The BBC Symphony orchestra announced its thrilling program for the season 2016-2017. From September 28 until May 24 you will be able to enjoy classical music from all periods and get charmed by power of excellent conductors and musicians. For the opening night, chief conductor Sakari Oramo chose Richard Strauss‘s Ein Heldenleben and the UK premiere of Knocking at the Hellgate from opera Bliss by Brett Dean, who is BBC SO’s Artist in Association. 

Let us present some of the highlights of the announced program.

As for the conductors, you can look forward to see the Czech star-conductor Jiří Bělohlávek, on April 13 conducting Dvořák’s Requiem, then on May 12 it will be Sir Andrew Davis giving the Bliss’s cantata The Beatitude, on December 7 Jukka-Pekka Saraste brings Stravinsky’s Firebird and on January 7 you can enjoy Szymanowski Violin Concerto No. 2 by Tasmin Little and conductor Edward Gardner. Russian-American conductor Semyon Bychkov will give a three concert series of Beloved Friend: Tchaikovsky Project. Voice and choirs have a very important role in this year season. The must-sees are Jonas Kaufmann performing Strauss’s Four Last Songs on February 13, and on April 25 Gerald Finley singing the main role in Doctor Atomic, that will be conducted by its composer John Adams, and also a UK premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s song cycle. As for the choral focused concerts, you can enjoy the very impressive Berlioz’s Grand messe des morts on November 13 (Remembrance Sunday) at the Royal Albert Hall, and Rachmaninov’s choral symphony The Bells on October 28. 

A special project is collaboration with Shakespeare’s Globe on October 4th lead by Sakari Oramo with a rare performance of Schmitt’s incidental music for Antoine et Cléopâtre, then a live performance of Neil Brand’s music to a silent film Robin Hood, or an evening with American humorist and comedian David Sedaris and BBC SO on the 20th of December. If you are familiar with the series Total Immersion Days, even this year you can learn more about life and work of important composers thanks to concerts, movies or special performances. The focus will be brought on Philip Glass during a three day celebration of his 80th year as well as Richard Rodney Bennett. The final concert of this series is dedicated to Edgard Varèse on the 6th of May where you can hear the monumental Amériques. Luckily, the BBC SO’s doesn’t forget the contemporary music in its program and thus this season presents six world premieres by Nicola LeFanu, Neil Brand, Brett Dean, Diana Burrell, Philip Cashian and Michael Zev Gordon. 

The season will be closed on May 24 by the chief conductor Sakari Oramo with Messiaen’s Turangalîla Symphony. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/symphonyorchestra/events

Adela Pudlakova