St George’s Bristol with its brand new extension
This autumn in Bristol there is change in the air. Whilst the Colston hall is closed for refurbishment, there is a new and exciting kid on the block.
St George’s Concert Hall, with its stunning new extension, has been completely refreshed renewing its international concert hall standard. If you’ve not yet experienced this exciting and diverse venue, here are a few suggestions …
St George’s Top 3 Concert Picks
3: Reborn – 12 Ensemble
Friday 28 September 7.30pm
12 Ensemble
The 12 ensemble has rapidly developed a reputation as one of the UK’s leading string orchestras, and to see them at St George’s will be electrifying. They always perform without a conductor which gives them an audible contact to the audience.
Reborn, their bold new programme for 2018, explores how the old gives birth to the new: archaic ideas are given strikingly modern relevance through great artists influencing and inspiring one another.
2: Bristol Metropolitan Orchestra
Saturday 17 November 7.30pm
Portrait of Dora Pejačević
One of Bristol’s longstanding amateur orchestras has committed to perform a work written by a woman in every performance.
The first in this commitment will be Dora Pejačević. The daughter of a prolific pianist and aristocrat mother, Dora lived a life of rebellion against the upper classes, and was described as a socialist.
She was composing at the same level of mastery as her male compatriots, Mahler and Wagner, with her music performed internationally in Europe.
The Bristol Metropolitan Orchestra will perform her Overture in D Minor alongside Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto and Brahms’ Symphony No.2.
1:Daniel Pioro and Valgeir Sigurðsson
Sunday 21 October 8pm
With an impressive commitment to Contemporary music and improvisation, this collaboration between electronic and acoustic music is not your every day classical music choice.
Joined by very special guests, Jonathan Morton, Charlotte Bonneton, and Clare O’Connell, the evening alternates between unamplified string quartet sounds, solo electronics and all the noises in between.
It is the melange of renaissance composers such as Biber and Couperin with modern experimental works from Pioro’s new album Dust that interests me the most about this venture.
This will be out of the ordinary, and I have a feeling you’ll come away inspired by the freedom of improvisation.
Michael Cobb 