Name: Stravinsky, Poulenc and Beethoven at Victoria Hall, Hanley
Start: 2025-05-02T19:30:00
Location: Victoria Hall in Stoke-on-Trent

The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2025 concert series promises an exceptional array of musical performances across the UK. With a lineup that includes iconic compositions from Wagner, Rachmaninov, and Beethoven to contemporary pieces celebrating International Women’s Day, each event brings together renowned conductors, soloists, and breathtaking orchestrations. As these concerts unfold at venues like Victoria Hall and The Bridgewater Hall, audiences are set to experience the brilliance of artists like Clemens Schuldt, Simon Callaghan, and Jennifer Pike, making this series a remarkable celebration of orchestral music.

A Symphony of Sounds: BBC Philharmonic's 2025 Musical Showcase

In a remarkable series of orchestral events, the BBC Philharmonic showcases a stunning array of classical masterpieces across the UK. From Beethoven to Mahler, and including the works of revolutionary modernists like Ravel and Gubaidulina, these performances reflect a diverse tapestry of musical genius. Each event, led by world-renowned conductors and performers, promises an unforgettable experience, weaving a narrative that transcends time and culture. Join us as we delve into the highlights and unique contributions that make these concerts a celebration of both music and the human spirit.

A Symphony of Celebrations: BBC Philharmonic's Unforgettable Orchestral Journey

The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra's latest concert season offers a compelling mix of fantasy, folklore, and musical mastery. From honoring French musical legends Maurice Ravel and Pierre Boulez in 'Pictures at an Exhibition' to a poignant celebration of International Women's Day with works by trailblazing female composers, this season is packed with unique experiences. Adding to the excitement is a series of concerts featuring iconic works from composers like Grieg, Saint-Saëns, and Mahler, all performed by renowned conductors and soloists.

BBC Philharmonic's Orchestral Season: A Symphony of Celebrations

The BBC Philharmonic brings a stunning array of orchestral concerts, celebrating diverse cultures and musical mastery. From the spiritual sounds of Sofia Gubaidulina at the International Women’s Day celebration to the Nordic themes of Sibelius and Grieg, and the powerful anti-war sentiments of Britten, this season promises an unforgettable musical journey. Join us as we delve into the stories behind each performance, showcasing the talents of renowned conductors and performers across iconic venues in the UK.

Harmonies of Culture: BBC Philharmonic's Orchestral Marvels

Experience an orchestral voyage with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring celebrated works by Poulenc, Beethoven, and Mahler. From the atmospheric Victoria Hall in Hanley to Manchester's reverberant Bridgewater Hall, join remarkable artists like Anna Lapwood, Elena Schwarz, and Jess Dandy as they bring to life rich symphonies and captivating narratives. These performances promise to resonate deeply, whether through the powerful chords of Poulenc's Organ Concerto or Mahler's soul-stirring Symphony No. 3, creating unforgettable evenings of music that transcend time and space.

BBC Philharmonic's Musical Odyssey: From Beethoven to Mahler

The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra brings together a dazzling array of orchestral performances in 2025, showcasing the genius of composers like Poulenc, Beethoven, and Mahler. With renowned conductors and performers like Adam Hickox, Anna Lapwood, Elena Schwarz, and John Storgårds taking the stage, audiences are set for an unforgettable musical journey. These events, spanning from the evocative notes of Poulenc's Organ Concerto to the elemental power of Mahler's Symphony No. 3, promise to captivate music lovers across Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester.

BBC Philharmonic's 2025 Musical Odyssey: From Beethoven to Mahler

Anna Lapwood

Adam Hickox

BBC Philharmonic

Influenced by Czech folk and expressionism, Haas’s Study for Strings is an energetic, introspective work now seen as a key piece of 20th-century Czech music. Themes of fate, migration and Martinů’s own journey echo through The Rock, reflecting nature, strength, and the enduring human spirit. Dissonance and overlapping melodies define Ives’s Three Places in New England – a bold blend of American folk and modernist experimentation. For our curtain call, Bernstein’s On the Town bursts with energy, fusing classical with popular jazz styles to make a dazzling finale.

Bernstein’s ‘On the Town’

MediaCityUK

Joshua Weilerstein makes his triumphant return to the Philharmonic in this musical postcard celebrating the 250th anniversary of American Independence. Three joyous works each cast a different light on the sights and sounds of the USA, culminating in a performance of Antonín Dvořák’s love letter to America – his ‘New World’ Symphony. One of the most beloved and enduring works in the orchestral repertoire, Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 explores themes of identity, belonging, and the emotional pull of home.

New World Symphony

The Bridgewater Hall

Elegant and virtuosic, Haydn’s Cello Concerto in D Major is celebrated for both its charm and technical brilliance, filled lyrical melodies, high-register passages and rapid runs.

Spring Symphony

Wolfe was two blocks from the Twin Towers when the planes hit on September 11, 2001. Big Beautiful Dark and Scary is the sound of that aftermath: an ominous, awesome wall of sound. When he wrote his Violin Concerto, Tchaikovsky was also recuperating from personal turmoil: after a collapsed marriage and a failed suicide attempt, he escaped to the shores of Lake Geneva. In the company of a violinist muse – Josef Kotek – Tchaikovsky created a concerto of romance, peace and jollity, and a celebrated classic of the repertoire.

Big Beautiful Dark and Scary

We continue our thrillingly up-close series at the RNCM with a heavyweight artistic collaboration – our Chief Conductor John Storgårds joins the acclaimed pianist Tamara Stefanovich in this exploration of the pure power of the piano.

Grand Pianola Music

RNCM (Royal Northern College of Music)

Angel’s Bone is a Pulitzer Prize-winning contemporary opera by Chinese American composer Du Yun and librettist Royce Vavrek. A dark fable exploring modern-day slavery and human trafficking, it draws inspiration from a range of musical genres from classical to cabaret and punk. Its UK premiere is the result of a collaboration between English National Opera, Factory International and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, in a new production specifically imagined for the dramatic Warehouse space at Aviva Studios.

Angel's Bone

Aviva Studios

A stormy opening from the 19th century prolific German composer Emilie Mayer – think drama, boldness and romance. Meanwhile, Brahms’s Symphony No.2 is music of bittersweet contrasts. It begins quietly with horns and woodwind, starting a lyrical journey that ends in a jubilant orchestral whirlwind of breathlessness and flourish.

Brahms: Symphony No. 2

In this striking exploration of Nordic soundscapes, Chief Conductor John Storgårds will flex every Finnish musical muscle as he leads the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra from the icy beauty of the Arctic to a Danish climax that revels in the raw power of human resilience.

Northern Lights

The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra returns to Aviva Studios for their next groundbreaking collaboration with Factory International.

Philharmonic Sessions: The Rite of Spring

‘The whole thing sounds as though it came to us from some other world. I think there is no one who can resist it. One is battered to the ground and then raised on angel’s wings to the highest heights.’ – Gustav Mahler

Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, ‘Resurrection’

Conductor Adam Hickox joins the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra at Victoria Hall Hanley. A brilliant opportunity to hear rising star Anna Lapwood perform Poulenc's Organ Concerto.

Stravinsky, Poulenc and Beethoven at Victoria Hall, Hanley

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