Katherine is an enthusiastic choral singer. Becoming chairman of her choir proved the catalyst for writing a memoir into which she crammed musical experiences galore, including her own belated musical education and encounters with professional musicians. Combining music, writing and travel is Katherine’s idea of bliss. Her website is here.
Kazuki Yamada combines Japanese deference with full control of his players to lead he CBSO to fine performances of Beethoven and Sibelius, with a relatively laid back performance of the Elgar Cello concerto.
Tonight's concert was listed under the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's "Indulge" series, and it was indeed an occasion for feeling well and truly spoilt.
The highlight of the Dresden Philharmonic's evening in Birmingham was Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, with Arabella Steinbacher's performance a joy to experience.
This was the first time I've been to a concert with a 10:30 kick-off, but then this was the first of its kind. Nor did the inaugural Sport Prom turn out to be merely a game of two halves...
There’s nothing like a bit of Mozart to help you unwind… and this was far more than a bit of Mozart, as part of the CBSO’s “Relax and Revitalise” series.
Joshua Bell and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields were at Birmingham's Symphony Hall for a concert of Bach, Brahms and Beethoven. Orchestra and leader displayed a lovely rapport.
Maxim Vengerov and the Polish Chamber Orchestra's concert at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, turned out to be a concert of three halves, thanks to the substantial encores of Saint-Saëns.
It may have been the autumn equinox, but this evening spring came to a balmy Birmingham, meteorologically and musically. Symphony Hall was abuzz in anticipation of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring in the piece’s centenary year, but the concert – and the 2013/14 season – was launched with Wagner’s Tannhäuser overture.
As Proms debuts go, this would be difficult to beat. The newly formed National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) were fresh – literally, certainly no sign of fatigue – from an intensive two-week training residency followed by a tour which included the tall order of taking Tchaikovsky to Russia.
No surprise to find a Verdi programme at the Proms in his bicentenary year, but what was unusual was the focus on sacred music, given his antipathy towards the church as demonstrated in his more prolific output, his operas.
A concert like this could have three possible outcomes: one, frustration at catching just a glimpse of a multitude of operas without the benefit of character or plot development or the embellishment of sumptuous costumes or stage sets; two, inspiration to delve further into the world of opera, nudged by tantalising hints of dramatic tension and a world of emotions; or three, sheer escapism into a
Tonight’s was an historic performance, so first, a few dates. On 14th November 1940, Luftwaffe bombing raids destroyed much of the medieval centre of Coventry, including most of its cathedral. On 30th May 1962, Benjamin Britten’s specially-commissioned War Requiem was premièred by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in Sir Basil Spence’s newly consecrated cathedral.
