A full and exciting programme awaits!
Featuring the best of orchestral, symphonic, chamber and film music, we are delighted to present The Classical Series 2026/27, an exciting programme that is guaranteed to give you goosebumps!
A heady mix of classical and contemporary, plus a dose of innovation, some of the most popular and powerful compositions are introduced alongside orchestral and film works performed by world-class musicians. There is much to choose from for seasoned classicalists, those who love the music of the big screen and if you are completely new to the thrilling world of classical music.
Explore rich programmes from our resident Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Portsmouth Chamber Music presented by Music in the Round, and stunning performances from some of the finest orchestras around.
Lose yourself in Jeff Wayne’s musical version of The War of the Worlds, a celebration of the wartime and swing era with The D-Day Darlings and BBC Big Band, and a stunning anniversary performance of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Festive classics Love Actually, The Holiday and The Muppet Christmas Carol will be performed live to film and A Christmas Spectacular with The Massed Bands of HM Royal Marines will also be a highlight.
Culminating with the return of the spectacular outdoor summer concerts in Guildhall Square performed by Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, an exciting extravaganza that is not to be missed!
Escape the everyday and join us on a voyage of discovery!
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
BSO: EASTERN ODYSSEY
29th October 2026 – BOOK NOW
Mozart Don Giovanni Overture
Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No.2
Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade
Charlotte Corderoy Conductor
Junyan Chen Piano
The overture to Mozart’s Don Giovanni effortlessly introduces the shifting moods and dramatic contrasts and tensions that are to follow. Its genius lies in the success with which it captures the spirit of the opera without quoting from all its famous numbers. Saint-Saëns’ exquisite Second Piano Concerto shows a youthful high-spiritedness and somewhat inorganic, juxtaposed themes and movements. A famous witticism claimed, “It begins with Bach and ends with Offenbach”.
The skill of Saint-Saëns the pianist shines throughout, with its virtuosic passages and arpeggios, ultimately sparking to the finale’s tempestuous pyrotechnics. Scheherazade consisted of “separate, unconnected episodes and pictures” as Rimsky-Korsakov himself put it, from The Arabian Nights. It is a triumph of imagination over experience; a feast of sumptuous colours and brilliant instrumental effect by the man who literally wrote the book on orchestration. The suite is bound together by a recurring motif, a bewitching melody sung by the solo violin: the voice of Scheherazade herself. It quickly became a favourite Romantic showpiece and a landmark in the history of descriptive music.
BSO: IMPERIAL MAJESTY
19th November 2026 – BOOK NOW
Walton Crown Imperial March
Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5 ‘Emperor’
Tchaikovsky Suite No.3
Andrew Litton Conductor
Jonathan Biss Piano
Combining Tudor-style choral grandeur with modern, rhythmic energy, Walton’s vibrant and majestic coronation march is celebrated for its stately main theme, a lyrical trio, and a triumphant finale. Beethoven’s final piano concerto is the largest in scale of all of his concertos – an epic tour de force, pitching soloist and orchestra in a musical argument of unprecedented breadth and scale. It is written in a virtuosic style that looks forward to the grand pianism of Liszt in its full chordal textures and wide dynamic range.
A spirit of heroism infuses the music, whilst the sublime slow movement is one of Beethoven’s most profound. However it might have acquired its name, it really is the ‘Emperor’ of piano concertos. Tchaikovsky’s Suite No.3 is a finely crafted work of winning spirit, though one that rarely broaches the personal revelations of his late symphonies. It is entirely idiomatic Tchaikovsky, nonetheless. Nobody else could have written the opening Elegy, which traces a trajectory from the languid to the impassioned, with its gorgeous themes and fluttering accompaniments.
BSO: LAST NIGHT OF THE CHRISTMAS PROMS
21st December 2026 – BOOK NOW
Joe Stilgoe Piano / Singer
What is Christmas if not a time to reconnect with old friends… so we’re thrilled to be joined once more by the wonderful pianist and singer extraordinaire Joe Stilgoe! Joe will be showcasing his musical talents with a hamper full of Christmas musical goodies alongside all your festive orchestral favourites, and a first half of classic jazzy treats.
Joe works regularly with orchestra across the UK and can be heard extensively on radio, having hosted and starred many times in BBC Radio 2’s Friday Night is Music Night, while also being a regular presence on the station (Joe Stilgoe – Christmas At The Movies, Jingle Bell Joe, One Night Stand at Ronnie Scotts), and being a regular guest and presenter on JazzFM, Radio 3 and Radio 4.
BSO: SOULFUL EPITAPH
25th February 2027 – BOOK NOW
Butterworth A Shropshire Lad: Rhapsody for Orchestra
Bridge Oration – Concerto Elegiaca
Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5
Mark Wigglesworth Conductor
Jesper Svedberg Cello
Butterworth composed his poignant Rhapsody as an orchestral epilogue to his song settings of the various Housman poems which explore life faced by the spectre of impending mortality. Influenced by Sibelius, Debussy and Vaughan Williams, it is a ravishing epitaph that sings of the tranquil landscape from which it grew. Bridge’s Oration for cello and orchestra, an expressionist concerto in one movement, alternates ghostly funeral marches with outbursts of terror and indignation. It is both an elegy for the fallen of the First World War and an anguished warning.
The cello writing is exceptional – at times a declaiming speaker, at others muttering a train of thought arising from deep within the unconscious. Tchaikovsky approached his Fifth Symphony from a position of extreme self-doubt, fearing his muse was exhausted. “I am dreadfully anxious to prove not only to others, but also to myself, that I am not yet played out as a composer”. From its first note to last noble chord, it is filled with passionate self-questioning, exposing the soul of a deep and complex man.
BSO: STAR WARS 50TH ANNIVERSARY
4th March 2027 – BOOK NOW
Pete Harrison Conductor
Can you believe it’s been 50 years since Princess Leia, Han Solo and Luke Skywalker first graced our screens? The Force will be with all of us as we play the iconic tracks that accompanied George Lucas’ epic space opera.
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra presents a magnificent celebration of John Williams’ timeless music from the entire film saga since the original Episode IV: A New Hope in 1977. All performed spectacularly by the full forces of the orchestra and conducted by Pete Harrison, it surely will be an event not to be missed – an evening of some of the best movie music ever written.
PORTSMOUTH CHAMBER MUSIC
12th October 2026 – BOOK NOW
BEETHOVEN String Quartet in D Op.18 No.3 (25’)
ADÈS Arcadiana (20’)
BRAHMS String Quartet No.1 in C minor (35’)
Opus 13, recent winner of the prestigious Wigmore Hall International String Quartet competition, performs a stunning programme of lyrical works.
30th November 2026 – BOOK NOW
MOZART String Quartet No.15 in D minor K.421 (33’)
BEETHOVEN String Quartet No.11 Op.95 ‘Serioso’ (20’)
GRIEG String Quartet (33’)
Norway’s multi-award-winning Engegård Quartet brings a customary bold, fresh energy to their interpretations of Mozart, Beethoven and Grieg.
25th January 2027 – BOOK NOW
The “top-notch” (All Music) Consone Quartet performs music by Beethoven and his contemporaries, brought to life with fascinating historical detail and humour from broadcaster and writer Dr Katy Hamilton.
15th February 2027 – BOOK NOW
SHOSTAKOVICH String Quartet No.10 (23’)
DVOŘÁK String Quartet in F Op.96 ‘The American’ (27’)
TCHAIKOVSKY String Quartet No.1 in D Op.11 (31’)
The Piatti Quartet, widely renowned for ‘profound music making’ (The Strad) and ‘lyrical warmth’ (BBC Music Magazine), returns to Portsmouth with a sumptuous programme of monumental string quartets.
1st March 2027 – BOOK NOW
One of the greatest classical guitarists of all time, the best-selling Classic FM recording artist Craig Ogden, performs timeless works from his latest album including music by Bach, de Falla, Piazzolla and Vivaldi.
12th April 2027 – BOOK NOW
SCHUBERT String Trio in B flat D417 (12′)
SCHUMANN Piano Quartet Op.47 (26′)
KORNGOLD Piano Quintet (35′)
From Schubert’s intimate lyricism to Korngold’s radiant sound world, the “polished and passionate” (The Arts Desk) Ensemble 360 returns to Portsmouth with a celebration of chamber music at its finest.
and even more classical shows!
15th October 2026 – BOOK NOW
Celebrate 20 years of elemental storytelling, unforgettable characters, and the epic journey that defined a generation. Avatar: The Last Airbender In Concert – 20th Anniversary Tour presents a stunning live orchestral performance of the series’ beloved soundtrack, now elevated with a once-in-a-lifetime cinematic experience.
28th October 2026 – BOOK NOW
In October 2026, Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of The Worlds – Live! The Concert Experience! will be touring theatres and concert halls across the UK. For the very first time, audiences will experience a concert rendition of the iconic score, presented by Kilimanjaro.
8th December 2026 – BOOK NOW
The show will see the films enchanting score performed by a complete concert orchestra in perfect harmony with the full running of the film, on an HD cinema size screen.
14th December 2026 – BOOK NOW
Disney’s The Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert Live to Film is set for a 15-date UK tour this festive season, featuring a screening of the film while the musical score is performed live by an orchestra.
16th December 2026 – BOOK NOW
Celebrate the festive season with the spectacular Christmas Concert by the Massed Bands of His Majesty’s Royal Marines at 7.30pm on Wednesday, 16th December 2026. Experience the thrilling precision of the world-famous Corps of Drums alongside stirring military music and festive seasonal favourites. This ever-popular annual concert promises an unforgettable evening of musical excellence, Christmas cheer and spectacular entertainment for all ages. Book early to avoid disappointment for this much-loved festive tradition.
22nd December 2026 – BOOK NOW
With the film becoming a Christmas tradition for many, audiences attending the Love Actually Live In Concert Tour will be invited to a unique way to watch the film: a full, live orchestra will perform Craig Armstrong’s evocative score at these shows, with the film being projected onto the big screen.
21st February 2027 – BOOK NOW
Following a sold-out performance at Portsmouth Guildhall in 2026, this extraordinary collaboration returns by popular demand. Bringing together The D-Day Darlings and the internationally acclaimed BBC Big Band, this is a spectacular celebration of the wartime and swing era.
Escape the everyday and join us on a voyage of discovery – we look forward to welcoming you!
View our latest Classical Brochure online below!