The Best of Tubular Bells I, II & III, which celebrates the brilliance of these iconic and seminal musical pieces. This show will feature an expansive live group, led and arranged by Mike Oldfield’s long-term collaborator Robin Smith, which will see the whole of Tubular Bells I performed in full, along with extended sections of Tubular Bells II and III, as well as worldwide hit single ‘Moonlight Shadow’.
One of the most pioneering and influential musicians of all time, Mike Oldfield’s visionary Tubular Bells series spans three albums and 17 years, with Tubular Bells created in 1971 and released in1973, Tubular Bells II released in 1992, (the filming of the premiere from Edinburgh Castle is one of the most viewed and streamed musical events ever) and Tubular Bells III released in 1998, (with the excerpt of ‘Far above the Clouds’ featured in the 2012 London Olympic Opening Ceremony). With each album, Oldfield expands on the incredible themes and theatrical variations he first composed at 17 years old, continually innovating and pushing boundaries.
Age Restriction: 8+ (Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult)
Programme:
Ryan Latimer Mills Mess, Tansy Davies Dune of Footprints, Gary Carpenter Mondrian for harpsichord, Mark-Anthony Turnage Lullaby for Hans, Hans Werner Henze Dance and Drawing Room Music from The Idiot, Caroline Shaw Concerto for Harpsichord and stringsPerformers:
Clark Rundell conductor, Mahan Esfahani harpsichordHistoric instrument, cutting edge sounds. Mahan Esfahani returns to remind us that new music for the harpsichord didn’t finish two and a half centuries ago, reprising Gary Carpenter’s contemporary classic and taking on Caroline Shaw’s Concerto for Harpsichord and strings. From there, Clark Rundell leads us in some quite different directions – Ryan Latimer’s rebellious masterpiece, a “searching journey” from Tansy Davies, and a musical tribute to Hans Werner Henze on his 100th anniversary.
The 11th winner of the annual Rushworth Composition Prize will be announced at this concert.
Programme:
Ravel Mother Goose Suite, Joseph Canteloube Songs of the Auvergne, Dukas Symphony in C
Performers:
Domingo Hindoyan conductor, Carolyn Sampson soprano
“Down by the river, where the meadows are fresh, we’ll live for love…” Imagine the sun-kissed landscape of southern France, painted in all the colours of an endless summer. Canteloube’s Songs of the Auvergne are all that and more, and to sing them today we’ve got the fabulous Carolyn Sampson, Gramophone Magazine’s 2024 Artist of the Year. Domingo Hindoyan continues his love affair with the music of France with Ravel’s musical fairytale and a stirring symphony by the man who wrote The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
Programme:
Tchaikovsky Fantasy Overture, Romeo and Juliet, Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Bizet Suite from Carmen, Loewe (arr. Robert Russell Bennett) My Fair Lady: Symphonic Picture
Performers:
Jonathan Bloxham conductor, Martin James Bartlett piano
I could have danced all night… Love and passion are certainly in the air on Hope Street! Bizet’s Carmen dances a seductive habanera, Romeo and Juliet risk everything for one another, and conductor Jonathan Bloxham whirls us to Broadway for a glamorous selection from My Fair Lady. But for true romanPlease note that this concert is Orchestral onlyce, you can’t beat a grand piano and the melodies of Sergei Rachmaninov, and pianist Martin James Bartlett will wear his heart on his sleeve in the glittering Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.
Programme:
Dvořák Overture, Carnival, Anna Clyne Glasslands for saxophone and orchestra, Tchaikovsky Symphony No.6, ‘Pathétique’
Performers:
Jonathan Bloxham conductor, Jess Gillam saxophone
Pathétique – it’s a funny name for a great symphony. But don’t be misled: it means ‘emotional’, and Tchaikovsky’s heart-rending final masterpiece is exactly that. Conductor Jonathan Bloxham will bring out its drama, its longing and its unforgettable melodies tonight. And he joins saxophone sensation Jess Gillam in a showcase created especially for her, inspired by a terrifying Irish legend – if you’ve heard Gillam on the radio, you’ll already know that she’s great company. But before all that, Dvořák’s Carnival Overture gets us off to a truly exuberant start.
An immersive evening of obscure silent films with live electronic soundtracks.Back this Spring for its third series, Moolakii Club returns with the ever-popular Live Soundtracks to Silent Films – a distinctive audiovisual night blending avant-garde cinema with live experimental electronica.
What to expect
Pop up cinema playing rare silent films accompanied by electronic artists performing original soundtracks live, reacting to the visuals in real time.The result is a shared, immersive experience – cinematic, atmospheric, and deeply engaging.
Featuring
+John Biddulph
+Lo Five
+ Special guest (TBC)
Each artist creates a unique live score, written and performed specifically for the films shown on the night.
An immersive evening of obscure silent films with live electronic soundtracks.Back this Spring for its third series, Moolakii Club returns with the ever-popular Live Soundtracks to Silent Films – a distinctive audiovisual night blending avant-garde cinema with live experimental electronica.
What to expect
Pop up cinema playing rare silent films accompanied by electronic artists performing original soundtracks live, reacting to the visuals in real time.The result is a shared, immersive experience – cinematic, atmospheric, and deeply engaging.
Featuring
+John Biddulph
+Lo Five
+ Special guest (TBC)
Each artist creates a unique live score, written and performed specifically for the films shown on the night.
The great violinist Fritz Kreisler said in 1906 “If you want to know whom I consider to be the greatest living composer, I say without hesitation, Elgar.…I wish Elgar would write something for the violin.” By 1910 Kreisler was giving the first performance of Elgar’s Violin Concerto. A work on a grand scale it is also very intimate with Elgar inscribing the score “Herein is enshrined the soul of…”, another Elgar Enigma!
Brahms once said “I shall never write a symphony! You can’t have any idea what it’s like to hear such a giant [Beethoven] marching behind you.” Eventually in his forties he finished his first. It was worth the wait and immediately took its place amongst the greatest symphonies of the Austro-German tradition.
There will be a free pre-concert talk starting at 6.45pm that all ticket holders are invited to attend.
Promoted by Liverpool Mozart Orchestra
Grace Elizabeth Harvey’s music hangs somewhere between the melancholy, the holy and the innocent. Fresh from a UK EP release tour and winning the Young Songwriter’s Competition 2025, Grace is quickly proving herself to be one of the UK’s finest emerging songsmiths and a “new name to watch” (FATEA Magazine) with her authentic live essence and twisting, masterful lyricism.
Jessica Dives is an up and coming, vibrant Folk Singer Songwriter living in Liverpool. For Jessica – storytelling is paramount. Winner of Litchfield Songwriting Competition 2025, a featured artist in the FATEA Magazine Spring 2025 Showcase download and a shortlisted artist for the Purbeck Valley Rising 2025 competition, she is already making an impact on the acoustic, folk scene.
Presented in partnership with Mellowtone
Programme:
Arvo Pärt Fratres, Messiaen Le baiser de l’Enfant-Jésus from Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus, Messiaen Theme and Variations for violin and piano, Beethoven 12 variations on ‘Se vuol ballare’ from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Beethoven Violin Sonata No.10 in G major Op.96
Performers:
Joana Rodrigues violin, William Bracken piano
As we celebrate his 90th birthday this season, Joana Rodrigues and William Bracken take on Arvo Pärt’s Fratres, and also perform heavenly music by Messiaen. These modern classics then make way for virtuosic works by an old master – Ludwig van Beethoven.
