Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Bristol Beacon: Beacon Hall

The refurbished Beacon stages a world premiere of a large choral work which imbues complete empathy for one migrant and his story.

Kirill Karabits leads the BSO in music by Glazunov and Tchaikovsky, which prove more appealing that David Fray's Beethoven.

The conductor and soloist usually have a close relationship, but rarely are they the same person. Nikolaj Znaider demonstrated his musical prowess as both a violin soloist and as conductor commanding the London Symphony Orchestra.

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra presented a space-themed concert in an exciting evening’s programme of many well-known pieces rolled into a couple of hours.

Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducts the English Baroque Soloists through three Mozart Symphonies in one evening, educating along the way.

The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra returned once again to the Colston Hall to perform three very different works. Steven Isserlis headlined the evening with a fantastic rendition of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto no. 1.

This was, by no doubt, the largest ensemble on stage at Colston Hall this season with five choirs and an orchestra that took over the stage. 

The 82-strong Philharmonia Orchestra, under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy, ruled the roost at one of the highlights of Bristol’s 2014-15 classical music season.

Miloš Karadaglić plays his debut at Colston Hall with Brussels Philharmonic under Michel Tabachnik. 

The Philip Glass Ensemble came to Colston Hall as the culminating event of Bristol’s Glassfest collaboration between the Colston Hall, St George’s and the Watershed cinema to present the première of Philip Glass Ensemble: Retrospective. 

The BBC National Orchestra of Wales crossed the river to England to deliver an evening of the music of Brahms culminating in the giant Symphony no. 1 in C minor, Op. 68.

Michael Nyman celebrates his 70th birthday and the 40th anniversary of the Michael Nyman Band with a concert mainly encompassing his film scores at the Colston Hall. 

At the second screening of three, the British Sinfonietta provided a live accompaniment to an Alfred Hitchcock 1960s masterpiece. Psycho Live! was a chance to see the powerful effect of American composer Bernard Herrmann‘s motion picture music played by a real orchestra.

In the world of concert music, it is a rare privilege to witness the first ever performance of an instrument in Britain, let alone a whole host that have been specifically created for a piece of music. A stage full of weird and wonderful creations took over the Colston Hall for one of the most surreal concerts I have ever attended.

The theme to the evening’s programme at the Colston Hall was “The Power of Love”. Spread over a century, the three works programmed were all romantically driven.

Never failing to provide an interesting programme, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra performed the music of Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich under the baton of the BSO’s Conductor Laureate Andrew Litton.

In a Russian programme of Orthodox Sacred music, folk songs and works by composers from old Russia, Anatoly Grindenko and the Russian Patriarchate Choir of Moscow took Colston Hall, Bristol into the mesmerizing world of unaccompanied Russian male vocals.

On walking into the foyer of Colston Hall, I was greeted by the sound of a jazz band playing The Girl from Ipanema. This was not quite what I expected from the Colston Hall’s “Symphony Project”, but nevertheless a tasteful and welcoming opening, that created a cheerful atmosphere.

It would be hard to count out every single thing that was Russian about this concert. The sounds of 19th-century Russia came to Colston Hall, as part of a big tour of the UK, with three giant Russian works and three encores, by all-Russian performers.The Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio is a big orchestra with around 100 instrumentalists.

Everyone tells me that Russians play Russian music better than anyone else, but no-one seems to be able to put their fingers on the mysterious quality of Russianness Russians are meant to produce when playing Russian.

The ever-eccentric Nigel Kennedy entered on stage in trainers, combat trousers, a pirate shirt with a shiny black jacket, and his staple punk hairstyle. Dressed as a rebel, his cheeky-chap persona grabbed the attention of the audience at Colston Hall for a night of Bach and Fats Waller in one.The set was different to that of most normal concerts.

Benedetti’s Beethoven was changed, at late notice, to Lomeiko’s Tchaikovsky. Sadly, the renowned violinist Nicola Benedetti was not able to make the performance, but her replacement was wonderful. Internationally established Russian violinist and professor at the Royal College of Music, Natalia Lomeiko stepped up to play the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major instead of Beethoven’s concerto.

What a night. The conductor, Paavo Järvi, made the evening’s performance riveting, with a modest yet heartfelt performance. There were no egos on the stage, just unpretentious and pure classical music. The programme was three works long: two symphonies either side of a violin concerto.

Beethoven did not take precedence in this concert, but he stole the title. As part of the “Brilliant Beethoven” concert series, the Bristol Ensemble performed the Seventh Symphony of the well-known composer. It was programmed at the end of the evening alongside Debussy, Vivaldi and current composer Alexis Alrich. The theme connecting the different works was rhythm.

What a concert – the programme and the musicans were sublime. This time, Colston Hall got it spot on with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Seeing all of the credits for the orchestra in the back of the programme prepared me for a big and bold sound that was just short of 100 musicians. Each and every one of them contributed to a fantastic sound under the baton of Jacek Kaspszyk.

Many people have triggers to make them feel seasonal, and this evening’s concert was no doubt a source for many audience members. Festive cheer spread around Bristol’s Colston Hall for an evening of joyous music celebrating the Christmas story with Handel’s Messiah.

For this concert the Prague Symphony Orchestra brought their classical music heritage overseas to Colston Hall. The programme gave us a taste of composers close to the orchestra’s homeland, providing a delightful evening of luxury – in music and in dress code.

A sunny Sunday afternoon at Colston Hall marked the return of the London Philharmonic Orchestra to Bristol after over a decade away. The orchestra played alongside Argentinian cellist Sol Gabetta for a moving performance of Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor. This was accompanied on either side by Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony no. 1 and Jean Sibelius’ Symphony no. 2.

Good programming makes for a good concert. Chosen works must fit well together, providing enough musical contrast to keep things interesting, but they must not be so different as to jar listeners with alien soundworlds. All too often, organisers whip up concerts in which any link between pieces are entirely superficial and completely amusical.

On a stiflingly hot evening, a packed Colston Hall was met with an energetic conductor, Vladimir Ashkenazy, springing to the middle of the stage. Before the audience hushed, Berlioz’s Overture to Béatrice et Bénédict swirled around the room. Light-hearted, breezy and full of optimism, it made a great opening piece to the night’s programme.

If ever a concert could be described as a firework, this was it. The stage was ignited with music and we waited for the best bit - that crucial, beautiful explosion of colour. As part of the Colston Hall’s International Classical Season, The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra performed the iconic choral work Carmina Burana by Carl Orff (1895-1982).

A brave choice of programme this Wednesday matched the personality of the leather-clad Nigel Kennedy. This included a new self-penned composition, The Four Elements and a unique interpretation – drastically different from Kennedy’s interpretation in the late eighties – of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra began what promised to be an excellent programme with a simple Romantic work from Richard Strauss, Traumerei am Kamin (“Dreaming by the Fireside”).

The evening’s music started with a piece I hadn’t heard before: Johan Svendsen’s Carnival in Paris, Episode for Orchestra Op.9.

As part of this year’s classical season, the London Symphony Orchestra returns to the Colston Hall. Last year they were lead by John Adams, taking us into his explosive Dr Atomic Symphony. This time the world famous orchestra was led by its celebrated principal conductor Valery Gergiev, winner of the prestigious 2009 Royal Philharmonic Society Award for his ‘intensity and passion ...

I had high expectations for the evening after being very impressed with an MSSO performance I had seen as a teenager. The first piece on the programme was the Polovtsian Dances from Borodin’s opera, Prince Igor. The performance highlighted both the playful and brutal elements of the piece which made for an exciting performance.