Anvil Arts International Concert Series 2025-26 by AnvilArts

INTERNATIONAL CONCERT SERIES

WELCOME

Welcome to The Anvil’s concert series for 2025-26 – fifteen spectacular, moving and memorable concerts. We continue to present pieces never heard at The Anvil before, with at least fourteen this season, and to bring exciting new artists to Basingstoke as well as established greats. Orchestras from Spain and the Czech Republic visit, and we are particularly pleased to welcome back the NSO Ukraine. Come and enjoy great music and great performances in “an ideal hall and acoustic” (Seen and Heard International) – on your doorstep in the heart of Basingstoke.

Enjoy more music for less money with our subscription packages – please see the booking form for details. And don’t forget that under 25s pay just £12 for any seat in the house.

1. Tuesday 23 September

2. Friday 3 October

3. Thursday 16 October

4. Tuesday 4 November

Philharmonia Orchestra

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

Brno Philharmonic Orchestra

Philharmonia Orchestra

5. Tuesday 20 January Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

6. Thursday 29 January

BBC Symphony Orchestra

7. Wednesday 25 February Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

8. Thursday 19 March

9. Sunday 12 April

10. Saturday 18 April

11. Thursday 23 April

12. Wednesday 3 June

EXTRA CONCERTS

Sunday 12 October

Monday 22 December

Friday 29 May

CONCERTS START AT 7.30PM

National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine

Spanish Galicia Symphony Orchestra

Philharmonia Orchestra

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

Philharmonia Orchestra

An Evening with Nicola Benedetti

Philharmonia Brass

Friday Night is Music Night

£46, £42, £35, £27, £18 (except extra concerts)

Under 25s and f/t students £12 (includes £4 booking fee)

Group rate available

Pre-concert talks bookable online

anvilarts.org.uk 01256 844244 box.office@anvilarts.org.uk

Group booking 01256 366935 group.booking@anvilarts.org.uk

Víkingur Ólafsson

1

Sibelius Finlandia

Beethoven

Piano Concerto no. 3

Stravinsky Suite: The Firebird (1945)

Víkingur Ólafsson piano

Santtu-Matias Rouvali

“Ólafsson’s ability to paint with a thousand colours is magnificent”

International Piano

Tuesday 23 September

PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA

The Philharmonia Orchestra celebrates its 80th birthday, and Víkingur Ólafsson is its Featured Artist, so we are delighted to welcome them to open the season. Finlandia, part of a suite which Sibelius wrote for a patriotic pageant in 1900, is possibly his most famous and stirring piece. The opening movement of Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto is full of tension and drama. The slow movement is a lyrical dialogue between the soloist and woodwinds, while the vivacious finale is punctuated with quicksilver piano cadenzas. The Firebird was Stravinsky’s first big success, a richly coloured ballet score based on a Russian folk tale in which the young prince overcomes a demon with the protection of a feather from the fabled firebird. It is glittering, imaginatively orchestrated music, with a rhythmic impetus all Stravinsky’s own.

The Philharmonia Orchestra is Anvil Arts’ Orchestra in Partnership

Santtu-Matias Rouvali

Mark Wigglesworth

Howard

The Butterfly Effect

Rachmaninov

Piano Concerto no. 1

Shostakovich Symphony no. 10

Sir Stephen Hough piano

Mark Wigglesworth

Friday 3 October

BOURNEMOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Dani Howard writes “bold, exuberant music that manages to be at once complex and likeable” Financial Times The Butterfly Effect explores in music the idea that a small event in one place can have dramatic consequences in another. Rachmaninov’s concerto is an attractive, rhapsodic work, full of youthful vigour. The composer revised and improved it in later life without sacrificing its essential freshness. The Tenth is perhaps Shostakovich’s finest symphony –an epic journey, powerful and dramatic, yet with moments of touching simplicity. The first three movements, filled with a sense of struggle and including a menacing, whirlwind scherzo, are balanced by a more optimistic finale completed after the death of Stalin.

Sir Stephen Hough

Sunday 12 October

AN EVENING WITH NICOLA BENEDETTI X

Join Nicola Benedetti, “the country’s favourite violinist” The Times for a unique and personal show as she returns to pre-eminent stages across the UK for her first solo tour in over ten years - opening here at The Anvil. Combining stunning performance with storytelling, Nicola shares a selection of shorter works – from romantic to virtuosic to folk - combined with her thoughts surrounding her choices of music, as well as her experiences over the past decade. This performance will be intimate and personal, with Nicola joined onstage by fellow musicians including Brazilian guitarist Plinio Fernandes and accordionist Samuele Telari.

£40, £35, £28, £18

Under 25s f/t students £12 (includes £4 booking fee)

Nicola Benedetti

Thursday 16 October

BRNO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 3

Brubeck Brandenburg Gate, Revisited

Freddy Kempf piano

Pavel Zlámal saxophone

Marek Švestka bass

Radek Tomášek drums Glass

Mishima Concerto (UK premiere)

Dvor˘ak Symphony no. 6

Maki Namekawa piano

Dennis Russell Davies

We welcome back this great orchestra for what is sure to be a memorable concert. Dave Brubeck’s Bach-like Brandenburg Gate, originally performed by his famous quartet, was successfully ‘revisited’ in 1961 in a wonderful version for quartet and orchestra. Philip Glass’ dramatic and colourful score for the film Mishima forms the basis of his last concerto, performed by one of his foremost interpreters. Dvor˘ak’s enchanting Sixth Symphony is one of his most attractive and enjoyable works, rich in themes, with a genial first movement and tender slow second movement. The third incorporates the energetic Czech furiant dance, before a lively and jubilant finale.

Freddy Kempf

“Namekawa’s excellent performance [and] her ability to shape, pace and project the composer’s music is most impressive”

Gramophone

Maki Namekawa

Dennis Russell Davies

Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha

Wagner

Tristan and Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod

Strauss Four Last Songs

Tchaikovsky Symphony no. 6 (Pathétique)

Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha soprano

Thomas Søndergård

Tuesday 4 November

PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA

Wagner’s endlessly unresolved harmonies in Tristan and Isolde influenced composers for decades but it’s the emotional charge they convey that hits home. Strauss’ Four Last Songs sum up his lifelong love affair with the soprano voice and bid farewell to his composing career in music of rare beauty. The Philharmonia was the orchestra for their world première in 1950, while tonight’s soloist won the Song Prize at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony has probably been written about more than the other five combined, but whatever its significance in the composer’s life, its overwhelming impact is not in doubt. From the uneasy first movement to the groundbreaking slow finale, it wears its heart on its sleeve.

“This is an exceptional voice, sumptuous in tone... her singing combined beauty with great depth of feeling and was outstanding throughout – a great artist”

The Guardian

The Philharmonia Orchestra is Anvil Arts’ Orchestra in Partnership

XMonday 22 December

The Haymarket

PHILHARMONIA BRASS

Enjoy a programme curated and introduced by Philharmonia trombonist Philip White, including arrangements of Christmas songs, carols, seasonal classics and more. Join these fantastic brass players – with a bit of help from the percussionists – at The Haymarket as they celebrate the season. Whether you’re a lover of Christmas or a self-proclaimed Scrooge, we guarantee you’ll leave this concert feeling more festive!

£33 (includes £4 booking fee)

Philharmonia Brass

Arriaga

Overture in F minor Op. 1 (1817)

Mozart

Clarinet concerto

M Haydn

Divertimento in G (1780)

Mozart

Eine kleine Nachtmusik

Tuesday 20 January

ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT

The Basque composer Arriaga was a child prodigy, dubbed ‘the Spanish Mozart’ at the time, who composed a number of accomplished quartets and symphonies before his untimely death at only 19 years old. This dramatic overture is the first piece he published. The Clarinet Concerto was Mozart’s last orchestral work, written for his friend, the great clarinettist Anton Stadler. The slow movement is particularly serene and beautiful. Michael Haydn was Josef’s brother and a successful composer in his own right. This delightful divertimento is typical of his accomplished style. One of Mozart’s most popular and familiar works closes the concert, full of lively and charming music.

Katherine Spencer clarinet

Katherine Spencer

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is Anvil Arts Orchestra in Association

Thursday 29 January

BBC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Cecilia Damström ICE Brahms

Violin Concerto

Beethoven Symphony no. 4

Hana Chang violin

Sakari Oramo

The opening piece is an imaginative portrait in sound of melting Nordic ice. Shimmering and delicate textures give way to more urgent music, after which the piece ‘rewinds’ offering a glimmer of hope for the future. Brahms’ magnificent Violin Concerto is deservedly one of his most popular works. After a noble, expansive opening section, the middle movement is one of his most beautiful, and the final is a vigorous Hungarian-tinged dance. Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony has a rewarding atmosphere all its own, from the mysterious slow introduction to the vigorous and joyful finale.

This concert will be recorded by BBC Radio 3

“Impeccable, authentic and gracious playing...Hana’s focus is at all times on the substance of the music”

The Violin Channel

Hana Chang

Sakari Orama

Mozart

Symphony no. 39

Symphony no. 40

Symphony no. 41

Robin Ticciati

Wednesday 25 February

ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT

Mozart’s last three symphonies were written in a few weeks in summer 1788, unusually without performances already arranged. They make a satisfying triptych, with the relatively serene no. 39 contrasting with the more agitated and unsettled no. 40. The final symphony sums up Mozart’s achievement in the form, with a spacious opening movement, an expressive and chromatic slow movement, and one of his most famous minuets. The finale effortlessly combines fugue and sonata form in a five-part tour de force of pure joy.

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is Anvil Arts Orchestra in Association

“Ticciati, perhaps the most spiritual as well as naturally gifted of the younger conductors, drew playing of endlessly

fascinating precision” The Times

Robin Ticciati

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Berezovsky

The first Ukrainian Symphony (c. 1771)

Beethoven Piano Concerto no. 5 (Emperor) Delius On Hearing the First Cuckoo of Spring Summer Night on the River

Beethoven Symphony no. 7

Maria Pukhlianko piano

Volodymyr Sirenko

Thursday 19 March

NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF UKRAINE

We’re delighted to welcome back this wonderful orchestra, whose last concert here was one of the highlights of 2023. They begin with what is believed to be the first symphony written by a Ukrainian composer, completed while studying in Italy and recently discovered in an archive there. Beethoven’s last piano concerto is his most grand, brilliant and powerful. The confident outer movements are balanced by an inward-looking slow movement, which moves into the finale with a simple but magical transition. Delius’ two miniatures show the renowned delicacy of his orchestral writing to the full, expressing both the lighter atmosphere of spring and the sultry summer night to perfection. Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony was first performed at a mammoth concert in 1813 which was one of his greatest public successes. Its joyous energy and unstoppable rhythmic impetus have made it among the most popular of all his symphonies.

Maria Pukhlianko

Volodymyr Sirenko

National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine

Thibaut Garcia

Falla

Three Dances from The Three-Cornered Hat

Rodrigo Concierto de Aranjuez

Ravel Suite: Mother Goose

Turina Sinfonia Sevillana

Ravel Bolero

Thibaut Garcia guitar

Roberto Gonzalez-Monjas

“Beautiful tone and control of colours”

Classic Review

Sunday 12 April

SPANISH GALICIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Vivid orchestral colours and intense melodies abound in this programme from one of Spain’s top orchestras. After the exciting dances by Manuel de Falla, the most famous of all guitar concertos transports its listeners, with rhythmic and fiery outer movements framing a heartfelt slow movement. Ravel’s delicate and touching evocation of six contrasting fairy-tales follows. Turina’s skill and sensitivity in the art of orchestration shines throughout his Sinfonía sevillana, a poetic and colourful tone poem depicting aspects of the city of his birth. The steadily building crescendo of Bolero guarantees a rousing conclusion to the evening.

Roberto Gonzalez-Monjas

Elgar

Violin Concerto

Chaminade

Suite for orchestra - Callirhoë

Debussy La Mer

Nicola Benedetti violin

Saturday 18 April

PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA

Elgar thought his Violin Concerto among the best of all his works. It highlights the lyrical and expressive powers of the instrument across all three movements, with an unexpected twist in the finale leading to a breathtaking cadenza accompanied by softly plucked strings in the orchestra. Cecile Chaminade was hugely successful in the late nineteenth century. Her beguiling ballet Callirhoë tells a story based on Greek myth of the love between a prince and a water nymph, and this short suite showcases her fluid and delicate style. Debussy’s largest orchestral piece is an attempt to capture in music the many moods of the sea, including sunrise, the play of light and water, and the surge and power of waves whipped up by the wind.

“Benedetti offers listeners something even more valuable: a dynamic personal interpretation, refreshing and convincing” The Times

The Philharmonia Orchestra is Anvil Arts’ Orchestra in Partnership

Cristian Ma˘celaru

Cristian M˘acelaru

Nicola Benedetti

Saint-Saëns

Phaëton

Tchaikovsky

Piano Concerto no. 1

Boulanger

D’un matin de printemps

Saint-Saëns

Symphony no. 3 (Organ)

Cédric Tiberghien piano

Chloé van Soeterstède

Thursday 23 April

BOURNEMOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Saint-Saens’ symphonic poem captures the headlong flight of the sun chariot in the Greek myth. Tchaikovsky’s piano concerto set the pattern for many future pieces with its dramatic confrontation between heroic soloist and eloquent orchestra. After Lili Boulanger’s colourful evocation of a spring morning, the concert ends with SaintSaëns’ Third Symphony. Rich invention, flamboyant colours and melodic appeal are among its the hallmarks, which have made it deservedly popular since its premiere.

“Tiberghien’s limpid touch and easy bravura are perfect”

Sunday Times

Chloé van Soeterstède

Cédric Tiberghien

XFriday 29 May

BBC Radio 3’s

FRIDAY NIGHT IS MUSIC NIGHT

with the BBC Concert Orchestra

There’s music for everyone in BBC Radio 3’s Friday Night is Music Night, and it’s coming to The Anvil!

Join the BBC Concert Orchestra and guests for an evening of unforgettable music for the BBC’s much-loved, long-running radio show. Enjoy a mix of nostalgic melodies, popular favourites and orchestral classics... and perhaps discover a few new tunes along the way, in a live recording for BBC Radio 3. It’s sure to be a night to remember!

£42, £36, £32, £25

Under 25s f/t students £12 (includes £4 booking fee)

This concert will be recorded by BBC Radio 3

“A miraculous soloist” The Times

Benjamin Grosvenor

Santtu-Matias Rouvali

Wednesday 3 June

PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA 12

Strauss Don Juan Burleske

Sinfonia domestica

Der Rosenkavalier: Waltz sequence no. 1

Benjamin Grosvenor piano

Santtu-Matias Rouvali

The grand finale of the Philharmonia’s 80th birthday celebrations is a complete reconstruction of a celebrated concert from 1947, when the 83-year old Richard Strauss conducted the then recently formed orchestra in pieces that he particularly loved. The exhilarating Don Juan was the first big success of his career, a bold and dashing work which proceeds at full throttle before evaporating in an enigmatic conclusion. The Sinfonia domestica uses his home life – children playing, a quarrel and reconciliation with his wife, dreams and cares at night – as the starting point for a work which overflows with imaginative and exuberant music. The fleet-fingered and witty Burleske is perfect for tonight’s soloist Benjamin Grosvenor, and the concert ends with what was the encore in 1947, superb waltzes from Strauss’ most famous and heartwarming opera.

The Philharmonia Orchestra is Anvil Arts’ Orchestra in Partnership

KEYSTONE DONOR

Lord & Lady Sainsbury of Preston Candover through the Linbury Trust

MAJOR DONORS

Mr Peter Bedford

Mr Jan Bowlus

The Bulldog Trust

Mrs P Cadbury

Hackwood Arts Trust

Jeremiah Colman Trust

Mr P Degermark

Edward Garside

Mr and Mrs J M Holden

Dr Michael Hollas

Sally Jones

GREAT MUSIC OF THE WORLD

Since The Anvil opened in 1994, the International Concert Series has brought many superb performers to Basingstoke.

The Anvil presents one of the largest orchestral series in the country. However, with fewer than half the number of seats to sell of other concert halls, we are unable to cover the cost of bringing these great orchestras to Basingstoke from ticket revenue alone. The Great Music of the World fund gives us the security to be able to make the upfront commitment required.

In the last twenty years, the Fund has supported more than forty concerts, including memorable appearances by the Leipzig Gewandhaus, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic and Budapest Festival orchestras.

John and Jill Leek

Anthony and Alison Milford

Sir John Milne

David & Diana Norman

The Countess of Portsmouth

Mr & Mrs John Raymond

Mr Stuart Roden

Mr & Mrs G J Rushbrook

Prof J M Smith

Mr & Mrs Michael Steen

Leslie Strickland

Tenon

Philip and Jill Walsh

Michael Webster

P S Wilmot-Sitwell

A complete list of donors can be found on the Anvil Arts website

Please support the fund so that we can continue to put Basingstoke on the map by bringing the world’s great orchestras for everyone to enjoy.

We would like to express our gratitude for their support to all donors to the Great Music of the World Fund.

ANVIL ARTS

The Anvil Trust is grateful for the support of the following:

Sponsors and Corporate Members:

Supported by:

PICTURE CREDITS

ACCESS FACILITIES

Anvil Arts operates a free Access List in order to improve our service to patrons with access needs. Registration forms are available from the box office or Anvil Arts website.

For full details of all facilities, please visit anvilarts.org.uk/access or contact the box office

This brochure is also available in other formats

TICKET PRICES

Area 1 (Red) £46

Area 2 (Blue) £42

Area 3 (Green) £37

Area 4 (Yellow) £27

Area 5 (Purple) £18

Ticket prices include £4 booking fee Subscription discounts available – please contact the box office for details.

Please note – there is level access to Stalls row H and, via a lift, Circle row C and most of rows CB, CC, DB and DC (Side Circle).

This brochure is printed on environmentally friendly paper. It is biodegradable and the pulp used to make the paper is a mixture of Totally Chlorine Free and Elemental Chlorine Free.