2010/11 Season Launch: Urban Symphonies

Urban Symphonies is a musical celebration of cities around the world which have inspired great and memorable music for orchestra.  But it’s so much more than that. We’re planning a celebration of the world, it’s music, culture, art and architecture as it’s reflected in Manchester itself!

The 2010/11 season is also the last with Douglas Boyd as Music Director, and brings together – more than ever before – the many strands of the orchestra’s work. 

Underscoring Camerata’s reputation for flair, collaboration and innovation, we’re presenting three world premières linked to the urban theme, in partnership with venues and musicians well outside Manchester Camerata’s usual comfort zone such as folk singer Bella Hardy and Band on the Wall.

We’re pleased to be working again with the Manchester Digital Development Agency (MDDA) and have commissioned a new film by artist Netia Jones.

Learning is core to what we do, and following on from last season’s successful Songbook of the Earth project, we again have a fully integrated Learning and Participation programme, inspired by some of Manchester’s most iconic architecture, ultimately creating a new, five-movement “Urban Symphony.”

We hope every concert will be a special event, with its own particular character, delivered with all the spontaneity and informality that has become Manchester Camerata’s trademark.

Some of the exciting things to look out for in the coming season:

The Pictures from St Petersburg concert on 23 October 2010 when Camerata’s future Music Director and founding member of the Takács Quartet, Gábor Takács-Nagy is joined by fellow Hungarian, the cellist Miklos Perenyi.

New works specially commissioned to address the urban theme: Gavin Higgins‘ Reflection on Prague (25 September 2010) and Nina Whiteman‘s work inspired by St Petersburg (23 October 2010) have been  developed as part of a collaboration with Sound and Music; Daniel Kidane, whose Reflection on Dresden features on 27 November 2010, began a relationship with Manchester Camerata as a result of the orchestra’s 2009 Manchester Composers’ Project.

Large scale performances marking the culmination of the orchestra’s close and fruitful ten year relationship with Douglas Boyd include Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the CBSO chorus on 29 January 2011 (which will be recorded, completing the partnership’s acclaimed Beethoven cycle); and a narrated version of Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Boyd’s last concert as Music Director, on 28 May 2011.

There’s a strong line-up of visiting artists joining the orchestra, as well as the regular visits from Permanent Guest conductor Nicholas Kraemer (Baroque in Venice 26 February 2011; St John Passion, 19 April 2011) and Principal Guest Director Gordan Nikolitch (Revolutionary Vienna, 26 March 2011. Visitors include conductors Jaime Martin and Nicholas Collon, cellist Miklos Perenyi, violinist Tom Gould, and harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani.

As already mentioned there’s a collaboration with folk singer and fiddler Bella Hardy. This involves an evening at Manchester’s Band on the Wall (17 March 2011) which will showcase works written for Bella as part of Manchester Camerata’s 2011 Manchester Composers Project plus a performance by Bella of Berio’s Folk Songs

The centrepiece of our Learning and Participation work this year will be the Urban Symphony project, inspired by Manchester architecture. School students of all ages and community groups will work with a composer, a visual artist, Manchester Camerata musicians and an architect in the creation of five compositions which will feature as pre-concert performances throughout the year. Click here for further details.

The partnership with the Manchester Digital Development Agency will be further explored with a new digital slant to the season, taking the orchestra’s music out of the concert hall and making connections in both Manchester and cities abroad; There’ll also be a new film commissioned from artist Netia Jones to accompany Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht as part of the Revolutionary Vienna programme on 26 March 2011.

An afternoon coffee concert: Schubert and Vienna on Sunday 24 October at 2.15pm, featuring Miklos Perenyi and the Manchester Camerata Ensemble. This is another new venture for Manchester Camerata, developed in response to audience’s pleas for easily accessible daytime concerts.

Full details of all these concerts, and much more, are presented in the new 2010/11 Manchester Camerata season brochure – itself reflecting the orchestra’s thirst for innovation – with four different cover versions, each with a different appeal. Subscription bookings will begin on Monday 17 May and booking for individual concerts is available from Monday 21 June. For further information about the 2010/11 season or to get a brochure sent to you in the post, contact Sophia Linehan on 0161 226 8696 or via email at slinehan@manchestercamerata.com To download a copy of the brochure in PDF format, right click the photo and save to your desktop.