Home Life & Leisure Birmingham Culture Classical Music

Stratford Virtuosi at Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon

Though it has a truly international flavour, Stratford’s annual Virtuoso Violin festival forges special links between the UK and Russia through its connections with conservatoires in Birmingham and St Petersburg and Moscow – especially valuable in these troubled times. Read

CBSO Youth Orchestra Academy at Birmingham Town Hall

One of the most energetic performances of Beethoven’s Symphony no.7 surely ever seen at Town Hall. Read

National Youth Orchestra of Wales at Birmingham Town Hall

An appearance by the world’s first national youth orchestra should have attracted a huge response from supporters of young musicians. Not so. Read

Finnish double for CBSO in Mozart festival debut

Its Finnish music director Sakari Oramo may have bowed out earlier this summer, but the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s connections with Finland’s vibrant current musical generation will feature strongly in New York next week. Read

Young talented musicians set to serve up a treat

School might be out for the summer but there are still plenty of students working hard during the holidays, and many of them are musicians performing in the Midlands over the next few weeks. Read

Gant's British Symphony finally gets debut airing

Scandal is not entirely unknown in the classical music world, but it is difficult to think of a precedent for one which took place in Brighton early last year. Read

Local colour to spice up our holiday reading

Music-lovers wanting something for their holiday reading a little more substantial than the usual fodder might find something of interest in the following recommendations, each coming with a bit of local colour. Read

CBSO / Thomas Ades at The Proms, Royal Albert Hall

My deep love of Prokofiev is something I owe to the Proms. It was in 1966 that I stood in the front row of the Arena and heard the magical Third Piano Concerto for the first time. Read

Peter Donohoe at Birmingham Conservatoire

How appropriate that the final celebrity recital in this year’s Birmingham International Piano Academy should have been given by Peter Donohoe. Read

Mark Stone and Stephen Barlow at Tardebigge Parish Church

The distinguished baritone Mark Stone and pianist Stephen Barlow brought a programme of mainly little-heard works to the Celebrating English Song festival at this venue. Read

CBSO spreads the message far and wide

Christopher Morley predicts the strong international flavour of this weekend’s classical music concerts will leave a satisfying taste for audiences Read

John Lill at Birmingham Conservatoire

John Lill prefaced the opening recital in this year’s Birmingham International Piano Academy with a few words, only a few he said: “Because what really matters is the music.” Read

English Serenta at Leasowes Bank, Ratlinghope

The sun came out at last on Saturday, smiling down on Leasowes Bank Farm nestling amid the far Shropshire hills and completing the perfect setting for an evening of Music and Poetry from Shakespeare Country. AE Housman-land might be a bit remote from the Forest of Arden, but the thread of English pastoralism remains constant. Read

Review: CBSO at Symphony Hall

When Carl Davis emerged after the interval in a black and gold frock coat the effect was stunning. Read

Review: Rafi Resurrected at Symphony Hall

Musical history was made at Symphony Hall on Tuesday, when for the first time a leading Indian vocalist appeared on stage with a major symphony orchestra in a concert of Bollywood classics. Read

David Quigley's powers of persuasion

Birmingham Conservatoire graduate David Quigley talks to Christopher Morley about organising an international piano summer school in the city. Read

Brant Piano Competition at Birmingham Town Hall

Now approaching its fourth decade, the Brant International Piano Competition fills an important place in Birmingham's cultural calendar. Read

Easily digestible fruits of CBSO's most adventurous collaboration

The CBSO's Bollywood adventure may be shrewd business, but it's the quality of the music itself that really justifies it. Read

Nelson Goener gets to the heart of the orchestra

Argentinian pianist Nelson Goener’s repertoire ranges from Beethoven to Deep Purple’s Jon Lord. Christopher Morley previews his appearance with the CBSO this Sunday Read

CBSO: The Magic of MGM at Symphony Hall

In the glory days of MGM film musicals, the studios had the best of everything: accomplished composers, brilliant orchestrators who could make the most dazzling arrangements, expert conductors and the finest orchestral musicians, and, of course, the cream of singers, actors and dancers. Read