Artelize - Folk Rhythms and Orchestral Harmonies: BBC NOW's 2025 Concert Highlights
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Folk Rhythms and Orchestral Harmonies: BBC NOW's 2025 Concert Highlights

The BBC National Orchestra of Wales offers an exciting array of concerts in 2025, blending folk influences and orchestral genius. From Fiona Monbet's folky jazz performance to Stravinsky's vivid compositions, and from Mendelssohn's dramatic symphonies to Bartók's intimate violin concertos, audiences are invited to explore a rich tapestry of sound. Leading musicians like Fiona Monbet, Sir James MacMillan, and James Ehnes bring their talents to these unforgettable performances, promising a season filled with musical innovation and stirring melodies.

Apr 25, 2025
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1. CoLaboratory: Fiona Monbet
Back by popular demand, Fiona Monbet and her trio return to Cardiff for an evening of folky jazz alongside the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
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Apr 27, 2025
BBC National Orchestra of Wales

DEPOT Cardiff

2. Expressions of Folk
Snippets of folk-like tunes weave together in Holst’s kaleidoscopic Capriccio, and taking an equally central role in Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments are the Russian folk elements and original meaning of ‘symphony’, that of sounding together. Short litanies between the different instruments draw together contrasting episodes at three different but still related speeds.
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1 - 2 May, 2025
BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Cardiff · Wales Millennium Centre + 1 other locations

3. Reformation & Invigoration
Busy whispers and buzzing excitement lead to gargantuan climaxes in Mozart’s ever-popular overture to the opera Le nozze di Figaro. Witty, scampering and joyful throughout, it’s the perfect opener to any concert. Mendelssohn’s Fifth Symphony foreshadows a similar elegant melodiousness – intended to symbolise Protestant Reformation, this symphony journeys through dramatic outbursts, aria-like solos and jaunty chorales towards triumph in the face of reform. To conduct we’re delighted to welcome Jörg Widmann to make his debut with BBC NOW.
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May 15, 2025
BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Cardiff · Wales Millennium Centre

4. Notes of Love
Unrequited love pervades in Bartók’s Violin Concerto. Written for violinist, and Bartók’s muse, Stefi Geyer, this two-movement concerto is a musical showcase of her personality – lamenting melodies and whimsical leaps abound in this deeply personal rhapsodic outpouring. Champion of this virtuosic firework display is world-renowned violinist James Ehnes, who returns to BBC NOW by popular demand.
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29 - 30 May, 2025
BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Symphony Hall in Birmingham + 1 other locations

5. Songs of Destiny
If historically serenades were intended as music for entertainment, then Brahms has most definitely excelled in his Serenade No. 2. This early work oozes Brahmsian character from the outset with its lilting warmth, lively cross rhythms, and plenteous melody to charm any listener.
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Jun 20, 2025
BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Cardiff · Wales Millennium Centre

6. Lesley's Lunchtime Concert
Caroline Shaw’s Punctum takes its musical inspiration from JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion, but twists the context of modular sequences with the inspiration of French post-structuralism to create a sensory palate of classicism without form; and from its Cantabile and lilting slow waltz to lively scherzos and humorous exuberance, Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings draws this concert to a joyous close.
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3 - 4 Jul, 2025
BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Cardiff · Wales Millennium Centre

Conclusion
The 2025 season of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales is set to captivate audiences with its diverse blend of folk influences and classical masterpieces. Through the talents of leading musicians and an innovative program, each concert offers a unique auditory journey. Whether through the intimate expressions of love or the grand themes of reformation, audiences are invited to explore music's timeless ability to evoke emotion and inspire reflection. This season is a testimony to the orchestra's dedication to excellence and its role in enriching the cultural fabric of the community.
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