A full and exciting programme announced for 2024/25!
Featuring the best of orchestral, symphonic, chamber and solo music by some of the best, The Classical Series returns to Portsmouth Guildhall for 2024/25 with an epic concert featuring Holst’s The Planets performed by Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra opening the series on Friday 4th October.
Presenting popular works by composers, to reinterpreting rock and pop plus orchestra and film, The Classical Series is a heady mix of classical and contemporary mixed with a heavy dose of innovation.
Introducing the finest music and musicians, there is much to choose from for seasoned classicalists, people who enjoy the music of the big screen and those who are completely new to the thrilling world of classical music!
Exciting seasons of work from the resident Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Portsmouth Chamber Music presented by Music in the Round will be joined by incredible concerts from The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight, The International Film Orchestra with the music of James Bond, The Massed Bands of HM Royal Marines, The Milton Glee Choir Christmas Concert and festive favourites The Holiday and Love Actually presented in concert with full orchestras playing the score live-to-film.
A highlight of the programme will also be The Brandenburg Concertos performed by Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. A trailblazing orchestra, who are renowned for playing music on instruments from the time that it was written, will perform the concertos which are known as one of music’s greatest riddles.
It is a special relationship between Portsmouth Guildhall and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra who performed the first concert at the venue following its reopening by HM Queen Elizabeth II in 1959, and who this season will perform a spectacular range of concerts featuring a host of internationally acclaimed artists, including a Heroes and Superheroes spectacular, under new Chief Conductor, Mark Wigglesworth and Principal Guest Conductor, Chloé van Soeterstède.
Portsmouth Chamber Music presented by Music in the Round, which has been staged in the city for over 20 years, will also be returning with an exciting series of intimate concerts to be enjoyed just metres away from world-class musicians and the eclectic Sounds of Now series which explores some of the most exciting ideas in music today.
Of The Classical Series, Chief Executive Officer for The Guildhall Trust, Andy Grays said, “The Guildhall’s ‘The Classical Series’ is the foundation of who we are and what we stand for as one of the South of England’s best concert halls. I’m delighted that we can feature one of the country’s great orchestras in the BSO alongside our developing partnership with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. The series is quite rightly populist as well as challenging. We know that fans of all ages love the excitement of seeing brilliant musicians performing a wide range of works from Holst to The Holiday!”
The Classical Series 2024/25 – Full Programme:
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – The Planets
4th October 2024
By far Holst’s most popular work and one of the 20th Century’s great colouristic showpieces.
Vaughan Williams – In the Fen Country, Beethoven – Piano Concerto No.3, Holst – The Planets.
Portsmouth Chamber Series – Piano Favourites
21st October 2024
Acclaimed pianist Kathryn Stott gives a farewell concert featuring a selection of her favourite ‘musical postcards’, from exquisite Bach and Chopin to the spirit of Broadway.
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment – The Brandenburg Concertos
14th November 2024
Bach’s groundbreaking ‘six concertos for several instruments’ is music of endless inventiveness which demands a supergroup ensemble of virtuosos. Intricate strings, to grandiose harpsichord and dazzling trumpet, the Concertos are one of music’s great riddles – lost for over 100 years before they were eventually published in 1850.
The Music of James Bond
24th November 2024
Showcasing the best Bond themes and songs from across the last six decades, performed by the sensational International Film Orchestra and two exceptional vocalists.
Portsmouth Chamber Series – Mozart, Onslow & Watkins
2nd December 2024
Strings, wind and piano players join forces for a Mozart masterpiece, Onslow’s charming Nonet and a recent work by renowned composer Huw Watkins.
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – Nutcracker Magic
5th December 2024
Music that tinkles in the memory like a lost music box – enchanting for young and old alike.
Rachmaninov – Piano Concerto No.3, Tchaikovsky – The Nutcracker (Act II).
Milton Glee Choir – The Christmas Concert
8th December 2024
Get your Festive season off to a great start with an afternoon of festive and seasonal music.
The Holiday Love Actually
11th December 2024 19th December 2024
Two of the Christmas season’s most adored films are presented live in concert with full orchestras playing the score live-to-film.
Sounds of Now – Bridge Ensemble
11th December 2024
A haunting work for oboe and electronics, an Afrobeat-inspired piece for wind and Valerie Coleman’s bluesy tunes all feature in this tour through new classical music.
The Massed Bands of HM Royal Marines – A Christmas Spectacular
15th December 2024
The versatility and talent of these world class musicians will be clear for all to see, with an evening featuring all the usual festive fun and enjoyment, alongside the traditional music from one of the finest military bands in the world.
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – Last Night of The Christmas Proms
20th December 2024
Christmas just isn’t Christmas without the BSO’s Last Night of the Christmas Proms concert! This year we are thrilled to welcome the talents of pianist and singer extraordinaire, Joe Stilgoe, who will be showcasing his musical talents with a hamper full of Christmas musical goodies alongside all your favourite orchestral treats.
Portsmouth Chamber Series – Beethoven, Mozart and More: String Quartets
20th January 2025
The award-winning Marmen Quartet presents four works including Beethoven’s ‘Serioso’ String Quartet No.11, Bartók’s thrilling Quartet No.3 and Mozart’s ‘Dissonance’ String Quartet in C K456.
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – Viennese Whirls
23rd January 2025
Sunny themes, dance-like melodies and a sweeping waltz conjures the elegance of the Viennese dancehalls. J Strauss – The Blue Danube, Berg – Violin Concerto, Brahms – Symphony No.2.
The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight
2nd February 2025
A spellbinding spectacle that infuses iconic Rock and Metal anthems with a hauntingly beautiful energy. In an ethereal candlelit setting, a band of 14 classical musicians unleashes effortlessly enchanting melodies alongside powerful walls of distortion.
Sounds of Now – Purnima, Eastman, Wolfe & Singh
13th February 2025
Rakhi Singh, one of the UK’s leading contemporary classical violinists, presents solo works by Finnis, Wolfe, Eastman and more from her debut solo album.
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – Symphonic Dances
6th March 2025
Rhythmically animated and truly symphonic, haunting and poignant and a real tour de force of a piece! Sibelius – Valse Triste, Shostakovich – Violin Concerto No.1, Rachmaninov – Symphonic Dances.
Portsmouth Chamber Series – A Celebration of Czech Music
17th March 2025
A celebration of the 100th anniversary of Mládí (‘Youth’), Janáček’s iconic work, which unusually features a bass clarinet alongside flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon.
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – Heroes & Superheroes
21st March 2025
Music from some of Hollywood’s best big screen adventures with scores from Robin Hood, The Magnificent Seven, Apollo 13, Saving Private Ryan and many more.
Sounds of Now – The Hermes Experiment
17th April 2025
One of the most exciting forces in contemporary music today, the Hermes Experiment, fronted by singer Heloïse Werner, performs works by Meredith Monk, Hannah Peel and more.
Portsmouth Chamber Series – Fanfare! Trumpet Classics
28th April 2025
Charismatic rising star trumpeter Aaron Akugbo performs uplifting tunes, ranging from the more familiar names of Vivaldi and Mahler to works by Price and Bozza.
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – The Essence of Brahms
8th May 2025
A cosmos of textures, tempos and moods, culminating in music of unsurpassed grandeur – cuts as close to the heart as music can. Wagner – Lohengrin Prelude, Britten – Violin Concerto, Brahms – Symphony No.4.
Portsmouth Chamber Series – New Impressions: Debussy & More
19th May 2025
Praised for their “immaculate precision and spirit” (The Strad), the Solem Quartet performs a programme of glittering works with Debussy’s sensual string quartet at its heart.
