A new season of classical music at Portsmouth Guildhall
The Classical Concert Season continues into 2024 at Portsmouth Guildhall! Whether you are a seasoned concert goer or new to the world of classical music, join us on a voyage of discovery as we host a sensational concert season featuring a wide variety of music performed by internationally-renowned artists.
Take a look at the 2024 line-up below.
BOURNEMOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA IN 2024
Tickets £7.75 – £27.75
Kids for just £1!
includes booking fee and levy
14’s and under to be accompanied by an 18+ adult
BOURNEMOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: LONDON TOWN
Thursday 22nd February 2024, 7.30pm start
Brahms – Piano Concerto No.2
Vaughan Williams – A London Symphony (Symphony No.2)
Karl-Heinz Steffens, Boris Giltburg
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. All of Brahms’ four instrumental concertos were milestones in his compositional development. The Second Piano Concerto was written shortly after the Second Symphony and is itself symphonic in scale and form, comprising four movements. It makes great demands on the performer’s technique, with its wide octave spans and quickly alternating rapid scale and chordal passages.
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BOURNEMOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: COUNTERPOINT COUNTERPARTS
Thursday 14th March 2024, 7.30pm start
Mozart – Piano Concerto No.23
Bruckner – Symphony No.5
Kirill Karabits, Awadagin Pratt
In just four years Mozart wrote sixteen glorious piano concertos. No.23 (K.488) was an immediate success, remaining popular probably as much for its wistfulness as for melodies verging on the sublime. It does not open with fanfare – rather it begins with a gentle melody, setting the stage for a unique blend of moods from quiet serenity to flashes of aural radiance. The spirited finale perhaps reminds us that this was the product of one of the most exhilarating periods in his tragically brief life. In his Fifth Symphony, Bruckner built on the Austro-German symphonic tradition of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, taking it to a monumental scale infused with rich, progressive harmonies and a stunning mastery of counterpoint, containing his most complex and innovative musical thoughts, set out like a huge mathematical puzzle.
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BOURNEMOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: CLASSIC FM HALL OF FAME
Thursday 18th April 2024, 7.30pm start
Enjoy an evening featuring five of the greatest works in classical music!
Rossini’s evocative overture with its flowing melodies and infectious momentum, is instantly recognisable while Grieg’s Piano Concerto is loved for its lyrical and melodic tunes, drawn from Norwegian folk music. Witness the fire, passion and revenge in a doomed Spanish love story in the orchestral suite from Bizet’s Carmen and bathe in the silvery light of Debussy’s ode to the moon. Finally, Gershwin’s vivid musical postcard portrays the impressions of Parisian life – the American tourist brought to life in a bluesy trumpet solo, rollicking syncopated rhythms, and sweeping, romantic melodies.
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PORTSMOUTH CHAMBER MUSIC IN 2024
Tickets £18 – £20
includes booking fee and levy
14’s and under to be accompanied by an 18+ adult
Series Discount: 20% discount if you book any 6 or more Chamber Music/Sounds of Now concerts.
PORTSMOUTH CHAMBER MUSIC – MENDELSSOHN STRING QUARTETS
Monday 26th February 2024, 7.30pm start
The electrifying Consone Quartet, recent BBC New Generation Artists, comprises four sensitive and spirited musicians who have formed a dynamic ensemble prized for expressive interpretations of classical and romantic repertoire through historically informed performance.
One of Haydn’s most popular quartets opens this concert, featuring a soaring bird-like part for violin which earned the piece its Lark nickname. The evening also contrasts the music of both Mendelssohn siblings: Fanny’s raw, passionate and tempestuous quartet, the only one she published, and Felix’s stately, lyrical and deftly crafted E minor quartet.
There will be a post-show Q&A with the artists and Colin Jagger of Portsmouth Chamber Music
Presented by Music in the Round.
HAYDN – String Quartet in D Op.64, No.5 ‘Lark’ (20’)
FANNY MENDELSSOHN – String Quartet in E flat (22′)
FELIX MENDELSSOHN – String Quartet in E minor Op.44, No.2 (32′)
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PORTSMOUTH CHAMBER MUSIC – STRAVINSKY, COLERIDGE-TAYLOR, SCHUBERT
Monday 22nd April 2024, 7.30pm start
A concert of contrasts, showcasing the versatility of the world-class musicians from Ensemble 360.
Schubert’s deeply personal and beloved ‘Death and the Maiden’ string quartet is set alongside two lesser-known pieces written within a century but which could hardly be more different: Stravinsky’s compelling fragments for string quartet and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s exquisite clarinet quintet. The latter is arguably the greatest achievement in Coleridge-Taylor’s chamber music, by turns lyrical and muscular. It bears the unmistakable hallmarks of Dvořák’s profound influence on this tumultuous period of music.
There will be a post-show Q&A with the artists and Colin Jagger of Portsmouth Chamber Music
Presented by Music in the Round.
STRAVINSKY – Three Pieces for String Quartet (7’)
COLERIDGE-TAYLOR – Clarinet Quintet (31’)
SCHUBERT – String Quartet No.14 ‘Death and the Maiden’ (40’)
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PORTSMOUTH CHAMBER MUSIC – MARSCHNER, BRAHMS, DVOŘÁK
Monday 20th May 2024, 7.30pm start
The Gould Piano Trio returns to Portsmouth after a warmly received collaboration with violist Gary Pomeroy in 2021. At the heart of this concert is Dvořák’s most celebrated chamber work, the ‘Dumky’ trio which takes its name from a bohemian lament. This earthy and emotionally rich work is full of contrasts, folk tunes and invention. Paired with a rarely performed trio from a celebrated opera composer and Brahms’s lush, dramatic third piano trio, this promises to be an evening of high drama and the finest musicianship.
There will be a post-show Q&A with the artists and Colin Jagger of Portsmouth Chamber Music
Presented by Music in the Round.
MARSCHNER – Piano Trio No.2 in G minor, Op.111 (32’)
BRAHMS – Piano Trio No.3 in C minor, Op.101 (21’)
DVOŘÁK – Piano Trio No.4 in E minor, Op.90 ‘Dumky’ (32’)
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SOUNDS OF NOW IN 2024
Tickets £8 – £10
includes booking fee and levy
14’s and under to be accompanied by an 18+ adult
Series Discount: 20% discount if you book any 6 or more Chamber Music/Sounds of Now concerts.
Presented by Music in the Round. Thanks to funding from the Hinrichsen Foundation.
SOUNDS OF NOW – ROTATIONS
Friday 8th March 2024, 7.30pm start
A unique programme of music and movement, inspired by the physicality of Roosendael’s Rotations, created by virtuoso recorder player Tabea Debus, dazzling accordion player Samuele Telari and dancer Elisa Blasi, in collaboration with award-winning choreographer Sally Marie.
Featuring a new commission and works from giants of twentieth century music, the show’s choreography of the musicians makes full use of the Guildhall’s intimate ‘in the round’ Studio space.
This performance has no interval. There will be a post-show Q&A with the artists.
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SOUNDS OF NOW – ANNA MEREDITH STRING QUARTETS WITH LIGETI QUARTET
Thursday 21st March 2024, 7.30pm start
Anna Meredith’s joyful, furious, energetic and restful music dazzles but is never too serious. The critically-acclaimed Ligeti Quartet share tracks from their new album fusing acoustic and electronic music for string quartet by the Mercury-prize nominated composer.
Anna Meredith has achieved incredible success straddling multiple musical worlds, never compromising her raw, individual style. This concert is based around the Ligeti Quartet’s new album, Nuc, providing a survey of Meredith’s career to date, heard through her original works for string quartet.
Nuc started life as a conversation between Anna Meredith and Richard Jones (Ligeti Quartet’s viola player) after realising that after a decade of frequently working together, they had almost an album’s worth of music. So an idea developed in which they would not only make the first studio recordings of Anna’s original music for string quartet, but that Richard would create new arrangements of existing tracks by Anna including from her award-winning electronic and dance albums.
The result is a joyful, occasionally furious, never too serious, energetic/restful collection of tracks which dazzle with Anna’s signature compulsive harmonies, rhythmic shifts of gear and sparkling textures.
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SOUNDS OF NOW – LULLABY WITH MANASAMITRA
Wednesday 1st May 2024, 7.30pm start
Lullaby is an entrancing evening of music in which the hypnotic purity of Indian music meets contemporary electronica and live instrumental improvisation.
Inspired by traditional Indian lullabies, this is an entrancing evening of music in which the hypnotic purity of Indian music meets contemporary electronica and live instrumental improvisation.
Timeless night-time sounds from around the world – chirping cicadas, the call of the night jar, the soft fall of rain – have been captured and located within the rhythmic pattern and soothing cadence of a lullaby to create an immersive experience that both soothes and stimulates. The space is yours to do as you please – sit, stand, lie down, slump into cushions and drift off, or remain alert and engaged throughout.
Devised by Supriya Nagarajan, a composer and southern Indian singer of the Carnatic tradition, who formed Manasamitra with musicians based in the north of England, including the electro-acoustic composer Duncan Chapman, the project also features a collection of sounds gathered in order to create a bespoke soundscape unique to Portsmouth for this performance.
This performance has no interval. There will be a post-show Q&A with the artists.
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MORE CLASSICAL SHOWS IN 2024
CARMINA BURANA BSO AND BSO VOICES
Sunday 28th April 2024, 3pm Doors
Carmina Burana opens and closes with the crashing opening chords of the familiar O Fortuna. Between these bookends are 5 major sections, 25 movements and a performance sure to strike awe and impress all. The cantata, composed in the 1930s and based on the medieval poetry collection of the same name, is brought to the stage in fitting grandeur by the full force of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Conducted by Pete Harrison and joined by over 120 members of the BSO Voices choir singing in monumental harmony, the power of this performance promises to make this an unforgettable experience.
Fancy joining the BSO Voices on stage for this electrifying event? Sign up to join the choir today! Learn more and book your place here!
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A CELEBRATION OF OPERA
Thursday 9th May 2024, 7pm Doors
Celebrate the world of opera in the company of Mozart, Verdi, Bizet, Puccini, Offenbach, Gilbert & Sullivan and more, in a feast of some of the greatest music ever written.
LFO has a considerable reputation and features distinguished singers from the Royal Opera, English National Opera and Glyndebourne with outstanding young artists. The company has performed throughout the UK and across Europe, including in one of the world’s greatest opera houses, La Fenice in Venice.
A programme of passion, drama and humour! Superb singing, instrumental chamber ensemble accompaniment, sumptuous costumes and an elegant set combine to make this a performance not to be missed for all opera lovers and newcomers alike. An ideal first visit to the opera!
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LONDON SINFONIETTA
Wednesday 15th May 2024, 7pm Doors
From experimental beginnings in the loft spaces and galleries of New York, Minimalism is now a mainstay of contemporary music, its influences spreading far beyond into the worlds of film, dance, and literature.
This concert explores iconic pieces from across the pond, including the exciting dancing textures created by pioneering multi-layered tape pieces such as Steve Reich’s Violin Phase and Vermont Counterpoint. Richly complex patterns create compelling listening in Philip Glass’ 1+1 and Michael Nyman’s In C Interlude, while the weaving melodies hypnotise in Anna Clyne’s Just as they are, Julius Eastman’s Joy Boy, modern New York icon Julia Wolfe’s East Broadway, and Gavin Bryars’ meditative classic Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet.
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