CBSO's new season: Mahler, Beethoven and Star Wars

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's new season is under way, with Mahler and a complete Beethoven cycle alongside film nights, family concerts and new music.

The season opened on 17 September at Symphony Hall with Mahler's Resurrection Symphony, conducted by the orchestra's Music Director, Kazuki Yamada. The concert also marked the 1,000th performance of the CBSO Chorus.

Big symphonic journeys

The season will end in June 2027 with Mahler's Third Symphony. In 2027 the orchestra will also perform all nine of Beethoven's symphonies, marking 200 years since the composer's death.

For Remembrance, the orchestra will perform Britten's War Requiem at Coventry Cathedral, followed by an international tour. The work was written for the consecration of the new cathedral in 1962, and the performance also marks 50 years since Britten's death.

New faces and new music

Ilan Volkov joins as the orchestra's new Principal Guest Conductor. The pianist Alice Sara Ott, saxophonist Jess Gillam and composer and producer Rushil Ranjan are collaborative artists, and the Grammy-nominated composer Anna Clyne is Composer in Residence.

New works include the world premiere of Anna Clyne's viola concerto Resonant Forms, played by Lawrence Power, and Rushil Ranjan's Orchestral Qawwali Project.

Film and family

Film concerts include Star Wars: A New Hope for its 50th anniversary, Casino Royale for its 20th and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring for its 25th. There are also concerts of music by Quincy Jones and ABBA, Home Alone with live orchestra and a Guitar Heroes night.

Notelets concerts are designed for children under six, and some family concerts are interpreted in British Sign Language.

What they said

Chief executive Emma Stenning said: "We hope you'll join us for a truly special year of music-making."

Tickets

Tickets are available from the CBSO and Symphony Hall box offices.