Adventures in Birmingham

By Katherine Dixson, 27 July 2015

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Reviewed at Symphony Hall, Birmingham on 26 July 2015

Lindberg, Aventures

Strauss R., Le Bourgeois gentilhomme (Der Bürger als Edelmann) suite, Op.60b

Brahms, Symphony no. 4 in E minor, Op.98

CBSO Youth Orchestra Academy

Michael Seal, Conductor

Peter Moore shines in Joe Chindamo’s trombone concerto in Belfast

Leighton Jones, 18th October

Bernstein, Chindamo and Rachmaninov bring an evening of jazz-inspired music from the streets of New York to a deeply personal Russian symphony.

***11

The stuff of dreams and nightmares in Birmingham

Simon Cummings, 28th September

Michael Seal, Boris Giltburg and the CBSO present an evening of glamour and horror, pairing Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the unforgettable anguish of Shostakovich’s Symphony no. 8.

*****

Music on autopilot: Michael Seal and the CBSO at Symphony Hall

Simon Cummings, 29th February

Attempts at crowd-pleasing go awry in music by Vaughan Williams and Gary Carpenter, while John Foulds escapes unscathed.

**111

John Lill celebrates his 75th birthday in Liverpool

Leighton Jones, 16th February

Tchaikovsky’s warhorse piano concerto is given a performance stripped of all showmanship. Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra completes this oddly programmed concert from the RLPO.

***11

Awash with sentiment: Scriabin's Piano Concerto

Hedy Mühleck, 3rd December

The CBSO shines in a programme of big, energetic music and tender emotions.

***11

Birmingham Philharmonic and Byron Parish's Bruch and Bruckner marathon

Ken Ward, 24th February

The citizens of Birmingham were queueing up at the door when I arrived in good time for this concert, and the hall was nearly full when the concert began. All seats were unreserved and at the same price wherever you sat – an arrangement that has always appealed to me.

***11

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Katherine Dixson

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.

Adventures in Birmingham: CBSO YOA play Lindberg, Strauss and Brahms