Intermezzo

Andris is on his way to Boston

The Boston Symphony Orchestra have just announced that Andris Nelsons is to become their next Music Director, beginning as Music Director Designate in the 2013-14 season.  He takes on the full role in the following season on a five-year contract that commits him to up to 12 weeks of performances each year. The full press release is below.

The CBSO have confirmed Andris will stay with them until "at least 2014/15 on a rolling contract"; they will make an announcement about future seasons later this year.

While it's possible for one conductor to handle two orchestras, this makes it less likely that Nelsons will be available for the Berlin Philharmonic opening in 2018. 

BSO press release:

Birmingham, land of opera

Guess where you can see 17 different operas next season? (That's 4 more than ENO, by the way.)

The same place you can see a lifesize bull made of jelly beans of course.

Welsh National Opera's visits to the Birmingham Hippodrome provide a regular opportunity to see fully staged opera. The 2013-14 offerings are Tosca, Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda, Roberto Devereux, La traviata, Manon Lescaut, Boulevard Solitude, Moses und Aron, Nabucco and The Fall of the House of Usher. Booking is already open.

Most of the remaining offerings are concert versions. A highlight of the CBSO's 2013-14 season is Der Rosenkavalier on Sunday 24 May 2014, conducted by Andris Nelsons with Soile Isokoski, Alice Coote and Sophie Bevan. It begins at the considerate hour of 4pm, leaving plenty of time to get home to wherever. On 2 July 2014 the CBSO present Bluebeard's Castle, conducted by Ed Gardner, with Ekaterina Gubanova and Gábor Bretz. Booking for these opens on 28 May. 

Other Symphony Hall operas include the LPO's Peter Grimes on 26 September 2013 with Stuart Skelton, and Handel's Theodora on 6 February 2014 with Rosemary Joshua and Sarah Connolly. Visiting companies  Opera North bring their Götterdämmerung on 21 June 2014 and the Royal Opera House their Ariadne auf Naxos (with Karita Mattila) on 6 July 2014. At the Town Hall there's a fully staged version of  Mark-Anthony Turnage's Greek on 4 October 2013 from Music Theatre Wales. Booking for all of these opens on 14 May, or now if you want to book for six or more events.

Birmingham on the cheap

Fancy a trip to Europe's most boring city? The place that makes two thirds of its residents miserable? Here's something to cheer up any trip to Birmingham.

The CBSO are offering 25% off all remaining concerts for the rest of this season. They include Der fliegende Holländer conducted by Andris Nelsons on Saturday 16 March, and the continuation of his Beethoven symphony series. There's also a discount of 25% on all CBSO membership schemes. And with return rail fares from London starting at just £10, it's possible to enjoy a night out in Birmingham for less than the price of a Royal Festival Hall ticket alone.

The offers expire on Sunday 27 January. See the CBSO website for further details.

 

CBSO 2012 - 2013 season

The CBSO have just announced their 2012-13 season, which opens for booking on 8 May.

Like the London orchestras, they're mostly relying on tried and trusted audience-pullers, the centrepiece being a complete Beethoven symphony cycle conducted by Andris Nelsons.

Operatic treats are minimal, but at least Nelsons is conducting a Flying Dutchman (in English? - hope not). Jennifer Wilson is Senta and James Rutherford is the Dutchman - if the rest of the cast are up to that standard it should be unmissable.

Jonas Kaufmann goes to Brum

CBSO / Andris Nelsons / Jonas Kaufmann - Symphony Hall Birmingham, 7 March 2012

What’s in the middle of Birmingham but surrounded by sea?

Jonas Kaufmann!

The CBSO’s very, very special guest was placed at the centre of Wednesday evening’s programme, and rightfully so. Before him came Britten’s Sea Interludes; after, Debussy’s La Mer.

But let’s not pretend this was a mere guest soloist spot. With ten songs on the programme (eleven if you count the encore) we received a more bountiful helping of Herr Kaufmann than many an orchestrally-grouted recital programme provides.

Tristan und Isolde und the CBSO

Tristan und Isolde - CBSO / Nelsons - Symphony Hall Birmingham, 3 March 2012

Forget staged, semi-staged or even notionally visual. The singers were lined up behind their music stands. The conductor was confined to a chair. This was a static Tristan und Isolde, even by concert version standards. But four enthralling hours proved that sometimes the music really is all that matters.

How to get to Birmingham Symphony Hall

Unlike Carnegie Hall, the answer isn't just "practice". For more than one reader, the promised five minute walk from New Street station to the appallingly under-signposted Symphony Hall has turned into a  twenty minute ramble through interminable shopping arcades and deserted streets.

The CBSO seem unwilling to share the innermost secrets of their dominion on their website, so with Tristan und Isolde and Jonas Kaufmann coming up shortly, here is the secret route that will get you there in a jiffy, plus a dining warning.

25% off Jonas Kaufmann

The CBSO have a one week only sale.

You can get 25% off tickets for most* concerts booked from now to Sunday 22 January, including the one with Jonas Kaufmann on 7 March (a solace for anyone who missed out on the Wigmore Hall date?) The concert includes a generous number of Strauss and Mahler songs (probably as much singing as you'd get in a headlining show). Tickets start at £8 with the offer - and with train fares from London starting at £10 return, it's possible to do the whole trip for less than a single Wigmore Hall seat!

(*The offer excludes: 3 March – Tristan and Isolde; 12 April – The Dream of Gerontius; 30 May – Britten’s War Requiem; 12 & 13 June: Symphony Hall 21st Anniversary Concerts.)

Andris, Jonas and Tristan

I won't bother with an full overview of the CBSO's 2011-12 season as the Birmingham Post has done an excellent job already. As always there's plenty there to justify a trip, and it's worth pointing out a few concerts are likely to sell out soon after booking opens on 6 June.

First up is a concert version of Tristan und Isolde on Saturday 3 March 2012 at 4.00pm. Andris Nelsons conducts, with Torsten Kerl as Tristan, Lioba Braun as Isolde, Christianne Stotijn as Brangäne, Brett Polegato as Kurwenal and Matthew Best as King Marke.

Lucky Birmingham also get a visit from Jonas Kaufmann. After last year's Bayreuth Lohengrin, he again teams up with Andris Nelsons on Wednesday 7 March 2012, this time to sing Strauss and Mahler.

On Wednesday 30 May 2012 there's a special concert in Coventry Cathedral which marks the 50th anniversary of Britten's War Requiem. Busy Andris Nelsons conducts Kristine Opolais, Mark Padmore and Thomas Quasthoff.  

Birmingham for less

not photoshopped

All CBSO-promoted concerts (and a few others too) at Birmingham Symphony Hall are reduced by 25% if you book between 15 and 23 January.

RAAAAAWWWWR!!!!!!!

Mahler 8 in Birmingham

CBSO / Nelsons - Symphony Hall, Birmingham, 16 September 2010

Was it worth travelling all the way to Birmingham and back for just 90 minutes of music? You bet.

The CBSO kicked off their season and their Mahler cycle with the 8th Symphony. A cast of 600 filled the stage and the choir stalls and stretched around the side galleries.

Lohengrin - Andris Nelsons scores victory for Birmingham

Lohengrin - CBSO / Andris Nelsons - Symphony Hall Birmingham, 12 June 2010

Competing in the World Cup is tough enough; competing with it is even harder. But the CBSO managed to fill Symphony Hall for a one-off concert performance of Lohengrin despite the first round challenge from England v.USA.  Scheduling a 90 minute interval to coincide with kick off was one of the evening's most skilful moves. Opera and football touch the same part of the soul; together they make an irresistible team.

CBSO 2010-11 season goes on sale

Every orchestra in the country seems to be doing a Mahler cycle this year, and the CBSO are no exception, with what might turn out to be the best of the lot.

Their 2010-11 season begins with a bang on 16 September when Andris Nelsons conducts the supersized Symphony No.8 (repeated on 18 September). I haven't heard Nelsons' Mahler yet, but how's this for a review, from Hilary Finch in the Times: 

"Birmingham has scarcely been without memorable Mahler experiences in the past couple of decades. Yet this Second Symphony was in a class of its own, surpassing almost every performance of the work in my own living memory".

Later in the year Nelsons conducts No's 5 and 9, and the remainder of the symphonies are shared by Sakari Oramo, Vassily Sinaisky and Jac van Steen. Sir Charles Mackerras conducts Kindertotenlieder, and the Mahler cycle rounds off on 12 June 2011 with a visit from Simon Rattle for Das Lied von der Erde, with Magdalena Kožená and Michael Schade.

There's more to life than Mahler of course, and I'm going to be checking out some of Nelsons' other concerts if I can find the time to whizz up to Birmingham. Unlike some of today's younger conductors, Nelsons is emphatically not coasting on charm or enthusiasm, nor is he being overhyped by an industry in search of the next cash cow. He's the real thing, and Birmingham is lucky to have him.

Be warned that the Mahler 8 and the Simon Rattle concert are selling well, so don't leave booking these too late.

There are also a few tickets left for this Saturday's concert performance of Lohengrin, conducted by Nelsons (and featuring Kostas Smoriginas as Schaunard if you believe the website), in case you need to escape the football.

Andris Nelsons and the CBSO in Oxford

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Andris Nelsons / Baiba Skride - Sheldonian Theatre Oxford, 5 February 2010

Oxford's Sheldonian Theatre is mainly employed for university lectures and ceremonies but it has hosted plenty of concerts too over its 300+ year history. Handel's oratorio Athalia premiered here in 1733 in front of, reportedly, 3,700 people. There can't have been even a quarter of that number at the CBSO's Friday concert, yet it was still nose-to-tail on the narrow galleried benches, with the orchestra spreading over most of the floor area. Handel's audiences must have been smaller, slimmer and a great deal more tolerant.

The subtleties of Rimsky's orchestration of Musorgsky's Night on the Bare Mountain were smudged in the loud, boomy Sheldonian acoustic. But the CBSO responded to Andris Nelsons's energetic encouragement  - more dancing than conducting, really - with a conviction that made the old warhorse at least tolerable.

Baiba Skride's white-hot solos raised the roof in Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto. A scorching, inspired third movement cadenza capped a technically immaculate and exquisitely judged performance. Andris Nelsons' pacing was intelligent. Physically he gives the impression of unbridled energy, but musically he knows when to hold back and when to let go. This isn't even a work I particularly like or admire, but it was impossible not to be utterly gripped from start to finish.

Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony couldn't reach the same level of intensity, but all the same it was a delightfully fresh account of an over-familiar work. Despite the clotting acoustics, phrases emerged neatly sculpted and transparently coloured. There were no half-planned ideas and no half-baked playing. The second movement's horn solo was beautifully taken, but the woodwinds were just as impressive, and the CBSO strings have developed a luxurious golden sheen. Again the pacing was immaculate, the delicious lightness of the waltzing third movement allowing Nelsons to avoid bombast in the powerful finale.

The CBSO under Nelsons are just getting better and better. Hopefully they'll turn up at the Proms this year, but if not, it's worth a trip out of London to catch them.

*****   more photos on next page   *****

how much is Andris Nelsons worth?

£7,100 according to Ebay. That was the winning bid for an auction package which included a masterclass with the maestro and the opportunity to conduct the CBSO.

CBSO auction off Andris Nelsons

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra have worked out a way to grab the headlines in the Birmingham Post and pick up a bit of cash for charity along the way too.

They're auctioning off an Ebay package which includes a precious hour alone with their cuddly conductor Andris Nelsons, during which he will impart all his secret skillz to the lucky winner *plus* an hour conducting his personal orchestra the CBSO *plus* a dinner with 'select players' (Grade 8 knife and fork use minimum) afterwards.

For anyone who'd rather fiddle with the CBSO string section, there are similar learn, play and dine opportunities for violin, viola, cello and double bass players too.

Start the bidding now and start it high!

Instant Gergiev

On 14 and 15 October, Valery Gergiev's Mariinsky Orchestra will join the CBSO, two choirs, ten timpanists, four brass bands, a donkey and a magic trombone to perform Berlioz's Grande Messe des Morts in Birmingham's Symphony Hall.

With nearly 400 musicians and singers required, it's rarely performed in the UK. But concertgoers will be able to repeat the experience at leisure by taking home a live recording of the performance on CD immediately afterwards.

Although this has been done before by rock bands (I have a treasured White Stripes effort from Alexandra Palace), I think it might be the first time a classical orchestra have attempted it in the UK. Way to prop up the dying CD market!

CBSO do it for free

 

Just announced - the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra are playing two FREE concerts this weekend.

The first and most promising is on Friday at 1.15pm - Andris Nelsons conducts Turnage and Shostakovich in the Symphony Hall. The Nelsons magic is not to be missed, especially at the bargain price of zero.

And there's an outdoor show on Saturday at 8pm in Centenary Square - no programme announced (always suspicious) but there's a firework show afterwards so no-one goes home disappointed.

Andris Nelsons shows Birmingham his Wagner-power

CBSO / Nelsons / Irène Théorin - Symphony Hall Birmingham, 28 January 2009

Birmingham on a dull January afternoon earlier this week. Contrary to received wisdom it was both warmer and drier than London but despite that not exactly a cheering sight. Tucked away behind the tree at the back is Birmingham Symphony Hall.

One dodgy underpass later, et voilà:

The entrance is the mirrored bit on the right of the photo above. And inside - the world's longest programme queue:

The public areas may be a bit mall-like for comfort, but the hall itself is a mighty art deco spaceship of chrome and panelling. On the right and left of the organ are special acoustic chambers that are opened or closed depending on the music performed. For today's loud programme they were fully open:

It's the home of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, who recently appointed the phenomenal Andris Nelsons as their Music Director.  Nelsons is Bayreuth-bound this summer, and his first concert of 2009 with the CBSO promised a glimpse of his Wagnerian goodies.

The 2000+ hall was three quarters full - a pretty impressive achievement for a midweek afternoon. Mostly greysters, of course - who else has the time during the day? - though I did spot a few schoolboys and even an Ilan Volkov lookalike.

So Nelsons wasn't quite the youngest person in the house, but it was a close run thing. He began the show with a story. So overwhelming was his first operatic experience at the age of five that he wept and couldn't sleep all night. The opera was Tannhäuser, and he chose the Overture and Venusberg Music to open this concert.

Springing around the podium like a cat on bonfire night, his five year old self threatened to burst out from his tail suit, galvanising the orchestra to play with a passion and energy you just wouldn't believe was possible on a cold Birmingham afternoon. To say he's bonded with his orchestra would be the understatement of the century - these players were glued to his every glance.

But a great performance takes more than just enthusiasm, and his structuring was masterful. He conjured that sense of something beyond a self-contained concert piece, genuine 'bleeding chunks' hewn from a greater whole. It made me want to listen to the whole thing straight away.

Despite conducting from a pocket score that just would not stay open, he captured the essence of the Prelude from Tristan und Isolde, more introduction than summation, drifting with doomed inevitability into the Liebestod. Irène Théorin, majestic in shimmering black gown and bleached electro-Pob, sounded tentative, not quite in charge, and the orchestra supplied most of the rapture and poignancy.

But she convinced totally as Brünnhilde, with a scorching Immolation scene ending the second half's Götterdämmerung extracts. Nelsons amped up the power, and Théorin floated brightly and clearly over the orchestra, her top notes radiating brilliantly and thrillingly around the hall.

Worth the trip.

 

 

It's ov-ah:

 

Another dodgy underpass. In this one it's still Xmas: