BACKA little way down the road from all the excitement of the world’s greatest classical music festival, Bristol Old Vic will be hosting their own version of The Proms. Inspired by the hugely popular promenade concerts staged at Bristol Old Vic in the 1840s, the theatre will be hosting a world-class music festival, featuring some of classical music’s biggest names, alongside dramatic digital innovations.
British violinist Daniel Hope will be performing Max Richter’s highly acclaimed The Four Seasons Recomposed, alongside the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. The work has been performed across the globe since its release in October 2012, receiving high praise from audiences and critics alike. The performance on 31st July 2013 at Bristol Old Vic will be accompanied by visuals from digital artists Play Nicely. The unique accompaniment responds dynamically to the acoustic characteristics of the live orchestral performance, and is rooted in the imagery and language of the sonnets which inspired Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
Cellist Guy Johnston will be performing one of the most moving pieces in Schubert’s repertoire, the Quintet in C, with the Sacconi Quartet. The concert will be preceded by a series of structured improvisations, using illustrations from the piano and recorded excerpts to explore the composer’s complex personality and creative genius in writing such powerful and emotive music. Guy Johnston’s performance will be filmed by Icon Films to create an innovative musical documentary of the concert.
Bristol also welcomes world-renouned violinist Nicola Benedetti, cellist and contemporary music pioneer Peter Gregson and pianist Jan Lisiecki, featuring music from Chopin and Schubert to Eric Whitacre and technically deft Hauschka.
Held in an intriguing theatrical space, with tickets starting at just £5 in true Proms style, Bristol offers classical music fans and novices a superb alternative to the BBC Proms in London.