Page 14 - Final_CBSO's 100th Birthday Celebration

BIRMINGHAM POST THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020 3
NEWS

Rattle returns for CBSO’s 100th

>Appleby Matthews first conducted
the CBSO on September 5, 1920

>The CBSO with Adrian Boult in about 1925 at Birmingham Town Hall >Arthur Bliss conducting the CBSO,
at the Cheltenham Festival in 1969
Major concert will be shown online as orchestra marks centenary

Staff Reporter 1, performed by friend of the orches-
Fundraising campaign tra Sheku Kanneh-Mason.
IR Simon Rattle is to return to Igor Stravinsky’s 1919 Suite from
the rostrum after 22 years to The celebratory performance is The Firebird is almost exactly as old
Sconduct the City of Birming- part of the West Midlands Culture as the orchestra and was the first
ham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) as Response Unit’s (WMCRU) West music heard in Birmingham’s Sym-
it celebrates its centenary next Midlands Weekenders, as the phony Hall with Sir Simon Rattle in
month. region’s arts and culture sector April 1991.
In normal times the CBSO would joins together for three weekends Joanna Patton, player chair and
have marked the occasion with a of innovative events showcasing principal second clarinet, said: “The
performance in Symphony Hall. the diversity and innovation of the musicians of the CBSO never cease
But the ‘new normal’ will force the West Midlands’ arts and culture to amaze me with their courage,
world-famous orchestra to perform scene. determination, motivation, imagina-
in a huge production warehouse in The CBSO centenary tion and indefatigable spirit.
Birmingham – in a socially-dis- performance on September 5 “We are so looking forward to a
tanced manner. marks the public launch of an time when we can share live music
However, the landmark perfor- together again with our audiences in
mance on Saturday, September 5 ambitious £12.5m fundraising our city and beyond.
will be filmed and broadcast interna- campaign, The Sound of the “There is huge excitement and
tionally on the CBSO’s Facebook and Future, designed to ensure the anticipation about the opportunity
YouTube channels on the same day orchestra’s recovery post-Covid to play together again for the first
at 7pm. and drive its longer-term renewal time in six months to celebrate our
And in a real coup, the perfor- for its second century. 100th birthday.
mance will mark the return of one of >Mirga Gražinyte-Tyla >Sir Simon Rattle is to return “This celebration may not be what
its most famous conductors. was originally intended but we all
Sir Simon Rattle was music direc- It will be the first time the CBSO tra. These are extraordinary circum- we all agreed it was important to cel- know it will be something incredibly
tor between 1980 and 1998 and has performed together in six stances, but it has been a wonderful ebrate, but maybe even more impor- special; emotional, connective, dis-
helped the orchestra achieve global months but, sadly, no live audience task and challenge to devise this pro- tant is to use this moment for re- tinctive and uniquely CBSO.”
recognition in that time. will be present to hear the music. gramme for both the orchestra and thinking, re-questioning and CBSO chief executive Stephen
He has been handed the baton by The major event takes place 100 our audiences. re-discussing who are we, who do we Maddock added: “For 100 years the
the orchestra’s current music direc- years to the day the then City of Bir- “When we were thinking about want to be, and what future do we CBSO has been a source of joy, edu-
tor, Mirga Gražinyte-Tyla, while she mingham Orchestra took to the stage our centenary season, we chose imagine for the orchestra in this city? cation and entertainment to audi-
is on maternity leave. at the Theatre Royal, Birmingham, works that have a special connection “I think the founding conductor, ences across the West Midlands, the
He will be joined by cellist Sheku on Sunday, September, 5, 1920, with the CBSO story, both past and Appleby Matthews, would be incred- UK and internationally, and we are
Kanneh-Mason and sitar player under the baton of principal con- present. ibly proud of his orchestra today.” hugely excited and proud to be pre-
Roopa Panesar and the performance ductor Appleby Matthews. “It has felt like an intense conver- The centenary performance will senting this ground-breaking perfor-
will be presented by Birmingham- Two months later, on November, sation with the past and an opportu- ‘‘explore the work, history and future mance to mark our centenary and
born actor Adrian Lester. 10, 1920, the orchestra’s first full nity to look ahead to the next chap- of the CBSO’’, now recognised as one showcase our vision for the future.
The event will be filmed at PRG’s symphonic performance was given ter in the ochestra’s story. of the world’s major orchestras. “We hope our audiences enjoy this
Live Stage Studio, a warehouse and at Birmingham Town Hall, with “One of the CBSO’s core values Music will include Schumann’s much-needed dose of music, joined
temporary production facility in composer Edward Elgar himself con- has always been innovation, and one Genoveva Overture, Elgar’s Serenade by our close friends and special
Longbridge, which is large enough to ducting a concert of his works. of our tasks for the next 100 years is for Strings, which was performed in guests, as a reminder of why the
house the full symphony orchestra Ms Gražinyte-Tyla said: “This is a to make sure that continues. that first concert a century earlier, CBSO is such a remarkable and spe-
with social distancing measures. very special moment for the orches- “As we approached the centenary, and Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. cial orchestra.”