What's On — SymphonyHall events

• Brainiac Live The show that laughs in the face of Science 

  Fri 13 Mar 2009 Symphony Hall

  Strap on your safety goggles, boys and girls: Science's greatest and most volatile show is arriving here with a vengeance. Sky One’s multi award-winning Brainiac arrives with a bang live on stage more mischievous than ever seen before on a breathless ride through the wild world of the weird and wonderful. Watch live as we delve fearlessly into the mysteries of science and do all of those things on stage that you’re too scared to do at home! £18.50
  
  
  

• The Hollies  

  Sun 15 Mar 2009 Symphony Hall

  Tony Hicks, Ray Stiles, Peter Howarth, Steve Lauri, Ian Parker and Bobby Elliott. According to a certain Guinness Book of British Hit Singles, throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s, The Hollies had more hit records than The Beatles. From _Just One Look_ and _Bus Stop_ • to their power anthems:- _He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother_ and _Air That I Breathe_ On stage, their five decades of music is, as always, driven by Bobby Elliott’s powerful drumming and led by Tony Hick’s incisive guitar playing, vocals and narrative: the inside story on how The Hollies classic recordings were created, occasionally seasoned with the odd morsel of backstage gossip. The live performance is pure Hollies. Trademark harmonies, coupled with sheer musical prowess - each song spectacularly showcased by its own brilliant lightshow. Cast aside any prejudices that you may have about Rock‘n’Pop being the domain of youngsters, The Hollies still hack it in a major way. £18.50, £25
  
  
  

• Schubert’s Great  

  Tue 17 Mar 2009 Symphony Hall

  Glinka: Ruslan and Ludmila - Overture Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 schubert: Symphony No. 9 (The Great) Always a favourite with CBSO audiences and players, the distinguished conductor Walter Weller returns for one of the greatest musical masterworks from his native Vienna, Schubert’s last completed symphony. Though never performed in the composer’s lifetime, it has since become one of his most frequently-performed works;Tchaikovsky’s equally well-known concerto also nearly never saw the light of day, its dedicatee denouncing it as ‘poorly composed and unplayable’. Well, pianists and audiences since 1874 have tended to disagree!
  Walter Weller -conductor Sergey Kuznetsov -piano City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
  Glinka: Ruslan and Ludmila - Overture Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 Schubert: Symphony No. 9 (The Great)
  

• Same Difference plus support  

  Wed 18 Mar 2009 Symphony Hall

  X Factor finalists and pop sensations Same Difference visit Symphony Hall with a selection of great pop music including their debut single We R One. It is the kind of pop anthem the world has been crying out for since the turn of the millennium. Laden with uplifting hooks and feel good harmonies, Sean and Sarah prove they have certainly graduated the school of reality TV with distinction, and are destined for pop royalty. £23.50
  
  
  

• Schubert’s Great  

  Thu 19 Mar 2009 Symphony Hall

  Glinka: Ruslan and Ludmila - Overture Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 schubert: Symphony No. 9 (The Great) Always a favourite with CBSO audiences and players, the distinguished conductor Walter Weller returns for one of the greatest musical masterworks from his native Vienna, Schubert’s last completed symphony. Though never performed in the composer’s lifetime, it has since become one of his most frequently-performed works;Tchaikovsky’s equally well-known concerto also nearly never saw the light of day, its dedicatee denouncing it as ‘poorly composed and unplayable’. Well, pianists and audiences since 1874 have tended to disagree!
  Walter Weller -conductor Sergey Kuznetsov -piano City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
  Glinka: Ruslan and Ludmila - Overture Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 Schubert: Symphony No. 9 (The Great)
  

• Verdi's Requiem  

  Fri 20 Mar 2009 Symphony Hall

  The Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House take up residence at Symphony Hall for two nights, with a glittering line-up of soloists and their Music Director, Antonio Pappano. _“ Everything Pappano conducts has highoctane energy, and that quality radiates off the podium as strongly as it does on it”_ *Daily Telegraph* Verdi’s Requiem is one of the greatest choral masterpieces of all time, and often described as an opera in all but name. Charged with passion, terrifying force, tenderness and consolation, this music comes straight from the composer’s heart. His sumptuous and dramatic choral writing gives us the chance to hear one of the world’s great opera choruses in full voice, in what promises to be a searing performance of this great score. *Classic FM’s Anne-Marie Minhall says of tonight’s recommended concert:* _The first of two performances in Symphony Hall for the Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House under Antonio Pappano. It’s seven years since the London-born Italian-American conductor became the music director at Covent Garden. Then 42, he was also the youngest to hold the post and since taking over the musical reins, he’s been acclaimed both by the public and critics alike. Pappano even had a premonition he’d be in the top job at Covent Garden as he read the former music director Sir Georg Solti’s autobiography._ *6.15pm pre-concert talk* Tickets £5-£50 _please note there is no interval_
  *The Royal Opera Chorus* *The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House* *Antonio Pappano* conductor *Barbara Frittoli* soprano *Olga Borodina* mezzo-soprano *Piotr Beczala* tenor *Ildar Abdrazakov* bass
  *Verdi* Requiem 90’
  

• Britten's War Requiem  

  Sat 21 Mar 2009 Symphony Hall

  The War requiem is one of Britten’s most powerful works, born out of his fiercely held pacifism. Composed at the height of the Cold War, it spoke directly to a nation living under the threat of nuclear war. The work mixes powerful settings of the poems of Wilfred Owen, describing the horrors of war, with the words of the Requiem mass, and ultimately offers the hope of reconciliation. No tenor is more associated with Britten’s music at the moment than Ian Bostridge, heard here alongside the warm baritone of Simon Keenlyside and leading young soprano Emma Bell. *BBC music magazine’s editor, Oliver Condy, explains why he has recommended tonight’s concert:* _"This unsettling work is a powerful anti-war oratorio, written for the re-consecration of nearby Coventry Cathedral in 1962. Bringing this searing piece to life are three of the most gifted British singers alive today accompanied by Covent Garden’s orchestra - an ensemble currently at the height of its powers. This will be a highly emotional, haunting concert - full of drama and pathos.”_ "BBC Music Magazine":http://www.bbcmusicmagazine.com *5.45pm pre-concert talk* Tickets £5-£50
  *The Royal Opera Chorus* *The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House* *Antonio Pappano* conductor *Emma Bell* soprano *Ian Bostridge* tenor *Simon Keenlyside* baritone *Tiffin Boys’ Choir*
  *Britten* War Requiem 90’
  

• The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber  

  Sun 22 Mar 2009 Symphony Hall

  Richard Ward-Roden conductor Starring Daniel Boys, Chrissie Hammond, Helen Hobson, Scott Davis For many years the hugely prolific Andrew Lloyd Webberhas dominated the theatre stage, in the West End and Broadway, but enjoyed unrivalled chart and commercial success, too. Having written some of the world's most covered compositions, in recent years he has taken on the role of mentor in television's _American Idol_, _How do you solve a problem like Maria_, _Any Dream Will Do_, as well as _I'd Do Anything_ Join The Showbiz Pops Orchestra, and four of the West End’s finest stars in an evening of excerpts from the musicals of the world's most successful composer - hear your favourites from _The Phantom of the Opera_, _Cats, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, Starlight Express, Sunset Boulevard, Aspects of Love, Tell me on a Sunday, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat_ and many other Lloyd Webber favourites. £22.50, £26.50, £30
  
  
  

• David Byrne  

  Sun 29 Mar 2009 Symphony Hall

  Known as the force behind Talking Heads and later as creator of the highly-regarded record label Luaka Bop, David Byrne performas at Symphony Hall this March. The tour, titled “David Byrne, Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno,” will feature Byrne performing songs from his numerous collaborations with Brian Eno, including tracks from several Talking Heads albums produced by Eno, the pair’s 1981 collaboration My Life in the Bush of Ghosts and their newest collaborative effort, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. “The live shows will…try to draw a line linking this new material with what we did 30 years ago,” explains Byrne
  
  Please note: There is no support act or interval for this event.
  

• British Classics  

  Wed 1 Apr 2009 Symphony Hall

  Springtime in England; and what better way to celebrate it than with this delightfully tuneful programme? Some of these pieces are classics, others are the kind of melodies you’re always humming but can’t put a name to; either way, they’ll come up fresh as a daisy under John Wilson’s sparkling baton. A fine British string player joins him for an afternoon of pure melodious pleasure. 1.15pm- Pre Concert Talk- John Wilson’s Light Programme Conductor John Wilson talks to Christopher Morley of The Birmingham Post about this concert of tuneful British rarities.
  John Wilson - conductor Lawrence Power - viola City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
  Holst: The Perfect Fool - ballet music 13’ Delius: On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring 4’ Walton: Viola Concerto 25’ Sullivan: Overture di Ballo 11’ German: Romeo and Juliet - Nocturne 5’ Farnon: Westminster Waltz 3’ Ketèlbey: Sanctuary of the Heart 4’ Elgar: Chanson de nuit 4’ Coates: The Three Men Suite 15’
  

• Friday Night Classics: Chaplin’s Circus  

  Fri 3 Apr 2009 Symphony Hall

  Conductor, composer and entertainer Carl Davis is world famous for his new scores for classic silent movies; tonight he presents two of Charlie Chaplin’s greatest silent comedies, accompanied live by the CBSO with music that mirrors every action, gesture and emotion on the screen. The Circus was the most successful silent film of all time, and finds Chaplin’s Little Tramp stumbling into a hilarious new profession. And as for The Cure - well, one critic wrote that “in terms of sheer belly-laughs, it may well be the funniest movie Chaplin ever made”. Decide for yourself as Symphony Hall transforms into a giant cinema. One thing’s for sure though - silent movies have never sounded better!
  Carl Davis - conductor City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
  Davis: The Cure 23’ Chaplin: The Circus 72’
  

• Singalong with the CBSO: Mozart's Requiem  

  Sun 5 Apr 2009 Symphony Hall

  Join the CBSO with its world-renowned chorus director, Simon Halsey, and young professional soloists to sing Mozart’s Requiem, which he was famously still working upon at his untimely death. If you enjoy singing, the unique experience of performing such a powerful work in Birmingham’s magnificent Symphony Hall, with over 1000 singers, is surely not to be missed.
  Simon Halsey - conductor City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
  Please Note: Only Audience tickets for this event can be purchased online. Please contact the venue Box Office to purchase singer tickets on 0121 780 3333
  

• Lunchtime Organ Concert - Thomas Trotter  

  Mon 6 Apr 2009 Symphony Hall

  More details to follow
  
  
  

• Evening Organ Concert - Thierry Escaich  

  Tue 7 Apr 2009 Symphony Hall

  
  
  *Dupre* Le Monde dans l'attente du Sauveur *Brahms* Herzlich tut mir erfreuen *Brahms* Herzliebster Jesu *Brahms* Prélude et fugue en sol mineur *Mendelssohn* Récitatif et final de la Sonate n°1 en fa mineur *Mendelssohn* Prélude et fugue improvisé en style romantique sur un thème donné *Franck* Pièce héroïque *Escaich* III Poèmes pour orgue 1) Eaux natales 2) le Masque 3) vers l'espérance *Alain* Litanies *Alain* Improvisation libre sur un thème donné
  

• Jackson Browne- Time The Conqueror Tour No Support 

  Wed 8 Apr 2009 Symphony Hall

  Jackson Browne has written and performed some of the most literate and moving songs in popular music and has defined a genre of songwriting charged with honesty, emotion and personal politics. He’s been honored with inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2004) and the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame (2007). At the latter ceremony, Jackson performed his song “Lives In The Balance,” which SHOF notes is, “a fitting example of how his social and political activism has influenced much of his work.” Browne’s latest release, 2008’s Time The Conqueror, is his first set of new material in six years. Accompanying Browne is his band of fifteen years: Kevin McCormick (bass), Mark Goldenberg (guitars), Mauricio Lewak (drums) and Jeff Young (keyboards, backing vocals). They have been with him since 1993’s I’m Alive, playing on Looking East (’96) and The Naked Ride Home (’02).
  
  
  

• Jackson Browne- Time The Conqueror Tour No Support 

  Thu 9 Apr 2009 Symphony Hall

  Jackson Browne has written and performed some of the most literate and moving songs in popular music and has defined a genre of songwriting charged with honesty, emotion and personal politics. He’s been honored with inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2004) and the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame (2007). At the latter ceremony, Jackson performed his song “Lives In The Balance,” which SHOF notes is, “a fitting example of how his social and political activism has influenced much of his work.” Browne’s latest release, 2008’s Time The Conqueror, is his first set of new material in six years. Accompanying Browne is his band of fifteen years: Kevin McCormick (bass), Mark Goldenberg (guitars), Mauricio Lewak (drums) and Jeff Young (keyboards, backing vocals). They have been with him since 1993’s I’m Alive, playing on Looking East (’96) and The Naked Ride Home (’02).
  
  
  

• Good Friday St Matthew Passion  

  Fri 10 Apr 2009 Symphony Hall

  Ex Cathedra’s trailblazing performances and critically acclaimed recordings have put them at the forefront of the international early music movement. So we can expect them to bring searching new insights to this season’s traditional Good Friday performance of Bach’s St Matthew Passion. It is the largest, most elaborate and most affecting of all Bach’s works, telling the story of the last days of Christ in music of great dignity and emotional intensity. Tickets £5-£37.50
  *Ex Cathedra Soloists, Choir & Baroque Orchestra* *Jeffrey Skidmore* conductor *Nicholas Mulroy* _Evangelist_ *Eamonn Dougan* _Christus_
  *J S Bach* St matthew Passion 180’
  

• Ultravox plus special guests  

  Fri 17 Apr 2009 Symphony Hall

  
  
  
  

• Family Concert: Carnival of the Animals  

  Sun 19 Apr 2009 Symphony Hall

  Gallop, hop or slither your way to Symphony Hall, as today’s concert is full of music inspired by the animal kingdom. Join the CBSO as it travels through jungles, oceans, farmyards and forests, including Saint-Saëns’ The Carnival of the Animals with two- and four-legged friends from cuckoos to kangaroos, and Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Roll up, roll up, and hear the elephants trumpet and roar in Stravinsky’s Circus Polka, but you had better beware of Rossini’s Thieving Magpie and Elgar’s Wild Bears! Why not come dressed up as your favourite animal? FREE CREATIVE WORKSHOPS AND MUSIC in the foyers from 1.30pm
  Michael Seal - conductor Tommy Pearson - presenter City of Birmingham Young Voices City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
  
  

• An Evening of Song and Laughter with Foster & Allen  

  Sun 19 Apr 2009 Symphony Hall

  More details to follow shortly
  
  
  

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