Gigs

Classical music from across the region...

Orchestra of the Swan: An English Fantasia

Stratford Play House, Stratford-upon-Avon, Wed 16 November

Jason Lai (pictured) is the conductor and Nick Daniel the oboist for a concert that sees the Orchestra of the Swan presenting a programme of 20th-century English music composed by, among others, Benjamin Britten and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Britten’s Simple Symphony is presented alongside two works by Vaughan Williams: Oboe Concerto In A Minor and Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis. But that’s not all. Purcell’s Chacony In G Minor also features, as does Delius’ Two Aquarelles and James Wilson’s The Green Fuse. The programme is completed by William Walton’s Two Pieces From Henry V. The featured works formed part of the score that Walton wrote for Laurence Olivier’s 1944 film adaptation of Shakespeare’s famous history play.

Ex Cathedra: Songs Of Protest

Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Sun 13 November

“Music expresses our deepest thoughts and has the power to change the way we think and feel,” says Ex Cathedra founder and conductor Jeffrey Skidmore. “Songs Of Protest on Remembrance Sunday puts the case for peace, political freedom, compassion for our fellow human beings and the fight against torture. “Classic works by John Joubert and James MacMillan are performed alongside profoundly moving new works by Sally Beamish and Alec Roth.”

Eusebius Quartet

Royal Pump Rooms, Leamington Spa, Fri 4 November

This London-based all-female string quartet are no strangers to five-star reviews, being widely praised for an approach to music which manages to be both full-blooded and flexible. Calling themselves after the fictional character created by Robert Schumann, Eusebius are here performing in Leamington for the very first time, presenting a programme that features works by Haydn and Beethoven. Howard Skempton’s Tendrils completes the bill. The piece is being performed to mark the composer’s 75th birthday.

Classical

Armonico Consort: JS Bach Christmas Oratorio

Malvern Theatres, Worcestershire, Wed 30 November; Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick, Tues 6 December

The always-impressive Armonico Consort visit Malvern to perform Bach’s famous Oratorio. Created in 1734 as a Christmas present for the congregations of St Thomas’s and St Nicholas’s in Leipzig, the beautiful festive classic has since become a firm yuletide favourite. Written in six sections, the work tells the story of the birth of Jesus, complete with angels, shepherds and the gift-bearing Three Kings. The concert will feature parts one, three, five and six of the Oratorio.

G4 Christmas

Worcester Cathedral, Fri 18 November

After scoring a hit on television talent show The X Factor in 2004, G4 became one of the country’s biggest crossover classical groups. Their debut album went straight to number one and sold more than 245,000 copies, making it the fastestselling record of that year. Although they disbanded three years and three albums later - citing as the reason their need to pursue individual interests they reunited in 2014 for their 10th anniversary and have been making music ever since. The boys’ Worcester stop-off forms part of a series of 32 festive shows being performed in beautiful churches and cathedrals across the country. Expect Christmas classics and carols aplenty.

Live music from across the region...

Granny’s Attic

Huntingdon Hall, Worcester, Thurs 24 November

Granny’s Attic comprises a trio of young folk musicians who started performing together at Bishop Perone College in Worcester in 2009. Taking a lively and vibrant approach to traditional English, Irish and Scottish folk music, all three performers are accomplished vocalists who between them also play an impressive array of instruments, including melodeon, concertina, guitar, fiddle and mandolin.

Hannah Woof

hmv Empire, Coventry, Thurs 10 November

Up-and-coming Hannah Woof describes herself as “your friendly neighbourhood twentysomethingyear-old singer-songwriter with issues”. Hannah has been singing since childhood, and performing solo gigs in and around her home county of Warwickshire for over a decade. Her 2015 debut EP, Sleepless Nights, in which she used her experiences of insomnia to inspire her music, was followed by Sweet Talk, focusing on more ‘sensual’ subject matter. She’s joined for this Coventry gig by special guests Rosso and Jake Rizzo, in what will be her first headlining show since 2017.

Clearwater Creedence Revival

Leamington Assembly, Sat 12 November

For those not in the know, during the 1960s and early ’70s, Creedence Clearwater Revival were widely considered to be one of America’s greatest rock bands. But although they headlined the legendary Woodstock Festival in 1969, they didn’t feature in either the movie or on the album which followed: Band member John Fogerty felt that their performance on the day hadn’t cut the mustard so didn’t want it preserved for posterity. Their music, however, has most definitely stood the test of time, and is here brilliantly recreated by these hugely talented tribute stars... Expect all the greatest hits, including Proud Mary, Have You Ever Seen The Rain and Bad Moon Rising.

Gigs

Soumik Datta

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Weds 9 November

Award-winning musician, producer & television presenter Soumik Datta plays a 19-stringed instrument from the Indiansubcontinent called a sarod, and combines contemporary Indian music with spoken word, arts activism and electronica. Working in collaboration with refugees across the world, Soumik and his company’s full-length production, Hope Notes, challenge social injustices faced by displaced communities from Syria, Afghanistan, Kenya, Bangladesh, Yemen, Cameroon and Uganda. Warwick Arts Centre ticket holders are invited to attend a free pre-show soundcheck, providing an opportunity to see Soumik’s creative process in action.

Ellie Gowers

Ryepiece Barn, Stratford-upon-Avon, Fri 18 November; Evesham Town Hall, Thurs 24 November

Boasting a strong voice full of expression and maturity, Ellie Gowers writes and performs songs with sociological, ecological and personal themes in mind, her sensitive and tender yet powerful and thoughtprovoking material hinting at the music of Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake and Laura Marling. She’s touring to Midlands venues this month on the back of her debut album, Dwelling By The Weir, an exploration of the folklore, stories and people that made her home county of Warwickshire what it is today.

Krissy Matthews

Temperance, Leamington Spa, Mon 28 November

British-Norwegian blues singer-songwriter & guitarist Krissy Matthews had released three albums by the age of 18. In the 12 years since, he has continued to build career momentum at a staggering pace. He became a permanent featured member of iconic German outfit Hamburg Blues Band in 2015, and in total has performed in more than 1,000 concerts across Europe, Russia and China. Krissy’s latest studio album, Pizza Man Blues, was released last year and includes songs about how the pandemic and world lockdown affected him personally.