free tickets for 8 — 25 year olds for certain chamber concerts. Look out for the and be sure to quote CAVATINA when booking tickets. Visit cavatina.net for more details.

HOW TO BOOK

Group Offer One ticket free in every group of 10 for all events promoted by St George’s Bristol.

In person — the Box Office entrance is located on the right hand side of the building, accessible from Great George Street (see opening times on the previous page). Please note the Box Office no longer opens during the day on Saturday.

By telephone — 0845 40 24 001. All major credit cards (except American Express), Maestro and Delta cards are accepted.

Online — book online 24 hours a day at stgeorgesbristol.co.uk.

BOOKING FEES Booking fees contribute towards the cost of processing card payments, posting out tickets and providing up-to-date, reliable and convenient ticketing services to our customers.

Family ticket One child goes free in a family party of 4 or more.

Refunds Tickets are non-transferable and refunds can only be offered on events which are sold out (and where there is demand) up to 48 hours before an event.

Physical tickets must be returned.

Latecomers and readmission Admission will be offered at the first suitable break but admission and readmission cannot be guaranteed. The management reserves the right to refuse admission to any person.

Data protection When you book a ticket your details are stored on the St George’s computer database. This information will only be used to send you details of events at St George’s and at other arts venues with your permission — Data Protection Act registration number: PZ5013390.

58 Book now 0845 40 24 001

Information

Photo Archive The Crypt hosts a permanent exhibition of prints by photographer Pete Williams. This powerful collection features great musicians captured on film, using non-digital 19th century technology to an incredible effect.

General Information Amplification Due to the nature of our artistic programme, some events are amplified. If this causes any concern, please check with the Box Office when booking.

Facilities for those with additional needs St George’s welcomes concert-goers with additional needs. The venue is fully accessible from Charlotte Street. Please mention your particular needs to the Box Office when you book and all assistance will be given. Limited parking is available for Blue Badge holders, but must be reserved in advance. Toilet facilities are located in the bar and accessible by lift.

Essential carers go free.

Sound reinforcement St George’s Bristol is equipped with a T-Loop hearing system.

Guide dogs Guide dogs are admitted to all parts of St George’s Bristol.

Family friendly St George’s welcomes children and we programme a variety of family friendly concerts. Parents are asked to remember that some concerts may not be suitable.

Our acoustic is extremely sensitive and sound carries so babes in arms and young children cannot be admitted to the auditorium for ticketed events unless otherwise stated. If you are thinking of coming to a concert with a child and are unsure if it would be appropriate call our Box Office and discuss it with one of our team who will be happy to advise you and arrange appropriate seating. All children must be issued with a ticket.

The information given in this brochure was correct at the time of going to print. Programme subject to change.

Design: Smith & Milton, Bristol Cover: Naomi Skinner Registered Office: Great George Street, Bristol BS1 5RR Administration: 0117 929 4929 Email: administration@stgeorgesbristol.co.uk Director: Suzanne Rolt St George’s Bristol No 2053843 Registered Charity No 295178 VAT No 821968115

59 stgeorgesbristol.co.uk Information

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Information

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January — March 2015 At a glance JAN UARY

M ARCH

Fri 9 ⁄ 8. 30pm

Cellophony

Sun 11 ⁄ 8pm

Nils Lofgren

Sat 17 ⁄ 11am

Raise The Roof!

Sat 24 ⁄ 7.30pm

Bristol Classical Players Jennifer Pike violin

Thu 29 ⁄ 1pm

Lunchtime Concert Aurea Quartet

Thu 29 ⁄ 7.30pm David Russell guitar Fri 30 ⁄ 8.30pm

Thomas Gould violin Ksenija Sidorova accordion

FEB RUARY

Sun 1 ⁄ 7.30pm

Bristol University Music Society Concert

Tue 3 ⁄ 6.30pm

Meet The Archiects

Wed 4 ⁄ 8pm

An Evening With Ian McCulloch

Thu 5 ⁄ 1pm

Lunchtime Concert Vida Guitar Quartet

Thu 5 ⁄ 7pm

Bristol Jazz & Blues Festival Gala Dinner Celebration

Fri 6 ⁄ 8pm

Martin Carthy

Sat 7 ⁄ 7.30pm

Bristol Metropolitan Orchestra

Sun 8 ⁄ 3pm

Red Maids’ Spring Concert

Tue 10 ⁄ 10.30am Pat Pilkington Memorial Lecture

with Caroline Myss

Sun 1 ⁄ 4pm

Tom Eveson Memorial Concert

Mon 2 ⁄ 1pm

Lunchtime Concert Young Musicians Showcase

Weds 4 ⁄ 8pm

Amjad Ali Khan sarod

Thu 12 ⁄ 1pm

Lunchtime Concert Chisato Kusunoki piano

Sun 8 ⁄ 7.30pm

Out There Music Bristol Winter Concert

Thu 12 ⁄ 8pm

Nat Birchall

Tue 10 ⁄ 7.30pm

Badminton School Musicians

Sat 14 ⁄ 7.30pm

Bristol Concert Orchestra Ashley Wass piano

Wed 11 ⁄ 7.30pm Going Beyond

Adventure On Your Doorstep

Sun 15 ⁄ 7.30pm

Hough Plays Beethoven I Stephen Hough piano

Mon 16 ⁄ 7pm

QEH Spring Concert

Tue 17 ⁄ 8pm

Gretchen Peters In Concert

Thu 12 ⁄ 7pm

Aurora Orchestra Pulse: Steve Reich & His Influences

Sat 14 ⁄ 7.30pm

Exultate Singers A Sense Of The Divine: Songs Of Love

Wed 11 ⁄ 7.30pm Emma Johnson

Clarinet Goes To Town

Wed 18 ⁄ 7.30pm Bristol Grammar School Concert

Sun 15 ⁄ 10⁄11.15am MiniBeats Brilliant Brass!

Thu 19 ⁄ 1pm

Lunchtime Concert Sterling Trio

Wed 18 ⁄ 2.45pm Wild Words Magic Flutes!

Thu 19 ⁄ 8pm

Duke Special

Thu 19 ⁄ 1pm

Fri 20 ⁄ 8.30pm

Bristol Ensemble / Choir Of Royal Holloway A Late Night Passion

Sat 21 ⁄ 7.30pm

Bristol Bach Choir Seasons Of Life

Tue 24 ⁄ 6.30pm Ulrich Gerhartz Lifting The Lid

Sun 22 ⁄ 3pm

Bristol Suzuki Group Concert

Thu 26 ⁄ 8pm

Tim Garland

Fri 27 ⁄ 7.30pm

Paul Lewis piano ‘The Last Word’

Thu 26 ⁄ 1pm

Lunchtime Concert Bartholomew LaFollette cello

Sat 28 ⁄ 7.45pm

Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra

Fri 27 ⁄ 8pm

Kimmie Rhodes & Awna Teixeira

Sat 28 ⁄ 7.30pm

Exultate Singers Mass In B Minor

Lunchtime Concert AJSW Ensemble

Sun 22 ⁄ 11am

Sunday Series Wihan Quartet

Sun 22 ⁄ TBC

Scott Matthew

See Over For April — July listings

Tue 31 ⁄ 7.30pm Bristol Festival of Music, Speech & Drama Celebration Concert

April — July 2015 At a glance APR I L

M AY

Wed 1 ⁄ 7.30pm

Rachel Podger violin

Thu 2 ⁄ 1pm

Lunchtime Concert Leslie Howard piano

Fri 3 ⁄ 7pm

OAE & Mark Padmore St Matthew Passion

Sat 4 ⁄ 8pm

The Furrow Collective

Wed 8 ⁄ 8pm

Howe Gelb Out Of The Desert

Thu 9 ⁄ 1pm

Lunchtime Concert Madalyn Parnas violin Nicola Eimer piano

Thu 9 ⁄ 8pm Courtney Pine ‘Song’ with Zoe Rahman Sat 11 ⁄ 7pm

Dancing England Rapper Tournament 2015

Sun 12 ⁄ 7.30pm

The London Swing Orchestra

Wed 15 ⁄ 7.30pm Peter Donohoe piano ‘The Last Word’ Thu 23 ⁄ 1pm

Lunchtime Concert Niklas Sivelov piano

Thu 23 ⁄ 7.30pm The English Concert

St George’s Day Concert Sun 26 ⁄ 11am

Sunday Series Wihan Quartet

Tue 28 ⁄ 7.30pm Bristol Cathedral Choir

School Gospel Choir Wed 29 ⁄ 8pm

Steve Knightley

Thu 30 ⁄ 1pm

Lunchtime Concert Liv-Marie Kodurand violin Jan Rautio piano

Thu 30 ⁄ 7.30pm Yevgeny Sudbin piano

See Inside For January — March listings

Book now 0845 40 24 001 Visit us stgeorgesbristol.co.uk Great George Street (off Park Street) Bristol BS1 5RR

Sat 2 ⁄ All Day

Bristol Folk Festival Day One

Sun 3 ⁄ All Day

Bristol Folk Festival Day Two

Thu 7 ⁄ 1pm

Lunchtime Concert Yukiko Shinohara piano

Fri 8 / 8pm

Roberto Fonseca Solo

Sun 10 ⁄ 10 ⁄ 11.15am MiniBeats Vibrant Voices!

Mon 11 ⁄ 7.30pm An Evening with

Julian Lloyd Webber Wed 13 ⁄ 7.30pm Trio Apaches Sat 16 ⁄ 7.45pm

Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra

Sun 17 ⁄ 4pm

Kathakali

Wed 20 ⁄ 7pm

Aurora Orchestra Jitterbug

Sat 23 ⁄ 8pm

Tom Paxton

Wed 27 ⁄ 7.30pm OAE 20th Anniversary Concert Thu 28 ⁄ 1pm

Lunchtime Concert Eleftheria Kotzia guitar

JUNE Wed 3 ⁄ 8pm

Heritage Blues Orchestra

Thu 4 ⁄ 1pm

Lunchtime Concert Reiko Fujisawa piano

Fri 5 ⁄ 7.30pm

Elias String Quartet / Daniel Tong piano

Fri 12 ⁄ 7.30pm

I Fagiolini Venetian Carnival

Sun 14 ⁄ 7.30pm Hough Plays Beethoven II Sat 20 ⁄ 7.30pm Bristol Metropolitan Orchestra Sun 21 ⁄ 11am

Sunday Series Wihan Quartet

Sat 27 ⁄ 4pm

Young Musician 2014 Finalists Concert

J U LY Thu 2 ⁄ 7.30pm

Jean-Guihen Queryas and the Chemirani Brothers

Sat 4 ⁄ 8pm

People Of Note Community Choir

Sat 11 — Sun12

Bristol Americana Festival

St George’s Bristol

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