With their very first sounds, a composer creates a world. Mahler opens his Fifth Symphony with an ominous fanfare: the first step on a journey through midnight storms, leaping horn-calls, and possibly the most tender love-letter ever written without words, the rapturous Adagietto. British composer Helen Grime, meanwhile, has dived deep into the pages of Zoe Gilbert’s novel 'Folk', drawing on Scottish, Irish and Manx folklore – as well as the magic of a full symphony orchestra – to create an extraordinary new adventure for soprano Claire Booth, who gives the world premiere today. Fellow composer (and BBC SSO Chief Conductor) Ryan Wigglesworth brings both worlds to life: it’s a truly fantastic way to launch a new season.

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Mahler's Fifth Symphony in Aberdeen

Music Hall

With their very first sounds, a composer creates a world. Mahler opens his Fifth Symphony with an ominous fanfare: the first step on a journey through midnight storms, leaping horn-calls, and possibly the most tender love-letter ever written without words, the rapturous Adagietto. British composer Helen Grime, meanwhile, has dived deep into the pages of Zoe Gilbert’s novel 'Folk', drawing on Scottish, Irish and Manx folklore – as well as the magic of a full symphony orchestra – to create an extraordinary new adventure for soprano Claire Booth, who gives the world premiere today. Fellow composer (and BBC SSO Chief Conductor) Ryan Wigglesworth brings both worlds to life: it’s a truly fantastic way to launch a new season

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Opening Night: Mahler's Fifth Symphony

Glasgow City Hall

The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music proudly announces its 2024 season opener, "PARADE," set to take place on Friday, August 2, at 8 PM at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. This remarkable evening marks the beginning of the Festival's 62nd season, under the baton of Maestro Cristian Măcelaru, featuring the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra.

The concert will showcase an array of West Coast and World Premieres by contemporary composers, reflecting on themes of community, solitude, and the transformative power of storytelling. The program includes Vivian Fung's "Parade," inspired by the San Francisco Lunar New Year parade, capturing the essence of community amid solitude and reflecting on the journey from isolation to togetherness experienced during the pandemic. Helen Grime's Violin Concerto, featuring the virtuosic talents of Leila Josefowicz, offers a mesmerizing experience of contrasts in a single continuous movement. Nina Young's "Tread Softly," commemorating the centennial of the 19th Amendment, reflects on the Women’s Suffrage movement and the ongoing struggle for gender equality and representation. The evening will also feature the world premiere of Karim Al-Zand's "Al Hakawati" (The Storyteller), with soprano Miriam Khalil, exploring the essence of storytelling through scenes from an opera in progress.

The event begins with an outdoor Pre-Concert Talk by Music Director/Conductor Cristi Măcelaru and guests, offering insights into the evening's program. A special alfresco dinner, prepared by Sunny’s Catering, will be served outside the Civic Auditorium, with advance tickets required for the meal.

This opening night promises to be a celebration of contemporary music, bringing together exceptional artists and premieres that reflect on significant themes of our time. Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a unique musical journey that sets the tone for the Cabrillo Festival's 2024 season.

Parade 

Civic Auditorium Santa Cruz

Night thoughts: from the magic of Helen Grime to the fantasy of Richard Strauss and the unchained emotion of Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique symphony, conducted by a true rising star.

Tchaikovsky, Grime & Strauss

Barbican Centre

In his debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, British conductor Jonathan Bloxham conducts BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist Alim Beisembayev in Tchaikovsky’s romantic and thrilling Piano Concerto No. 1, in a concert also featuring Helen Grime’s Limina, and Borodin's effervescent Second Symphony.

Alim Beisembayev performs Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra

BBC Maida Vale Studios

The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and new Chief Conductor Ryan Wigglesworth perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 for the first of their two Proms together this season.

Prom 12: Beethoven’s ‘Choral’ Symphony

Royal Albert Hall

Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Otto Tausk leads Helen Grimes’ U.S. premiere and the gloriously tuneful Third Symphony of Johannes Brahms with its unforgettable and bittersweet third movement. Joining Tausk is fellow Dutch musician violinist Simone Lamsma who performs Bruch’s most successful work, his melodic First Violin Concerto.

Bruch and Brahms

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Lang Lang is synonymous with international classical music superstar. Hear him in a quintessential Romantic concerto favorite. Joining him for this program is Dutch conductor Otto Tausk, Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, who will lead Helen Grimes’ U.S. premiere and the gloriously tuneful Third Symphony of Johannes Brahms with its unforgettable bittersweet melody in the third movement.

Lang Lang Plays Grieg

November concert 2024

Colburn School

The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

Music Academy of the West

City of Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza

“Like wine for our eyes, the moonlight pours over us…”. Filled with longing and wonder, Pierrot gazes at the moon and begins to dream. Part mini-opera, part ravishing sonic fantasy, Pierrot Lunaire is a modern masterpiece that simply has to be experienced live. Tonight it’s performed by Ensemble 360 – the remarkable, Sheffield-based collective whose whole mission is to make music speak. This will be magical.

Ensemble 360: Pierrot Lunaire

Bute Park

Join the SCO and RCS players for music of charm and opulence, from Scottish composer Helen Grime’s dramatic, virtuosic Elegiac Inflections to the sunny optimism of the Octet-Partita by Hummel, a contemporary and friend of Beethoven. Florent Schmitt was an associate of Ravel, and combines dreaminess and fantastical playfulness in his captivating Lied & Scherzo, while Caplet summons the mysteries of the Near East in the sensual evocations of his Suite Persane.

From Scotland to Persia

The Queen's Hall

Buchanan Galleries

When the SCO’s outstanding Wind Soloists are joined by exceptional players from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the result is a grand wind ensemble of unparalleled richness and expertise.  

Join the SCO and RCS players for music of charm and opulence, from Scottish composer Helen Grime’s dramatic, virtuosic Elegiac Inflections to the sunny optimism of the Octet-Partita by Hummel, a contemporary and friend of Beethoven. Florent Schmitt was an associate of Ravel, and combines dreaminess and fantastical playfulness in his captivating Lied & Scherzo, while Caplet summons the mysteries of the Near East in the sensual evocations of his Suite Persane.  

SCO 24/25: From Scotland to Persia

The prestigious Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the darling of Abbado, Haitink, Harnoncourt and Nézet-Séguin, is stopping off for the first time in Liège. It is carrying with it the South Korean pianist Sunwook Kim, winner of the Clara Haskil Competition and the Leeds Competition (at the age of 18), a great Beethoven specialist, whom he conducts from the keyboard. It is showcasing the energetic and triumphant " Emperor ", the most famous of the five concertos, composed in 1809 (in the midst of the Napoleonic Wars), as well as the Third Concerto , created in Vienna in 1803, the master's only concerto in a minor mode. Its dark and tragic colour gives the score all its intensity.

Beethoven, the Emperor

Philharmonic Hall of Liege

Immerse yourself in an atmospheric journey through music with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra's captivating concert series, "Night-Sky-Blue." This enchanting series will unfold over three spellbinding evenings, starting on Thursday, May 8th, and concluding on Saturday, May 10th, 2025. Each performance promises to transport audiences to ethereal realms through a meticulously curated repertoire that includes Debussy's "Clair de lune" orchestrated by Stokowski, Helen Grime's "Trumpet Concerto night-sky-blue" in its Scottish Premiere, Takemitsu's "How Slow the Wind," and Rachmaninov's "Isle of the Dead."

Under the baton of the distinguished guest conductor Nodoka Okisawa, and featuring the world-renowned trumpet soloist Håkan Hardenberger, these concerts are set to be a celebration of musical mastery and emotional depth. Okisawa, known for her dynamic and sensitive conducting, will lead the orchestra through these evocative pieces, showcasing her unique ability to draw profound emotion from the musicians and the music alike. Hardenberger, hailed as the world's greatest classical trumpeter, will bring his unparalleled virtuosity and expressive power to Grime's concerto, promising a performance that will linger in the memory long after the final note has faded.

The concert series will grace three of Scotland's most prestigious venues, starting with the Music Hall in Aberdeen on May 8th, followed by the Usher Hall in Edinburgh on May 9th, and concluding at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on May 10th. Each evening will begin at 7:30 pm, offering audiences the chance to experience the magic of live classical music in these iconic settings.

Tickets are available across a range of prices, with discounts offered for under 18s, under 26s, mature students, unemployed patrons, patrons with disabilities, and groups, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to be part of these unforgettable nights. Booking fees may apply.

Don't miss this opportunity to join the Royal Scottish National Orchestra for "Night-Sky-Blue," a series of concerts that promise to be a highlight of the musical calendar, blending the beauty of classical music with the mystery and majesty of the night sky. Book your tickets now and prepare to be transported by the power of music.

Night-sky-blue

The Usher Hall

Some music just captures a certain mood. Debussy basks in silvery moonlight and conjures a melody to haunt your dreams. Rachmaninov loses himself in a painting and takes a surprisingly passionate journey into darkness. Guest conductor Nodoka Okisawa savours both tonight in a concert which just brims with atmosphere, whether it’s the delicacy of Tōru Takemitsu’s How Slow the Wind or Helen Grime’s musical skyscape for Håkan Hardenberger. The world’s greatest classical trumpeter? We think so – but hearing is believing…

Helen Grime

Events

Upcoming events

10 - 15 Nov, 2024

November concert 2024 · Camerata Pacifica

Nov 21, 2024

Ensemble 360: Pierrot Lunaire · Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama

22 - 24 Nov, 2024

From Scotland to Persia · Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Nov 24, 2024

SCO 24/25: From Scotland to Persia · The Queen's Hall

Mar 22, 2025

Beethoven, the Emperor · Chamber Orchestra of Europe

Past events

Sep 27, 2024

Mahler's Fifth Symphony in Aberdeen · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Sep 26, 2024

Opening Night: Mahler's Fifth Symphony · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

About

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