Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra concert season 2014 / 15 Great Hall, Exeter Exeter Cathedral
Kirill Karabits Principal Conductor
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Welcome to the 2014 / 15 Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Season here at Exeter Great Hall and Cathedral. The BSO is a unique orchestra with a unique remit. From our home in Poole, we create and perform concerts that empower the music scene across more than 10,000 square miles of the South and South West of England whilst maintaining a vibrant and important national and international stature.
Introduction from Dougie Scarfe Chief Executive
Our 2014/15 Exeter season features a wide range of programmes and artists, designed to inspire our loyal regular supporters whilst finding new ways to welcome new audiences of all ages and tastes. Kirill opens the season with Bruckner’s triumphant Seventh Symphony and in November conducts Prokofiev’s imposing Fourth, completing our Prokofiev Symphony Cycle which has so thrilled audiences and critics in the last year.
He closes the season with a glorious choral concert which returns to the splendour of Exeter Cathedral.
selection of fantastic film scores in Heroes & Superheroes 2. Find out more through our range of online resources on the BSO website.
Alongside much loved artists returning to the BSO, including Andrew Litton and Kees Bakels, we also welcome the outstanding young talents of Andreas Ottensamer, Simone Lamsma, Nikita Boriso-Glebsky and Joshua Weilerstein. There is the also the return of our popular Christmas Proms and another
We continue to champion the role that culture plays in enhancing the communities in which we live and I would like to thank everyone who supports this remarkable organisation. Your support has never been more important and I look forward to welcoming you to another season of great music making.
Heavenly Adagio
Andreas Ottensamer
Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony occupies a singularly important place in the composer’s output. It was with this piece that Bruckner finally achieved widespread recognition, and it has remained the most popular of his nine symphonies. The opening melody apparently came to him in a dream: a friend from Bruckner’s younger days played the theme on a viola, with the words “This will bring you success”. The heart of the work is the long and deeply felt adagio, composed as a memorial to Wagner who died
whilst Bruckner was writing it. An adagio is also central to Mozart’s concerto – the last important work written in its entirety before his death. Listening to it, two things are immediately apparent; firstly the seeming simplicity of the major themes and secondly the seamless interaction between soloist and orchestra, creating a work of genius.
“kirill karabits, the bso’s superb principal conductor, took control of his forces impressively and shaped the performance with complete naturalness” The Telegraph Britten Cello Symphony Poole, Lighthouse, November 2013
thursday
9
october 7.30 pm
mozart Clarinet Concerto bruckner Symphony No.7 Kirill Karabits conductor Andreas Ottensamer clarinet
friday
7
Prodigal Son
ravel Mother Goose Suite glazunov Violin Concerto prokofiev Symphony No.4 (revised)
The revised Fourth Symphony is half as long again as the original work, written 17 years earlier, turning a modest symphony into a large and imposing score that matched the scale of Prokofiev’s two newly composed symphonies of the mid-1940s. Drawing upon themes and material from his ballet The Prodigal Son, it features big expressive tunes at which Prokofiev excelled, the
november 7.30 pm
Kirill Karabits conductor Vadim Gluzman violin
Vadim Gluzman
ardent lyricism giving way to bracing, highly charged music. A work of immense charm, Glazunov’s Violin Concerto is a gem well worth exploring. Beginning with an atmosphere of restrained melancholy, tempered by sweetness and a warm degree of expressiveness, it reaches a festive finale filled with virtuoso fireworks and sparkling orchestral colour. By contrast Ravel’s timeless suite of fairy-tale miniatures is an exercise of exquisite, restrained grace and innocence.
Divine Moments Both Sibelius’ symphony and Dvořák’s concerto were troublesome to write, and both works saw a number of revisions. Sibelius was going through a difficult time in his life, despite his success and popularity, when he wrote the Fifth Symphony. However, he created one of the really great late-Romantic symphonies displaying his ability to gather the mysterious world around him. The gorgeous opening sunrise is best described by Sibelius himself. “God opens
Stephanie Oade, Orsolya Kadar, Roger Preston, Jesper Svedberg
His door for a moment and His orchestra plays.” This was no boast! Dvořák's concerto is a highly lyrical and rich work, even by his standards. Infused with divinely inspired melodies brought together using Dvořák’s unique harmonic style, it encompasses an entire spectrum of rich colours and reaches stunning technical heights. More unforgettable moments are found in Sibelius’ hauntingly desolate tone poem and Dvořák’s dazzling Symphonic Variations.
thursday
20
november 7.30 pm
dvor a k Symphonic Variations dvor a k Violin Concerto sibelius Scene with Cranes sibelius Symphony No.5 Rory Macdonald conductor Simone Lamsma violin
thursday
4
Sea Pictures
britten Frank Bridge Variations mendelssohn Piano Concerto No.1 mendelssohn The Hebrides Overture debussy La Mer
Mendelssohn’s musical postcard of a Hebridean visit conjures up a whole seascape including the grandeur of Fingal’s Cave, the swelling of the sea, the light on the water and the fury of the waves breaking on the cliffs. In La Mer the full scope of Debussy’s remarkable art is on display. Like the sea itself, the surface of the music hints at the brooding mystery of its depths – a vibrating, oscillating,
december 7.30 pm
Kees Bakels conductor Ronald Brautigam piano
Ronald Brautigam
glimmering palette of sound which caresses the senses allowing the orchestra to shimmer in a thousand colours. Britten’s homage to his beloved teacher is equally as brilliant and sonorous. After the opening rather serious theme taken from Bridge’s Idyll, the subsequent variations range from a passionate and deeply felt adagio to playful parodies on opera arias, Viennese waltzes, and stuffy bourrées.
“a thrillingly physical and musical performance... pulsating with ardour, diabolism, ecstasy; steam was reported to be rising from the building” The Times Scriabin Poem of Ecstasy Poole, Lighthouse, February 2014
Christmas & New Year with the bso Celebrate another Christmas and New Year in the company of the BSO with more musical gifts for young and old! Enjoy a selection of seasonal favourites old and new by Slade, Johnny Mathis, Wizzard and many more, as well as music from some of the most popular musicals of the West End and Broadway. And New Year is never complete without the BSO’s traditional Johann Strauss Gala!
monday 22 december 7.30 pm
friday 2 january 7.30 pm
Last Night of the Christmas Proms
New Year Johann Strauss Gala
Pete Harrison conductor Louise Dearman singer Lance Ellington singer
Thomas RĂśsner conductor
thursday
22
London Town
elgar Cockaigne Overture rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.1 vaughan williams Symphony No.2 “London”
Vaughan Williams' Second Symphony has been described as the musical equivalent of Monet’s paintings of the sun rising over a foggy Thames. Actual London sounds fleetingly emerge from an exquisitely woven musical tapestry – the chimes of Big Ben, the cry of a lavender-seller. Central to the symphony’s success is the wonderful limpid scoring, which Vaughan Williams felt in later life that he had never bettered.
january 7.30 pm
Andrew Litton conductor Alexei Volodin piano
Alexei Volodin
Despite the tribulations Elgar was enduring at the time, the Cockaigne (In London Town), a joyful, affectionate tribute to London and its people, is one of his most optimistic and popular concert works. Rachmaninov was just 17 when he began work on his First Piano Concerto, but it was not for another 27 years before he made significant revisions, turning a diffuse and unpolished work into an economical, feisty, and exuberant masterpiece.
Fantastic Dance Rachmaninov composed the Symphonic Dances shortly after fleeing war-torn Europe for the United States. The work is rhythmically animated and truly symphonic in style, proportions, and sonority, with melodies that could only be his. At once nostalgic and sarcastic, sensual and sinister with touches of the grotesque, strange harmonies create an atmosphere of unease and anxiety before reaching a final demonic “dance of death”. From its explosive, dramatic
Stephanie Oade, Robb Tooley
opening, Grieg’s Piano Concerto communicates with fiery passion, sustaining interest and excitement throughout. The music is imbued with a Nordic quality echoing traditional Norwegian dances and instruments. As if depicting the joyous transition from winter to spring, Sibelius’ tone poem is a hymn to nature. Building from a quiet, pastoral beginning to a fervent conclusion it hints of the wintry melancholy that can linger late into the sub-arctic spring.
friday
6
february 7.30 pm
sibelius Spring Song grieg Piano Concerto rachmaninov Symphonic Dances Joshua Weilerstein conductor Alessandro Taverna piano
thursday
19
february 7.30 pm
Pete Harrison conductor
Heroes & Superheroes 2 Back by popular demand, Pete Harrison and the BSO present another evening of Hollywood blockbuster soundtracks including music written by Maurice Jarre, Hans Zimmer, John Barry, Jerry Goldsmith and, of course, the master of the film-score, John Williams. Films represented include Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, Schindler’s List, The Last Samurai, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars and a reprise of the best superhero of them all – Superman. As well as heroes, this year there may also be a few villains lurking about!
Kevin Smith, Peter Turnbull, Robb Tooley, Andy Cresci
German Dances Brahms made his own orchestrations of some of the enchanting waltzes he had previously written for voices and piano. They show the composer at his most relaxed and good humoured. Even by Mozart’s standards, his Sinfonia Concertante revels in a wealth of melody and invention. It may be that he was displaying his musical skill in the hope of a court position, and the piece is a model of contrast and balance.
Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony was first performed at a mammoth concert in 1813 which was one of his greatest public successes. Described by Wagner as “the apotheosis of the dance”, with boundless energy and rhythmic impetus the music rages forward, almost demonically, with climax after climax, right to the brilliant final notes and one of the most thrilling endings in all music.
friday
13
march 7.30 pm
brahms Liebeslieder Walzer mozart Sinfonia Concertante K.364 beethoven Symphony No.7 Nicholas McGegan conductor Veronika Eberle violin Antoine Tamestit viola
thursday
16
april 7.30 pm
khachaturian Adagio from Spartacus khachaturian Violin Concerto dvor a k Symphony No.7 Aleksandar Markovi´c conductor Nikita Boriso-Glebsky violin
Country Folksongs Khachaturian was a composer with an incredible gift for melody, and the Violin Concerto is a fun and playful example of this. Its lush, oriental-sounding tunes, high-flying virtuosity and yearning melodic intensity soon appealed to worldwide audiences. Musical elements drawn from the folk songs and dances of Khachaturian’s native Armenia add to the festive intoxication, which are also present in the
Nikita Boriso-Glebsky
lusciously evocative Adagio from his ballet Spartacus. The Seventh is the earliest of Dvorˇák’s symphonies to have captured and held popular approval, and it remains unsurpassed among his works for profundity of conception and consummate craftsmanship. Marked by an ominous sounding opening that hints at tragedy and dark skies, it presents an atmosphere of stately richness which weaves its way through uncertainty and agitation to a final triumphant conclusion.
Nickie Dixon, Kirill Karabits
Faure´’s Requiem
at Exeter Cathedral
Of all the requiems, Fauré’s stands out for its serenity and soothing gentleness. Fauré constantly sought to create a new kind of church music - something other than the operatic bel canto style. Inspired by the tunes and rhythms of Gregorian chant, and with the use of subtle gradations in dynamic, colour and harmony he achieved this perfectly. Stravinsky wrote that Psalms are poems of exaltation but also of anger and judgment and even of
curses. The Symphony of Psalms was written in a time of great tension in Stravinsky's life and those tensions are apparent in the music, but for all the anxiety there are also moments of surprising tenderness. Gabrieli was a prolific composer of High Renaissance music in Venice and one of the first orchestrators of instrumental music. Still popular among brass players to this day, the Canzoni are characterized by contrasts - of space, of high and low voices, and of dynamics.
saturday
9
may 7.30 pm
gabrieli Canzoni for brass stravinsky Symphony of Psalms faur´e Requiem Kirill Karabits conductor Hye-Youn Lee soprano tba baritone Exeter Festival Chorus
Beyond the concert hall
At the BSO we are passionate about inspiring people of all ages and communities to take part in live music-making and musical events, helping to bring people together and express themselves, encourage well-being, develop new skills, offer new opportunities and enrich the curriculum.
BSO Participate, our pioneering Community and Participation Department, has developed five specially tailored and distinct strands of activity.
blast School workshops and curriculum based projects. BSO musicians work with over 1,000 children every month in primary, secondary and special needs schools and work closely with 18 Music Education Hubs and youth orchestras across the region.
Resonate Family and community performances and participation events. BSO ensembles perform family concerts, coach and perform alongside amateur players and work with community choirs and music groups from Cornwall to Hampshire.
bbs Musical exploration and play aimed at parents and young children. Fun concerts and lots of hands-on workshops focusing on antenatal to five year-olds in a family-friendly environment.
rising talent Focusing on exceptionally talented young musicians and emerging artists. The BSO is proud to have showcased the early careers of young artists and continues to encourage talented young musicians, working in partnership with South West Music School, South West Youth Orchestra and Sherborne School.
boost Promoting health and wellbeing through music. Projects include regular Tea Dances as well as workshops in hospitals and care homes, and our pioneering Dementia Orchestra in partnership with the Bournemouth University Dementia Institute.
To find out more about our varied projects visit BSOlive.com/bsoparticipate
Supporting quality Giving more than 150 annual public performances the BSO is one of the busiest orchestras in the world.* Every performance is equally important and special. It takes talent, dedication and teamwork to create musical moments we remember all our lives. As loyal concert-goers and lovers of music, we know that you would agree. The BSO has one of the most loyal audiences in the country but a full concert hall is no longer a guarantee of an orchestra’s financial security or artistic freedom. Ticket sales account for only 50% of the costs of a performance and the concerts
*according to Bachtrack’s 2013 statistics, the BSO was the seventh busiest symphony orchestra in the world
you enjoy are only made possible through investment from Arts Council England and increasingly additional funds gained through charitable support. This is why we are so grateful to those who become a member, make a donation or remember the BSO in their will. This funding is a lifeline which helps us to achieve our artistic, creative and cultural goals. It enables the BSO to bring together the most creative repertoire, conductors
and international artists and supports our community and participation programme across the South and South West. Creating great art needs great support. Show that you appreciate the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and want to play your part in our future by contacting the Development Team on 01202 644718 or email giving@bsorchestra.co.uk
tickets 01392 493493 bsolive.com
All concerts take place at the Great Hall, Exeter University except for Saturday 9 May which is at Exeter Cathedral.
Box Office:
ticket prices Tickets go on general sale on Wednesday 3 September.
£38 £32 £24 £20 £14
for both Great Hall and Cathedral
Exeter Northcott Theatre Stocker Road Exeter, EX4 4QB
A £2 booking fee per ticket is payable for all ticket sales except for cash sales in person.
Exeter Visitor Information & Tickets Dix’s Field, Exeter, EX1 1GF
Free ‘Meet the Music’
pre-concert talks take place before every concert (except 22 Dec, 2 Jan, 9 May) at 6.40pm in Seminar Rooms 7, 8 and 9 situated in the main Forum Building.
Why not book a package of concerts and save money? Generous discounts are available if you buy 4 concerts or more and if you book for 11 or 12 concerts you will receive a massive 40% off! Multibuy Discounts 11– 12 concerts 40% 9 – 10 concerts 30% 6 – 8 concerts 20% 4 – 5 concerts 10%
concessions The BSO offers the following concessions to most concerts. Please note that only one concession applies per ticket and that concessions are not available retrospectively. Proof of status is required at the time of collection. All concessions and discounts are subject to availability. BSO Kids for a Quid Under 18s: £1 per ticket (some exclusions apply).
BSO Vibes £5 per ticket (for 18–25s signed up to the scheme).
There are no discounts for disabled patrons, but an accompanying companion qualifies for a 50% discount.
50% discount for Full-time students and people on Job-Seekers Allowance or Income Support Benefit.
Group booking discounts 10 or more tickets 10% 20 or more tickets 20% 30 or more tickets 30%
50% discount for Wheelchair users and up to one companion. Please contact the ticket office for details.
Group bookings must be paid in full one month in advance of the concert date, after which tickets will be released for resale.
bso portraits: Eric Richmond ericrichmond.net Design: Joe Swift windpower.uk.com
How to get to the Great Hall and Exeter Cathedral lift flap »
Great Hall, Exeter University Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4PY Exeter Cathedral The Cloisters, Exeter EX1 1HS
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra 2 Seldown Lane, Poole, BH15 1UF Tel: 01202 670611 www.bsolive.com BSO is a Charity Registered No.208520 and a company limited by guarantee Registered No.538351 England. All information is correct at the time of going to press – however artists are subject to availability and the BSO reserves the right to make any necessary changes from the advertised programmes.
by road
great hall parking
public transport
The Great Hall is situated on the main Streatham campus of Exeter University. It is adjacent to the Northcott Theatre which is signposted from Exeter City Centre. The campus lies to the north of the City Centre. From the M5 and A30 to the west, the best route to take from the ring road (B3181) is Pinhoe Road (B3212) and enter the campus via Union Road and Prince of Wales Road.
Car parking is available on campus – free from 6pm. We advise that you allow plenty of time to find a space as it is often very busy. The main car parks are Car Parks A, B and D as marked on the map. Blue badge holders can use the Car Park C at the top of Stocker Road.
The Streatham Campus is served by the Stagecoach D and H bus routes which run all evening from the City Centre. The bus stop is at North Park Road opposite the Northcott Theatre.
cathedral parking
Exeter has two railway stations – Exeter St David’s (main station) and Central. Exeter St David’s Station is a 10 minute walk from the Streatham Campus and taxis are available. Central Station is a 5-minute walk from the Cathedral.
satnav use postcode EX4 4QJ
City Centre car parks are all within easy walking distance. The nearest is the Cathedral and Quay multi-storey on Lower Coombe Street, EX11DX
Most local bus services stop at Exeter Bus and Coach Station which is a 5-minute walk from the Cathedral.