Howard Shelley’s 70th birthday celebration with the Ulster Orchestra

By Leighton Jones, 19 January 2020

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“everything one would expect from Shelley – balanced, polished, poised, refined”

Reviewed at Ulster Hall, Belfast on 17 January 2020

Weber, Euryanthe: Overture

Mozart, Piano Concerto no. 25 in C major, K503

Brahms, Symphony no. 1 in C minor, Op.68

Ulster Orchestra

Howard Shelley, Piano, Conductor

Exquisite Mozart from Steven Osborne with the Ulster Orchestra

Leighton Jones, 14th February

Championing British musicm the Ulster Orchestra also performs a seldom heard work by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

***11

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

Suganandarajah and Collins delight in Weber at Belfast’s Ulster Hall

Leighton Jones, 26th January

Leslie Suganandarajah brings an evening of classical elegance with the Ulster Orchestra, while Michael Collins shines in a rarely performed concerto.

****1

Conductor Mihhail Gerts impresses in Belfast

Leighton Jones, 1st December

Mihhail Gerts and Vadym Kholodenko delight in Bartók, while the Ulster Orchestra’s playing pleases in two five-movement symphonic works.

****1

Rustioni brings a magical spell to Ulster Orchestra’s season opener

Leighton Jones, 22nd September

Daniele Rustioni conducts a programme of orchestral favourites and a concerto rarity featuring cellist Alban Gerhardt.

*****

The stars shine brightly in Northern Ireland Opera’s Tosca

Leighton Jones, 16th September

In NIO's annual opera production at the Belfast Grand Opera House, Cameron Menzies directs Puccini's Tosca.

****1

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Leighton Jones

Leighton has extensive teaching experience from early years to postgraduate level music. Currently he works as a primary music specialist, visiting instrumental teacher and examiner. As a pianist, he was inspired to play after hearing Moura Lympany at a young age and has a large collection of her recordings. Leighton’s postgraduate studies focussed on his interest in 20th-century English orchestral music, with particular study of Britten, Rawsthorne, Walton and Vaughan Williams. A keen choral singer he has developed a comprehensive knowledge of chiefly British choral music.