Prom 16 at the Royal Albert Hall hands a Proms debut for Andris Nelsons, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's new music director. The CBSO warm up with John Casken's Basil Bunting-inspired evocation of Orion the hunter ever journeying towards the unknown across the Northumbrian night sky - in celebration of the Barnsley-born composer's 60th birthday - before moving on to some Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky. Far more than a tasty follow-up to his ever-popular First Piano Concerto, one of the most played and recorded concertos ever written, Tchaikovsky's Second boasts its own unique beauties and is deemed in some circles as superior as his revered First. An intimate duet for cello and violin mesmerises in its middle movement before unexpectedly flowering into a mini triple concerto alongside Stephen Hough's (pictured) expert piano. Believe it or not, but the progressive rock group Yes used to open the live concerts with excerpt from The Firebird, Stavinsky's magical, exciting ballet suite, which is played in its entirety by the CSBO after the interval. More recently, Stravinsky's breakthrough piece featured in the BBC Maestro programme when it was conducted by eventual winner Sue Perkins.
John Casken Orion over Farne (21 mins) Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.2 in G major (40 mins) interval Stravinsky The Firebird (46 mins)
Stephen Hough piano City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Andris Nelsons conductor
What's on at
Royal Albert Hall
School Proms: Music For Youth 9th November 2009 - 11th November 2009 The School Proms showcases the best of the country's youth...
Royal Albert Hall
Kensington Gore, SW7 2AP
020 7589 8212 | South Kensington Tube
Saturday 13th December - Wednesday 24th December 2008
One of the capital's most iconic music venues,... More
The Royal Albert Hall
Venue:
The Royal Albert Hall was conceived as part of Prince Albert’s desire to promote the arts. Sadly, it was not completed... More
The Proms 2009
Royal Albert Hall, SW7 2AP
17th July 2009 - 12th September 2009
The most popular season of classical music in England goes from strength to... More
London Jazz Festival 2009
South Bank and around London, SE1 8XX
13th-22nd November 2009
If jazz is dead, someone forgot to tell the thousands of performers and fans... More
Carols by Candlelight
Royal Albert Hall, SW7 2AP
19th, 20th, 23rd & 24th December 2009
The climax of the Royal Albert Hall's Christmas carols programme is this dimly-lit... More
Alternative Concerts
Nearest to Prom 16: Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Casken
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3 minutes walk from Prom 16: Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Casken
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7 minutes walk from Prom 16: Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Casken
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1 minutes walk from Prom 16: Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Casken
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2 minutes walk from Prom 16: Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Casken
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11 minutes walk from Prom 16: Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Casken
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8 minutes walk from Prom 16: Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Casken
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1 minutes walk from Prom 16: Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Casken
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12 minutes walk from Prom 16: Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Casken
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11 minutes walk from Prom 16: Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Casken
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Prom 16 at the 
