Thursday 8 Mar 2007

19.30, The Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street , Manchester M2 3WS ; Box office: 0161 907 9000

Tickets: £8-£34

Programme:

• P I Tchaikovsky:The Storm, overture to Ostrovsky’s play, Op 76
• Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No 1 in B flat minor, Op 23
• Georges Bizet:Carmen (trans. Shchedrin)

Tchaikovsky’s flamboyant concerto has gone down a storm with audiences for its famous opening flourish and grandiose piano chords, its heroic bravado and Russian big tunes. Imagine a Frenchman’s take on Spain given a Russian make-over and you have Shchedrin’s inventive ballet score on Carmen, composed for his ballerina wife and the Bolshoi. All the elements of ‘the best musical ever written’ characterise this colourful suite for strings and multiple percussion which promises to bring the house down.

There will be a pre-concert talk at 18.30 in the Auditorium.

More details at www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk.