Brighton Music – Autumn Concerts – Preview 2024

There is a feast of excellent concerts coming our way this Autumn. I’ve picked through the listings of the major players and some smaller, local venues.
Here is a selection of highlights of Classical, Early, Folk and World music:

The Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra
Their Centenary Season is launching in grand style with Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto no.1. Joanna MacGregor is conducting and the soloist is young Dutch virtuoso Aidan Mikdad, so there will be risks and excitement – it’s bound to be exhilarating!

Aidan Mikdad

Then comes Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, always a very special occasion. Now 111 years old, from the opening strangely high notes of the solo bassoon to the final, brutal chords of the Sacrificial Dance it still thrills and delights – an opportunity to hear the orchestra at its very best. (Sun. 22 Sept. – 2.45pm Brighton Dome).

Jess Gillam

Sibelius’ stirring tone poem Finlandia starts October’s concert, followed by a gentle quarter of an hour of Glazunov’s Concerto for Saxophone with soloist Jess Gillam. Guest conductor Alpesh Chauhan then delivers the ravishing beauty of Henryk Górecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, with soprano Ruby Hughes. (Sun. 13 Oct. – 2.45pm Brighton Dome).

Ruby Hughes © Phil-Sharp

Corn Exchange Coffee Concerts
The Sunday morning treat of international virtuosity:

Sun. 29 Sep. 11:00am – The Fibonacci Quartet, string quartets by Haydn (Sunrise), Schulhoff and Schubert (Death and the Maiden)

Sun. 20 Oct. 11:00am – Olivier Stankiewicz and friends, chamber music by Martinu, Poulenc and Prokofiev

The Fibonacci Quartet © Kaupo Kikkas

Brighton Early Music Festival – BREMF
This year’s very full festival programme – Connections – begins with a handful of musical workshops and two taster events, a Polyphony Crawl (Sat. 21 Sept.) when the BREMF Consort of Voices tour a free concert around four Brighton churches and The Telling Unchained offer an unscripted session in The Brunswick pub (Wed. 2 Oct.).

Highlights of the main festival include: the exhilarating Baroque ensemble Red Priest (11 Oct.); Armonico Consort playing Scarlatti and Vivaldi (12 Oct.); Cappella Pratensis (18 Oct.); Trio Voice singing Hildegard von Bingen (20 Oct.); BREMF Players & Baroque Collective Singers perform Carissimi’s early opera Jephte (26 Oct.); and Spanish ensemble Cantoría (27 Oct.).

Cappella Pratensis photo Johan Beckers

The liveliest events are likely to be the BREMF Live Showcase of young talent which ends up at the Live Clubnight in the Rose Hill Tavern (19 Oct.) and Irlandiani who plan to conjure up the louche atmosphere of Georgian Dublin and the Theatre Royal Smock Alley in St George’s Church (25 Oct.).

Music at the Brighton Dome
The Dome’s diary is bursting with goodies. This is just a narrow sample of the next two months:

11 Sept. – Marc Almond and his brand-new album I’m Not Anyone
20 Sept. – Mariza sings Fado, both traditional and contemporary
4 Oct. – Making Tracks, a showcase of world class music from all corners of the globe.
5 Oct. – Edward Gardner conducts Sibelius London Philharmonic Orchestra and Patricia Kopatchinskaja (violin): Beethoven Egmont Overture, Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1 and Sibelius Symphony No. 5
10 Oct. – Leveret, English folk music, button accordion, fiddle and concertina
12 Oct. – The Tiger Lillies, Brechtian street opera trio with a mixture of pre-war Berlin cabaret, anarchic opera and gypsy music
13 Oct. – Afro Celt Sound System, a fusion of African, Gaelic and Bhangra influenced sounds
19 Oct. – Orchestral Qawwali Project, a blend of Western Classical, choral, Indian Classical and Sufi music
28 & 29 Oct. – Sounds from the City in Brighton Dome’s Studio Theatre, talented young bands and solo performers, aged 14-18, the best of young music on the South Coast.
30 Oct. – Public Service Broadcasting, ‘teaching the lessons of the past through the music of the future’, Plus Special Guests

Edward Gardner LPO © Jason Bell

Music and Wine Concerts at St Luke’s
A congenial Friday evening of music by the Pepperpot on Queen’s Park Road:

6 Sept. – Joss Peach Trio, a tribute to jazz pianist Thelonius Monk

20 Sept. – Pavlos Carvalho – solo cello, from Bach to Ligeti and Barry Mills

4 Oct. – Oliver Nelson & Vasilis Razitkis, violin & piano sonatas by Tartini’s ‘The Devil’s Trill’, Beethoven’s ‘Spring sonata’ and by Ravel and Prokofiev.

Joss Peach – Pavlos Carvalho

Music for St Bartholomew’s 150th Anniversary
Concluding St Bartholomew’s celebrations:

Sat. 21st Sept. 6pm, a recital by Jeremiah Stephenson, organist of All Saints, Margaret Street.

Sun. 29th Sept. 10.30am, Nicholas Houghton directing The Brighton Singers with music for the Sunday morning Solemn Mass : Haydn – Missa brevis ‘Sancti Nicolai’ (Hob.XXII:6 1772), C.V. Stanford – Justorum animæ, Ernest Bullock – Give us the wings of faith

Brighton Open Air Theatre – September music at BOAT
Hoping for warm autumn evenings:

8 Sept. – A Century Of Swing from swing band Down For The Count

19 Sept. – Tea & Toast presents Bla Bla Land, an improvised musical tale of love

20 Sept. – Fancy dress is in order on the Sailorette with The Motley Crew and the Old Time Sailors.

22 Sept. – End Of Summer Party hosted by The Brighton Beach Boys

Music at the Brighton Centre
Every event at the Brighton Centre is special – I’ve picked out three:

23 Sept. – Blade Runner Live, on a vast HD screen with Vangelis’ synthesiser-led score performed live by The Avex Ensemble

18 Oct. – Michael Starring Ben, remembering Michael Jackson with Ben Bowman

24 Oct. – Il Divo, classical crossover vocal group celebrating their 20th anniversary!

Lunchtime Concerts at All Saints
Thursdays 1 – 2pm

05 Sept. – Bare-Faced Violas

12 Sept. – Alan Ireland (organ)