Nottingham Classics 2010-2011 Season Brochure

INTERNATIONAL CONCERT SEASON2010-2011

www.nottinghamclassics.org.uk

NEW! £1 travel ticketsLeave your car at home and use the bus or tram to get to the Royal Concert Hall. You can buy £1 return Royal Tickets when you buy your concert tickets and these can be used from all tram stops and on all Nottingham City Transport bus routes. They’re also valid until midnight leaving you plenty of time for a post-show drink.

Nottingham City CentreTheatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall Theatre Square Nottingham NG1 5ND

Managing Director Robert Sanderson

0115 989 5555www.royalcentre-nottingham.co.uk

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Bus Nottingham is well served by many fast and frequent buses which stop close to the theatre and concert hall. For bus times call Nottingham City Transport on 0115 950 6070, Traveline on 0871 200 2233 or visit www.triptimes.co.uk

Tram The tram stops directly outside the theatre and runs every 10 minutes until midnight. Visit www.thetram.net or call 0115 942 7777 for full details of the tram route.

Rail Nottingham Station is a 15 minute walk from the venue or a short taxi/tram ride. Call 0845 748 4950 or www.nationalrail.co.uk for train times and fares.

Car Follow signs for the city centre and the ‘Royal Zone’. There are several car parks within a 5 minute walk including Trinity Square Car Park, and the Crowne Plaza Hotel Car Park just off Wollaton Street. See map for further details.

Car sharing You can now save money, reduce your carbon footprint and also make new friends by joining the Nottinghamshare car sharing scheme. Just sign up online at www.nottinghamshare.com to offer or request a lift to a particular concert.

For a full city centre map featuring all five zones visit our website at www.royalcentre-nottingham.co.uk and go to ‘How to find us’.This map is reproduced from Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office © Crown copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. 100019317 2010

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Become a Nottingham Classics subscriber and hear more sensational sounds for less!We’ve got a fantastic season in store for you in 2010-2011 with an exciting mix of great orchestral music, stunning soloists and inspiring conductors. So why not enjoy more of the great music on offer by becoming a subscriber? All you need to do is to book three concerts or more in advance, and in return you can make big savings on your ticket purchases – as much as £134 if you’re booking for the whole season. Subscribing also helps you to make space in a busy diary for that much-needed quality time.

Become a full season subscriber and get extra concerts free!If you book in advance for all 14 Subscription Series Concerts in the 2010-2011 Season then you get 30% off all your tickets – that’s four concerts free when compared with the price you’d pay if you booked them all separately. And this season you’ll also get a free ticket to hear the BBC Radio 3 Discovering Music Concert on 23 November and for Cordelia Williams’ opening concert in our new Sunday morning piano series on 31 October. Full season (14 concert) subscriber tickets start from less than £12 each – great value for money. And there’s more. Full season subscribers also save 25% on tickets for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s Glorious Gershwin concert on 1 June. Mix it up with a flexible subscriptionIf you don’t want to commit to all 14 concerts then try a flexible subscription which allows you to choose freely from the different concerts in the season. You can listen to several works by particular composers, follow your favourite orchestras and soloists, or experience some music you’ve never heard before. Flexible subscriptions start at just three concerts and you’ll save at least 10% off all your ticket purchases.

Hear more and get moreAs a subscriber you’ll receive other great benefits, too:• Priority booking for all concerts in the 2010-2011 season - you get to book before tickets go on general sale• Choose your favourite seats for each concert – the earlier you book, the better your seats• Receive a free concert programme when you book twelve or more concerts (saving you up to £35)• Pay in 2 instalments when you subscribe to all 14 Subscripton Series Concerts• Free ticket exchange if you can’t make a particular performance (see page 18)• Exclusive discounts on recordings at Classical CD, Nottingham’s specialist classical retailerFor full details on how to become a subscriber and information on other ways to save money on your concert tickets take a look at the centre pages of this brochure or call the Box Office on 0115 989 5555.

THuRSDAy 7 OCTOBER, 7.30PM The Hallé

Sir Mark Elder conductorArtur Pizarro piano

Bax TintagelChopin Piano Concerto No.2Prokofiev Symphony No.5

Tickets: £10 - £32

Our season opens with the ‘castle-crowned cliff of Tintagel’ and the glittering swell of the Atlantic in Arnold Bax’s famous tone poem. King Arthur’s legendary home here inspires some of Bax’s most evocative music. Following this, the renowned Portuguese pianist Artur Pizarro performs Chopin’s Lyrical 2nd Piano Concerto, which first won the young composer a place on the world stage.

Although it was premiered in war-torn Moscow in 1945, Prokofiev described his 5th Symphony as ‘a hymn to free and happy Man, to his mighty powers, his pure and noble spirit.’ Acclaimed in both Russia and the West at its first performances this taut masterpiece remains his most popular symphony, its energy and passion recalling his ballet Romeo and Juliet.

Free pre-concert talk, 6.30pm in the auditorium:Sir Mark Elder introduces the programme.

Estimated finishing time: 9.30pm

2010-2011Box Office: 0115 989 5555

9.45pm - 10.30pm, in the auditorium. Free admission to Hallé ticket holders. £3 for non-ticket holders (doors only).

Jenny Lin performs solo piano works by Chopin, Ligeti, Kampela and the world premiere of a new work by Cornelius Dufallo.

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WEDNESDAy 20 OCTOBER, 7.30PM Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio

Terje Mikkelsen conductorAlena Baeva violin Olsen The Wild Hunt of ThorSibelius Violin ConcertoRachmaninov Symphony No.2

Tickets: £10 - £32

Witnessing the Wild Hunt of Thor – a phantasmal group of huntsmen crossing the skies – was invariably a bad omen in Nordic myth. Norwegian composer Ole Olsen’s opener captures its fateful

spirit in powerful music that’s tinged with Wagner and Grieg. Sibelius was a gifted violinist who had contemplated a life as a performer before becoming a composer and his mastery of the instrument is evident throughout his ruggedly beautiful Violin Concerto. Alena Baeva, Grand Prix Winner of the Moscow Paganini Violin Competition, takes up the challenge.

Rachmaninov wrote his 2nd Symphony shortly after Sibelius’s concerto and enjoyed immediate success with it. Its expansive melodies show the composer at his most inspired, not least in the heartfelt slow movement with its melting clarinet solo. Rachmaninov keeps the sentiment firmly in check, though, with plenty of rhythmic drive and a forceful chorus of brass to light up the big moments.


TuESDAy 2 NOVEMBER, 7.30PM sinfonia ViVA

André de Ridder conductorNatalie Clein cello

Stravinsky Pulcinella SuiteBarber Cello ConcertoSibelius Symphony No.3

Tickets: £10 - £32

Although Stravinsky’s reaction to the suggestion that he compose a new ballet based on music by Pergolesi was lukewarm, his score for Pulcinella opened up a new musical world to him. Lighter on its feet than his previous ballet blockbusters it contains some of his wittiest music, with vibrant colours worthy of the Commedia del Arte and even a jocular duet between trombone and double bass. The jaunty opening of Sibelius’s 3rd Symphony also announces a shift in style. Leaner and more concentrated than his Tchaikovskian first two symphonies it set the

pattern for his later orchestral works. At the heart of the concert is Samuel Barber’s Cello Concerto performed by charismatic cellist Natalie Clein. Composed in 1945 this richly-hued piece mixes Barber’s easygoing tunefulness with more extrovert displays from the soloist.

Free pre-concert talk, 6.30pm in the auditorium:Dr Robert Adlington on Stravinsky’s Pulcinella.


2010-2011Box Office: 0115 989 5555

9.30pm – 10.15pm, in the auditorium.FREE admission to sinfonia ViVA ticket holders. £3 for non-ticket holders (doors only).

with Natalie Clein, cello

J S Bach: Cello Suite No.2 Stravinsky: OctetAnna Meredith: new work inspired by Stravinsky’s Octet

A co-promotion with

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MONDAy 8 NOVEMBER, 7.30PM Lars Vogt

Janácek In the MistsSchubert Sonata in G major No.18, D894, Op.78Beethoven Sonata No.32, Op.111

Tickets: £10 - £22

The world-renowned German pianist Lars Vogt begins the first evening concert in our Piano Series with Janácek’s In the Mists. Powerful emotions lie beneath the wintry veil of this impressionistic work – not unlike Debussy with a rugged Bohemian accent.

Schubert’s 18th Piano Sonata, written towards the end of his life, finds the composer in serene mood. The easygoing opening lays the ground for some of Schubert’s most peaceful and tender music, its moments of intensity thrown into sharp relief against the tranquil background.

Beethoven’s last piano sonata was admired by Chopin and also had a profound influence on Lars Vogt who, at the age of 17, responded to its ‘vast, indescribable and mystical’ world. A stern workout for any pianist’s technique, this passionate work is also very forward-looking, the swinging rhythms of the final movement even anticipating boogie-woogie and ragtime.

Save 20% off tickets for this concert when you book for the whole Piano Series (see pages 17 & 25).

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SATuRDAy 13 NOVEMBER, 7.30PM The Hallé

Markus Stenz conductorElisabeth Leonskaja piano

Wagner The Mastersingers of Nuremberg, Preludes to Act 1 and Act 3Beethoven Piano Concerto No.1Schumann Symphony No.3 ‘Rhenish’

Tickets: £10 - £32

Following his triumphant Mahler performance last season, the Hallé’s Principal Guest conductor Markus Stenz returns with a programme featuring music from three Germanic giants. Two of Wagner’s Preludes to The Mastersingers

of Nuremberg – his only comic opera – set the upbeat mood of this concert. The esteemed Georgian pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja is our soloist for Beethoven’s 1st Piano Concerto, a joyful example of the young composer inspired by Mozart and Haydn but also asserting his own larger-than-life personality.

Schumann was in unusually optimistic mood when he wrote his 3rd Symphony having become the Municipal Musical Director in Düsseldorf in 1850. Positive energy drives this journey through the Rhineland countryside and its folklore, pausing only for reflection in Cologne Cathedral whose awe-inspiring interior is evoked in some of his most atmospheric music.

Free pre-concert talk, 6.30pm in the auditorium:Markus Stenz in conversation.


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WEDNESDAy 15 DECEMBER, 7.30PM The Hallé Christmas Concert

Wyn Davies conductorSarah Fox soprano

Programme includes:Humperdinck Hansel and Gretel: OvertureHandel (arr. Harty) Suite from the Water MusicDvorák Rusalka’s Song to the MoonRimsky-Korsakov Suite from The Snow MaidenMozart Allelujah from Exsultate JubilateSibelius Diamonds in the SnowOffenbach Gaîté Parisienne: Suite Edens Meet me in St LouisLoesser What are you doing New year’s Eve?Anderson Sleigh Ride

Tickets £10 - £32

Sarah Fox, star of the hit MGM Musicals concert at the 2009 BBC Proms, takes centre stage for our ever-popular Christmas concert. Equally at home in opera and musicals she’ll be showing off her versatility in music by Mozart, Sibelius and Frank Loesser and bringing a bit of Hollywood to Nottingham with Roger Edens’ Meet me in St Louis. Elsewhere in the programme Wyn Davies conducts the Hallé in a feast of orchestral classics, from the fairytale world of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel to the joie de vivre of Offenbach’s Gaîté Parisienne. And, of course, this being our Christmas concert, you can always rely on Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride to add some seasonal sparkle.


TuESDAy 23 NOVEMBER, 7.30PM BBC Radio 3 Discovering Music Concert BBC PhilharmonicJuanjo Mena conductorKatie Van Kooten sopranoStephen Johnson presenter

Strauss Death and Transfiguration

Four Last Songs

Tickets: £10

No composer got closer to heaven than these contrasting meditations on mortality, written at the beginning and end of Richard Strauss’s long career. Death and Transfiguration is a gripping

voyage into the hereafter, the fitful heartbeat of the dying artist transforming – through a feverish sequence of memories – into an overwhelming transcendent vision. The autumnal Four Last Songs find Strauss contemplating the passage of time and human existence in the final year of his life, his gift for great melodies as strong as ever. American soprano Katie Van Kooten gives voice to this sublime swansong.

Radio 3 Presenter Stephen Johnson is your guide to these expressive masterpieces, exploring their sound world with live orchestral excerpts before a complete performance of both works.


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FRIDAy 21 JANuARy, 7.30PM European union Chamber Orchestra

Nicola Benedetti violinDaniela Koch fluteHans Peter Hofmann director

Vivaldi Flute Concerto No.3, ‘The Goldfinch’Mozart Divertimento, K.138Bach Suite No.2Vivaldi The Four Seasons

Tickets £10 - £32

We’re delighted to welcome the European Union Chamber Orchestra back to Nottingham after many years, particularly when they come with two wonderful soloists. Daniela Koch stars in Vivaldi’s aerial 3rd Flute Concerto, aptly nicknamed ‘the Goldfinch’ and in Bach’s 2nd Orchestral Suite. Inspired by French courtly dances, this is a real showstopper for solo flute, full of brilliant twists and turns.

A gleeful interlude comes in the form of Mozart’s Divertimento which reflects his teenage travels in Italy, whilst the changes in the Italian landscape over a year are the subject of Vivaldi’s enduring masterpiece The Four Seasons, performed here by leading British violinist Nicola Benedetti. The sense of place is uncanny in these evocative concertos, from the languid heat of summer (complete with barking dog) to the peasant revels in autumn – as boisterous as a Breughel painting.

Free pre-concert talk, 6.30pm in the auditorium:Dr Catherine Hocking on Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.


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FRIDAy 4 FEBRuARy, 7.30PM Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra

Andrés Orozco-Estrada conductorNatasha Paremski piano

Weber Overture: OberonBrahms Piano Concerto No.1Beethoven Symphony No.7

Tickets: £10 - £32

Weber’s Oberon overture provides a magical opener to this performance by one of Austria’s leading orchestras. They’re joined by Natasha Paremski for Brahms’s 1st Piano Concerto, an undisputed Romantic heavyweight, storming and stressing at the beginning, meditative at its heart and fiercely triumphant at the end.

The impact of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony was so great, at its premiere, that the concert had to be repeated to meet the demand. Two centuries later it’s still impossible to resist its athletic energy. Even in its quieter moments the spirit of the dance is never far away, and the finale really takes off, propelled by leaping rhythms and gravity-defying French horns.


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WEDNESDAy 2 MARCH, 7.30PM City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

Carlos Kalmar conductorSteven Osborne piano Adams The Chairman DancesBernstein Symphonic Dances from West Side StoryFalla Nights in the Gardens of SpainGershwin An American in Paris

Tickets: £10 - £32

The CBSO puts on its dancing shoes for this vibrant evening of music from America and Spain. John Adams’ seductive ‘out-take’ from his opera Nixon in China, imagines Chairman Mao foxtrotting with his wife in a surreal dream sequence. Leonard Bernstein fused several famous numbers from West Side Story in his Symphonic Dances and the result is a floor-scorching mix of young love and hot-headed rivalry.

British pianist Steven Osborne conjures visions of sultry Spanish evenings in Manuel de Falla’s impressionistic concerto, filled with the scent of jasmine and the rhythms of gypsy dancing. In Gershwin’s An American in Paris it’s the sound of city life, complete with car horns, that provides the backdrop for his young hero. As you’d expect from America’s greatest songwriter it’s full of infectious jazz rhythms and wonderful tunes, none better than the bluesy trumpet that lights up the Parisian night.

Free pre-concert talk, 6.30pm in the auditorium:Carlos Kalmar in conversation with CBSO Chief Executive Stephen Maddock.


FRIDAy 18 FEBRuARy, 7.30PM The Hallé

Sir Mark Elder conductorValeriy Sokolov violin Britten Four Sea Interludes from Peter GrimesBruch Scottish FantasyTchaikovsky Symphony No.6 ‘Pathétique’

Tickets: £10 - £32

The ominous deep swell of the North Sea off the Suffolk coast sets the scene for Britten’s Four Sea Interludes, its stark beauty captured in music so atmospheric you can almost taste the salty air. Scenery from a more northerly landscape inspired Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy in which the solo violin makes both haunting laments and virtuosic reels from several native folk tunes. The exciting young Ukrainian, Valeriy Sokolov, gives his violin a Gaelic outing.

Tchaikovsky’s untimely end, only days after the premiere of his Sixth Symphony, has added extra poignancy to his most emotive musical statement. Veering from hushed tenderness to explosive power the ‘Pathétique’ remains the ultimate Romantic rollercoaster – even grand opera couldn’t deliver more tears than the symphony’s shattering finale.


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20 minutes after the main performance. Free admission to CBSO ticket holders. £3 for non-ticket holders (doors only).

CBSO players perform Lutoslawski’s String Quartet and Carl Davis’s Quintet. There will also be a new work performed by members of the CBSO and Nottinghamshire County Council’s Contemporary Music Ensemble.

Sponsored by

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SATuRDAy 12 MARCH, 7.30PM The Hallé

Cristian Mandeal conductorSusan Bickley mezzo-sopranoNottingham Harmonic Chorus Prokofiev Alexander NevskyRimsky-Korsakov Russian Easter Festival OvertureMussorgsky Pictures at an (orch. Ravel) Exhibition

Tickets: £10 - £32

The massed forces of the Hallé and Nottingham Harmonic Chorus perform this spectacular Russian trio. Prokofiev’s cantata Alexander Nevsky began life as music for the 1938 Eisenstein film of the same name and tells the story of Prince Alexander’s victory over the invading Teutonic Knights, climaxing in a gripping battle on the ice. No less colourful is Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian Easter Festival Overture which, according to the composer, revels in the ‘unbridled pagan-religious merry-making of Easter Sunday morning.’

It was the characterful paintings of Viktor Hartmann, a close friend of Mussorgsky’s, that inspired the composer’s most famous work, originally a suite of piano pieces. In Ravel’s famous orchestration these became a brilliant orchestral showpiece, vividly capturing the paintings’ scenes and larger-than-life figures and ending with a glittering procession through the Great Gate of Kiev.


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Booking Information

BOx OFFICE: 0115 989 5555Ticket prices start at just £6.50. Discounts are available for subscription bookings, group bookings, families and young people. Bargain Seats at £6.50 are normally available on the evening of each concert.

NOTTINGHAM CLASSICS SUBSCRIPTION SCHEMEMake big savings by booking all your concerts together:

Book for 14 concerts and save 30% on all ticket purchases.Book for 12-13 concerts and save 25% on all ticket purchases.Book for 10-11 concerts and save 20% on all ticket purchases.Book for 6-9 concerts and save 15% on all ticket purchases.Book for 3-5 concerts and save 10% on all ticket purchases.

Subscribers also get other major benefits:n Priority bookingn Choose your favourite seats for each concertn Free concert programmes when you book 12 or more concerts (saving up to £35)n 14 concert subscribers can choose to pay in two instalments. See page 17 for detailsn Free ticket exchange if you can’t make a particular performance (see page 18)n 14 concert subscribers receive free tickets for the BBC Radio 3 Discovering Music Concert on 23 November and for the first Sunday Morning Piano Concert by Cordelia Williams on 31 Octobern 14 concert subscribers receive 25% off ticket purchases for the RPO’s Glorious Gershwin concert on 1 Junen No booking fees on credit or debit card payments

Subscribing is simple. Just fill in the postal booking form overleaf.

GROUP SAvER TICkETSMake a big night out of it with your friends and save pounds when you book as a group.Save 20% on all full price tickets if you book as a party of 10 or more (excludes £6.50 and £9 seats).Save 30% on all full price tickets if you book as a party of 40 or more (excludes £6.50 and £9 seats).To make your group booking (and for more information about group booking schemes) please call the box office.

FAMILy SAvER TICkETSTake the family out for an unforgettable evening of live classical music. A family ticket costs just £50 for up to 4 people (maximum of 2 adults and £5 for each additional child). You’ll also get a free programme.

GO CLASSICSIf you’re under 25 then you can hear any Nottingham Classics concert for just £5. To jointhe scheme, simply fill in the form on page 31 or online at www.nottinghamclassics.org.uk/go_classics.

BARGAIN SEATSThese are available in the choir stalls at £6.50 on the evening of the concert and can be purchasedfrom 5.30pm onwards. Please note that when the choir seats are in use (12 March) bargain seatswill be available elsewhere in the hall.NB: Dates, times, prices, artists and programmes are correct at time of going to press but may besubject to later alteration.

Professor Mervyn Cooke will be presenting an illustrated introduction to the music of Alexander Nevsky before a special screening of the complete Eisenstein film at Broadway in March 2011. Full details will appear in the Broadway March brochure and at www.broadway.org.uk and on the Nottingham Classics website at www.nottinghamclassics.org.uk.

Sunday Morning Piano Concerts

Full Price (all seats - in stalls) £10Sunday Morning Series saver £9 (all 4 Sunday concerts, price per ticket)Piano series saver (per ticket)* £8* Discounts apply only when booking both evening concerts and all four Sunday morning concerts.

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TICKET PRICES Subscription discounts

BOOK FOR 14 CONCERTS - save 30% off all ticket purchases.

BOOK FOR 12-13 CONCERTS -save 25% off all ticket purchases.

BOOK FOR 10-11 CONCERTS - save 20% off all ticket purchases.



All subscriptions must be booked by post. Send your booking form with an SAE to: Royal Concert Hall Box Office, Royal Centre, Theatre Square, Nottingham NG1 5ND.

Subscription prices (per ticket) Band A Band B Band C Band D Band E Band F

Full Price £32 £27 £24 £19 £16 £103-5 concerts £28.80 £24.30 £21.60 £17.10 £14.40 N/A6-9 concerts £27.20 £22.95 £20.40 £16.15 £13.60 N/A10-11 concerts £25.60 £21.60 £19.20 £15.20 £12.80 N/A12-13 concerts £24 £20.25 £18 £14.25 £12 N/A14 concerts £22.40 £18.90 £16.80 £13.30 £11.20 N/A Plus FREE ticket for BBC Radio 3 Discovering Music Concert (23 Nov) & Cordelia Williams (31 Oct)

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Glorious Gershwin Concert, 1 June (per ticket)Discounts are available to 14 concert subscribers only Band A Band B Band C Band D Band E Band F

Full Price £35 £30 £25 £20 £15 £1014 concert subscriber discount (25%) £26.25 £22.50 £18.75 £15 £11.25 N/A

Evening Piano Concerts(See plan on left) Band A Band B Band C Full Price £22 £18 £14 £10Piano series saver (8 November £17.60 £14.40 £11.20 £8 & 22 March, price per ticket)*

Subscription Booking FormIf you were a subscriber last season do you wish to retain the same seats?yes n No n If you answered no, please indicate your choice of seats in the form below.

My SuBSCRIPTION BAND IS: 14 (30% saving) n 12 - 13 (25% saving) n 10 - 11 (20% saving) n 6 - 9 (15% saving) n 3 - 5 (10% saving) n If you are a 14-concert subscriber and would like to pay in two instalments, please tick here nYour first payment must be made at the time of booking and will cover the first 7 concerts. Tickets for the last 7 concerts will be reserved for you until your second payment is made, which must be by 28 January 2011.

SUBSCRIPTION SERIES CONCERTSDATE CONCERT SEATING AREA SEAT NO.(S) NO. OF TICKETS TICKET PRICE TOTAL7 Oct The Hallé20 Oct Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio2 Nov sinfonia ViVA13 Nov The Hallé15 Dec The Hallé Christmas Concert21 Jan European Union Chamber Orchestra4 Feb Vienna Tonkunstler Orchestra18 Feb The Hallé2 Mar City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra12 Mar The Hallé =31 Mar Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra14 Apr sinfonia ViVA4 May BBC Philharmonic27 May The Hallé= Please Note: A stage extension will be in use for the Hallé on 12 March and the first five rows of seats will not be available. The Box Office will allocate the best match of seats for you if you normally book seats in this area.

NON-SUBSCRIPTION ORCHESTRAL CONCERTS – please check individual ticket prices23 Nov BBC Radio 3 Discovering Music Concert ^ £101 Jun Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Glorious Gershwin

PIANO SERIES CONCERTS 31 Oct Cordelia Williams ^8 Nov Lars Vogt5 Dec Alexander Romanovsky16 Jan Javier Perianes20 Feb Alexandra Dariescu22 Mar Stephen Kovacevich^These concerts are FREE to 14-concert subscribers.

Grand TotalPLEASE TuRN OVER to fill in your payment details

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Piano Series Seating Plan (Evening Concerts)

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How to PayPlease complete the form below and return it to: Box Office, Royal Centre, Theatre Square, Nottingham NG1 5ND

Title First Name Last Name

Address

Postcode

Telephone number

Email

Please include your telephone number and, if you have one, your email address.

n I enclose a cheque made payable to The Royal Centre.

n Please charge £ ____________ to my Master Card/Visa/Switch Card (please delete as appropriate)

Card Number ___ ___ ___ ___ | ___ ___ ___ ___ | ___ ___ ___ ___ | ___ ___ ___ ___

Expiry Date ___ ___ | ___ ___ Start Date ___ ___ | ___ ___ Issue Number (Switch/Maestro only) ___ ___

When to BookALL SUBSCRIPTIONS MUST BE BOOkED By POSTFrom 21 June: Subscribers booking for 14 concerts (postal booking only) From 5 July: Subscribers booking for 10 to 13 concerts (postal booking only) From 19 July: Subscribers booking for 3 to 9 concerts (postal booking only) From 2 August: General booking opens (by post, phone, in person or online)

Send in your booking form as soon as you like and the box office will process it at the right time.

TICkET ExCHANGETickets are non-refundable except in the event of a performance cancellation. Tickets may be exchanged for another performance in the Nottingham Classics season at a cost of £2 per ticket. Ticket exchange is FREE to Nottingham Classics subscribers.

ROyAL CONCERT HALLBy post or in person:Royal Concert Hall Box Office, Royal Centre, Theatre Square, Nottingham NG1 5NDBy Telephone: 0115 989 5555Opening Hours: Monday - Saturday, 9.00am - 8.30pm

Online: www.royalcentre-nottingham.co.ukOnline booking is available for all concerts except subscription bookings.Please note that there is an internet booking fee on these purchases.

All non-subscription bookings by credit or debit card are subject to a booking fee.

Please call the Box Office on 0115 989 5555 if you need help with your booking.

TuESDAy 22 MARCH, 7.30PM Stephen Kovacevich

Bach Partita No.4Schumann Scenes of ChildhoodBeethoven Diabelli Variations

Tickets: £10 - £22

One of the most admired pianists of the last fifty years, Stephen Kovacevich has received particular acclaim for his performances of Beethoven. Forty years after his ground-breaking recording of the Diabelli Variations he recorded them again, winning the Classic FM Gramophone Editor’s Choice award in 2009. We’re delighted, then, to be able to hear his unique take on these thirty-three witty transformations, which Alfred Brendel described simply as ‘the greatest of all piano works.’

Equally brilliant – and no less virtuosic – is Bach’s expansive Fourth Partita. This colourful suite of French dances covers a wide range of moods, from a gentle sarabande to an deftly energetic gigue. The centrepiece of this richly varied programme is Schumann’s ‘Scenes from Childhood.’

Deceptively simple these characterful pieces capture the wonder and innocence of childhood in a way that still feels fresh, not least in the famous ‘Träumerei’ or ‘Daydreams.’

Save 20% off tickets for this concert when you book for the whole Piano Series (see pages 17 & 25).

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2010-2011Box Office: 0115 989 5555

2010-2011

THuRSDAy 31 MARCH, 7.30PM Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

Kirill Karabits conductor

Strauss Don QuixoteRimsky-Korsakov ScheherazadePlus a surprise finale

Tickets: £10 - £32

Two pieces of orchestral storytelling make up this concert, conducted by the brilliant Ukrainian conductor, Kirill Karabits. In Richard Strauss’s Don Quixote, Cervantes’ deluded hero – played by solo cello – inspires a set of ‘Fantastic Variations on a Theme of Knightly Character.’ As the Don stumbles through his misadventures Strauss delights in wonderful special effects, including

baa-ing sheep and a wind machine, and offers an ironic commentary from the long-suffering Sancho Panza, played by solo viola.

In Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade the heroine stays alive by keeping her vengeful husband, the Sultan, interested in suspenseful tales. Here the solo violin becomes the seductive spinner of yarns about the great sea adventurer, Sinbad, with the stories’ exotic locations coloured by the composer’s most gorgeous melodies and dramatic orchestration.

This concert also features an exciting finale…but you’ll have to wait until the concert to discover what it is. Scheherazade would certainly have approved!

Free pre-concert talk, 6.30pm in the auditorium:Benjamin Ellin on musical storytelling.


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THuRSDAy 14 APRIL, 7.30PM sinfonia ViVA

André de Ridder conductorJohannes Hinterhölzer French horn Fauré Masques and BergamasquesMozart Horn Concerto No.4Ravel Pavane for a Dead PrincessBrahms Symphony No.3

Tickets: £10 - £32

France meets Austria in this programme from sinfonia ViVA, beginning with Fauré’s Masques and Bergamasques, his affectionate homage to the amateur dramatics of 18th-century French aristocrats. Mozart wrote his 4th Horn Concerto for Joseph Leutgeb, whose virtuosity prompted its winning blend of high-flying pyrotechnics and smooth refinement. The French horn also stars in Ravel’s Pavane for a Dead Princess, a tender vision of a Spanish Infanta and her courtly world.

The great conductor Hans Richter declared the 3rd symphony to be Brahms’s ‘Eroica’ and it’s certainly one of the richest and most poetic of his works. Besides the composer’s broad melodies, announced at the beginning in sweeping arcs, there’s a powerful rhythmic thrust and, at its heart, a pastoral slow movement that’s as beautiful as anything Brahms ever wrote.

Free pre-concert talk, 6.30pm in the auditorium:André de Ridder in conversation.


9.30pm – 10.15pm, in the auditorium.FREE admission to sinfonia ViVA ticket holders.£3 for non-ticket holders (doors only).

Takemitsu Requiem for StringsGreenwood Popcorn Superhet Receiver

A co-promotion with

2010-2011Box Office: 0115 989 5555

2010-2011

WEDNESDAy 4 MAy, 7.30PM BBC Philharmonic

Vassily Sinaisky conductorAlison Balsom trumpet Dvorák Three Slavonic Dances, Op.46Hummel Trumpet ConcertoMahler Symphony No.1

Tickets: £10 - £32

Dvorák’s vibrant Slavonic Dances set the stage for an eagerly-anticipated appearance by the stunning British trumpeter, Alison Balsom. Star soloist in the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms in 2009 and Female Artist of the Year at the Classical Brits the same year, Alison’s won the trumpet new friends around the world with her charismatic performances. Here she performs Hummel’s sparkling Trumpet Concerto – the perfect showcase for her effortless virtuosity.

The BBC Philharmonic brass also have plenty of chances to shine in Mahler’s First Symphony. The distant fanfares that punctuate the hushed opening herald the start of an eventful journey that displays all the Mahler hallmarks, including cheerful folk tunes, bird song, and even a huntsman’s funeral march based on Frère Jacques. The finale, launched with desperate energy, eventually opens out into one of the most thrilling live concert experiences as the horn section – instructed to stand by Mahler – blaze out a triumphant final chorale.

Free pre-concert talk, 6.30pm in the auditorium:Benjamin Ellin on Mahler’s 1st Symphony.


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THuRSDAy 12 MAy, 7.30PM Lang Lang

Beethoven Sonata No.3Beethoven Sonata No.23 ‘Appassionata’Albéniz Iberia, Book 1Prokofiev Sonata No.7 Tickets: £10 - £45

The ‘hottest artist on the classical music planet’ according to the New York Times, Lang Lang has performed to packed houses in every major city in the world and over 5 billion people viewed his performance in the Beijing Olympics’ opening ceremony. His first solo recital in Nottingham offers the chance to experience his magnetic mix of brilliance and finesse.

Two contrasting Beethoven sonatas from his early and middle periods make up the first half of the programme. The 3rd Sonata was Beethoven’s first really virtuosic essay in the form whilst the tempestuous ‘Appassionata’ delves into darker tone colours. In a sunnier musical climate, Albeniz’s Iberia presents a vibrant vision of Spain and its dances before Prokofiev’s 7th Sonata sets the sparks flying with its furious, pyrotechnic energy.

Please Note: Piano Series Saver discounts do not apply to the Gala Recital.

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Sunday Morning Piano Series

Enjoy an hour of great piano music in the company of some of the most exciting rising stars of the piano. Our Sunday Morning Series offers a thrilling mix of classic works and rare gems from Beethoven to Schubert and Rachmaninov to Falla plus the chance to chat with the artists over coffee and cake after the concert.

SuNDAy 31 OCTOBER, 11.00AM Cordelia Williams

Chopin MazurkasBeethoven BagatellesScriabin 5 Preludes, Op.15Ravel Gaspard de la Nuit

SuNDAy 5 DECEMBER, 11.00AM Alexander Romanovsky

Mozart Sonata No.11Tchaikovsky 3 Pieces from The SeasonsRachmaninov Sonata No.2

SuNDAy 16 JANuARy, 11.00AM Javier Perianes

Schubert Impromptus Op.90Chopin Ballade No.4Debussy Preludes (Selection from Book I)Falla Fantastía Baetica

SuNDAy 20 FEBRuARy, 11.00AM Alexandra Dariescu

Beethoven 32 Variations in C minor, WoO.80Liszt Ballade No.2Liszt/Wagner LiebestodChopin Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise

Tickets: £10, including coffee/tea and cake.

Piano Series SaversBook for all four Sunday Morning concerts and save 10% on your ticket purchasesBook for all six Piano Series concerts (Lars Vogt, Stephen Kovacevich and the Sunday Morning concerts) and save 20% on your ticket purchases.

And don’t miss…

Lars vogt, Monday 8 November

(see page 6)

Stephen kovacevich,

Tuesday 22 March

(see page 19)

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esFRIDAy 27 MAy, 7.30PM The Hallé

Rory Macdonald conductorSofya Gulyak piano Sibelius Pohjola’s DaughterRachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of PaganiniRimsky-Korsakov May Night OvertureStravinsky The Firebird – Suite (1945 version) Tickets: £10 - £32

Our final concert of the season has more than a touch of magic about it. Sibelius’s Symphonic poem, Pohjola’s Daughter, captures the

mischievous spirit of the mythical ‘daughter of the North’ whilst Rimsky-Korsakov’s overture to his opera May Night is as light and airy as the comical Gogol story that inspired it. Stravinsky’s 1945 suite from his career-making ballet, The Firebird, is a bravura display of colour, the fairytale characters leaping from the orchestra.

Not directly inspired by magic but no less enchanting is Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Sofya Gulyak, winner of the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2009, is the soloist in this ingenious set of 24 variations which moves effortlessly across contrasting moods and, waxing lyrical in the unforgettable 18th Variation, delivers one of twentieth century’s most enduring melodies.

Free pre-concert talk, 6.30pm in the auditorium:Neil Bennison previews the 2011-2012 season.


Alexander Romanovsky © Hanya Chlala. Javier Perianes © Marco Borggreve. Alexandra Dariescu © Hanya Chlala.

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OTHER CLASSICAL MuSICAL EVENTS AT THE ROyAL CENTRE OTHER EVENTS

Tuesday 14 December, 7.30pm

Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at Southwell Minster

Orchestra of the Age of EnlightenmentChoir of the Age of EnlightenmentJohn Butt conductorJulia Doyle sopranoMeg Bragle mezzo-sopranoNicholas Mulroy tenorMatthew Brook bass

J S Bach Christmas Oratorio parts 1, 2, 3 and 6

Tickets: £8 - £22

Bach’s Christmas Oratorio launches an exciting new musical venture at Southwell Minster. The Orchestra and Choir of the Age of Enlightenment perform four of the six cantatas that Bach combined to celebrate the festivities of 1734-35.

Drawing on texts from the gospels of St Luke and St Matthew the Christmas story is dramatically retold by a quartet of vocal soloists and a series of inspiring choruses. Whether in the intimate moments of contemplation or the glorious writing for full choir and orchestra, Bach’s imagination knows no bounds, his matching of voices and instruments never less than extraordinary.

OTHER EVENTS

Wednesday 1 June, 7.30pm

Gl0ri0us Gershwin!Royal Philharmonic OrchestraAndrew Litton conductor and piano

Overture: Girl Crazy Dayful of SongRhapsody in BlueWho Cares?: The Gershwin Songbook for piano and orchestra

Tickets: £10 - £35

Join us for a glittering evening of great tunes and razzmatazz courtesy of America’s greatest songsmith, George Gershwin. Composer of countless Hollywood and Broadway scores, including Lady Be Good, Strike up the Band and Funny Face, his songs are still the most hummable around and are an indispensable part of any jazz musician’s repertoire.

American maestro Andrew Litton conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in this unforgettable Gershwin extravaganza, beginning with the light-hearted overture to Girl Crazy and ending with a parade through the greatest numbers in the Gershwin Songbook. And he also plays a mean piano, too, as you’ll see when he flexes his fingers in Gershwin’s immortal Rhapsody in Blue.

This concert is a co-promotion between Orchestras Live, Nottingham Classics, Lakeside Arts Centre and Newark & Sherwood District Council

Proceeds from this concert go to Macmillan Cancer Support.

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Access Information Outside the Concert Hall on South Sherwood Street there is a lay-by where cars can pull in for the convenience of customers with mobility difficulties. However, please note that parking is not allowed in the lay-by. A limited number of parking spaces for mobility badge holders is available on Burton Street near to the Concert Hall’s access ramp. Further spaces are available at the lower end of Wollaton Street near to the tram stop. In addition there are discounts available to badge holders using the City Council’s car parks.

There is level access into the Concert Hall’s main entrance foyer From South Sherwood Street. When there is a performance there is also ramped access from Burton Street leading directly to the stalls foyer level. Upper levels of the Concert Hall are accessible by lift but there are stairs to be negotiated in order to reach seating.

The Concert Hall’s wheelchair spaces are located in the Stalls on the right side of the auditorium, with some spaces at the rear and some on the ends of rows further towards the stage. As part of the ongoing refurbishment works, two additional wheelchair spaces and an adapted toilet have been created on Tier 1. Should customers wish to transfer from their wheelchair to a seat the Royal Centre staff will store their chair for them.

Hearing Assistance The Royal Concert Hall has a Sennheiser Infrared transmission system that relays

the concert to customers with impaired hearing. Two types of receiver are offered: either in-ear ‘phones’ or a neck loop which transmits to a hearing aid with a T setting. These are available free of charge from the Cloakroom. If you wish they can be pre-booked by contacting Emily Noakes on 0115 989 5609.

Blind and Partially Sighted Patrons Assistance dogs are welcome in all

areas of the building and bowls of water are offered freely upon arrival. The Royal Concert Hall offers a dog-sitting or walking service during the performance.

Toilet Facilities Adapted toilets are available on the Stalls entrance level (Level 1), to the

left of Door A and on Level 3, through Door C. Please be aware that there are a few steps to be negotiated in order to access the toilets on Level 3.

Alternative Formats Information about the Nottingham Classics programme is available in Braille, large print, audio cassette and CD-Rom, through the Royal Centre season brochure. This information can also be emailed to you.

FOR FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS

Sunday 3 April, 3.00pm

BBC Philharmonic Family ConcertRichard Davis conductorChris Jarvis presenter

Tickets: £8 adults, £5 childrenFamily tickets: £22 for 4 people (up to two adults, £4 for each additional child)

Join CBBC presenter Chris Jarvis and the BBC Philharmonic for this lively family concert, packed with classical favourites. Get to know the instruments of the orchestra, be prepared for a few surprises, and have loads of fun with family-friendly activities before and after the concert. We’ll also be hearing the first ever

performance by the Nottinghamshire Family Orchestra which has been specially created for this concert.

Tuesday 14 June, 11am and 2pm

NOW HEAR THISThe Nottingham Classics Schools’ Concert

NOW HEAR THIS brings thousands of Nottinghamshire schoolchildren to hear the Hallé in an hour of spectacular orchestral music and singing. Hallé horn-player, Tom Redmond, puts on his presenter’s hat again (and probably some pretty colourful clothes, too!) to lead the fun, which, as ever, will include the amazing joint performance by hundreds of young musicians and the Hallé – an awesome sound! Watch out for the teachers’ information pack coming your way early in 2011.

For accessibility informationPlease call: 0115 989 5609Fax: 0115 989 5602Minicom: 0115 989 5601Email: [email protected]

2010-2011Box Office: 0115 989 5555

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NOTTINGHAM CLASSICS’ DISCOUNT TICkET SCHEME FOR yOUNG PEOPLEIf you’re under 25 and want to hear famous orchestras such as the Hallé, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra then sign up now for our Go Classics Card.

Your Go Classics card entitles you to excellent seats at Nottingham Classics orchestral concerts in the Royal Concert Hall for just £5.* It also entitles you to tickets for all the solo piano concerts (except Lang Lang on 12 May) for £3. To claim your Go Classics card please fill in the form below (please write clearly):

Name Date of Birth Address Postcode Telephone Mobile Email

Return the form to: Royal Concert Hall Ticket Office, Royal Centre, Theatre Square, Nottingham NG1 5ND* Subject to availability. Go Classics discounts are not available for Lang Lang on 12 May.

JOIN OUR FREE MAILING LISTIf you would like the Nottingham Classics brochure delivered FREE to your door as well as updates on the season and information about special offers then fill in the form below.

Name Address Postcode Telephone Email

E-bulletin list: If you would like to receive regular Nottingham Classics e-mail bulletins about forthcoming events and exclusive special offers, please tick here n

Please return the form to: Royal Concert Hall Ticket Office, Royal Centre, Theatre Square, Nottingham NG1 5ND or email your details to [email protected]

DATA PROTECTIONYour information will be held by Nottingham City Council on a secure server. From time to time we may use it to contact you about forthcoming events at the Royal Concert Hall using any one of the contact methods that you have specified. Your information will not be shared with any third parties unless you indicate that you wish us to do so. (Data Protection Act (1998).

Supporting Nottingham ClassicsNottingham Classics offers a unique opportunity to raise your company’s profile through associating it with the finest international orchestras and soloists. Bespoke packages are available to meet your requirements and budget.

SponsorshipCorporate support plays a vital role in enabling us to maintain our position as one of the best classical concert series in the uK. Sponsorship opportunities include

• The whole season• The piano series• A specific concert• The Nottingham Classics Schools’ concert

You could also consider an association through in-kind support.

HospitalityNottingham Classics performances are ideal occasions for treating your guests to an unforgettable night out. We can create a hospitality package for any of our concerts, whether you are looking to entertain an intimate gathering of key clients or to reward a large party of your valued staff.

MarketingGenerate greater brand and product awareness by speaking directly to our audiences.

Opportunities include programme advertisements, direct mail, e-marketing, leafleting and product placement/promotion.

Nottingham Classics gratefully acknowledges the support of the following sponsors and business partners:

Classical Partners

2010-2011Box Office: 0115 989 5555

For more information please call 0115 989 5505

Documents

Nottingham Classics 2010-2011 Season Brochure