PETER DONOHOE CELEBRITY PIANO RECITAL

Unquestionably one of the foremost pianists of modern times, Peter Donohoe has built up an impressive repertoire during the course of a glittering half-century career.
The 72-year-old opens the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s new season with a concert that sees him perform three much-loved works: Mozart’s Piano Sonata in D K576; Messiaen La Fauvette des jardins (1972); and Beethoven’s monumental  Sonata in B flat Op106 - Hammerklavier.  

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Tuesday 16 September

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KAZUKI CONDUCTS THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s music director, Kazuki Yamada, is here joined by the ever-impressive CBSO Chorus, contralto Jess Dandy, tenor David Butt Philip and baritone Roderick Williams to perform Edward Elgar’s The Dream Of Gerontius. The piece was premiered at Birmingham Town Hall in 1900 and is widely considered to be the Worcestershire-born composer’s finest choral work.

Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Wednesday 17 September

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BRAD KELLA PIANO RECITAL

“I was always fascinated with music,” says pianist Brad Kella. “Even as a little boy, watching films with my mum, I’d be drawn to the sound effects from the TV. Then, later, when I went to high school, I heard a teacher playing the piano, and I remember thinking how amazing it was that someone could do that. It was like something in me clicked.”

Brad’s rags-to-riches story provides sweet inspiration for any ambitious young person who finds themselves faced with a set of challenging circumstances... 

An unstable upbringing in a working-class suburb of Liverpool saw him and his twin brother being placed into foster care at the age of seven. 

The move proved to be a real turning-point for the youngster. Suddenly finding himself in a more-stable environment, Brad flourished. Across time, he taught himself to tinkle the ivories to such excellent effect that last year he won Channel Four’s national televised talent show, The Piano.    

Birmingham Town Hall, Thursday 18 September

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LONDON CONCERTANTE: A NIGHT AT THE OPERA

While it’s a given that they take the business of musicmaking extremely seriously, there’s certainly nothing stuffy about London Concertante. 

Indeed, 50 percent of people who attend a performance by this 34-year-old chamber orchestra are first-time classical music concert-goers. It’s a statistic which speaks volumes for the ensemble’s commitment to remaining at all times light-of-touch and refreshingly accessible. 

The Concertante are here presenting an evening of opera, performing works by Puccini, Verdi, Rossini and Mozart.

Worcester Cathedral, Saturday 20 September

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CHINEKE! ORCHESTRA

“Chineke! is not only an exciting idea but a profoundly necessary one,” said Sir Simon Rattle a handful of years ago, in talking about the emergence of Europe’s first orchestra to feature a majority of black and minority ethnic musicians. “It’s the kind of idea which will deepen and enrich classical music in the UK for generations. What a thrilling prospect!”

Chineke! have certainly lived up to Sir Simon’s expectations since making their debut, and are here celebrating a decade of musical excellence. They are joined for the occasion by soloists Sheku Kaneh-Mason, his sister Isata, and Tai Murray.

Featured works include Coleridge-Taylor’s adventurous and poetic Ballade In A Minor and William Dawson’s long-overlooked Negro Folk Symphony. The conductor for the evening is Roderick Cox. 

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Wednesday 24 September

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SENSE & MUSICALITY

What better way to mark the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth than by whiling away an evening exploring the legendary author’s relationship with music, emotion, and romance? 

Featured pieces include some of Jane’s favourite compositions, and works from the Austen family collection that she played and sang. A new song, Ode To Pity - a rare musical setting of an Austen poem - is also included. 

The performers, in period dress, are early-music specialist Penelope Appleyard and pianist Jonathan Delbridge.  

Holy Trinity Church, Leamington Spa, Friday 26 September 

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VAUGHAN WILLIAMS' PIANO QUINTET

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s Centre Stage series makes a return with Vaughan Williams’ Piano Quintet. Written across three years in the early 20th century, the composition brings together violin, viola, cello, double bass and piano. 

As with all Centre Stage performances, the hour-long afternoon concert provides the audience with the chance not only to get closer to the music, but also to experience the artistry of the orchestra’s members in an intimate setting.

CBSO Centre, Birmingham, Friday 26 September

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ARMONICO CONSORT: JS BACH MASS IN B MINOR

Armonico Consort here turn their attention to JS Bach’s Mass in B Minor - a work which, in a sense, is a homage to the composer’s own music.

Created over the final quarter-century of his life, the piece is scattered with music and references that Bach considered to be his best work. It also features movements which he’d allowed to develop over time, and to which he’d returned at a later date to make perfect. The Mass was never performed complete in Bach’s lifetime. Armonico’s performance of it will be given under the directorship of their founder & conductor, Christopher Monks. 

Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick, Saturday 27 September; Malvern Theatres, Sunday 28 September