Archive for category: News

Same Fabulous Concerto… Fresh New Face

Due to a scheduling change outside of his control, Martin James Bartlett is unable to perform the Grieg with us on 19 November, but he will be returning during the 2025/26 season.

But we are thrilled to welcome the multi-award-winning pianist Amiri Harewood in his place. Listen to what he has to say about the upcoming concert…

London based pianist Amiri Harewood currently studies at the Royal College of Music under the tutelage of Danny Driver. He holds of the Ann Driver Trust Scholarship, and is supported by the Victor Dandaleh Foundation.

Amiri is a Grand Prize winner of the Young Classical Artist Trust (UK) and Concert Artists Guild (US) International Auditions 2024, and is a regular performer throughout the UK and abroad, having already debuted at the Royal Festival Hall, Royal Albert Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields and at the Venice Conservatorio.

Be inspired by this programme of great romance as we head to Scandinavia for an evening of artic wonder.

After Grieg’s ever-popular Piano Concerto – described by Rachmaninoff as ‘the greatest piano concerto ever written’, we head to the lakes and open expanses of Finland for Jean Sibelius’ sublime Fifth Symphony –  a work filled with passion and beauty. 

Grieg with Amiri Harewood

Tuesday 19 November 2024
St George’s Hanover Square
2A Mill Street, Mayfair, London W1S 1FX

Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
Sibelius Symphony No. 5 in E flat, Op. 82

London Firebird Orchestra
Guest Conductor George Jackson
Piano Amiri Harewood 

Firebird’s Principal Guest Conductor George Jackson sets the scene for a fabulous season opener on Tuesday 24 September…

A symphony by Mozart full of good humour and exuberant energy, and named after the chief god of the ancient Roman pantheon.

Beethoven’s mighty Violin Concerto, heralded as one of the greatest violin concertos of all time by the famous 19th century violinist and conductor Joseph Joachim.

One of the best known concertos in the repertoire will be performed by award-winning French violinist Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux.

George Jackson conducts this opening concert with music by Mozart and Beethoven in the first in a fabulous season of concerts throughout 2024 and into 2025.

Tickets are available online for the whole season of London concerts starting on 24 September.

Beethoven with Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux

Tuesday 24 September 2024
St George’s Hanover Square
2A Mill Street, Mayfair, London W1S 1FX

Beethoven Violin Concerto in D, Op. 61
Mozart Symphony No.41, K.551 Jupiter

London Firebird Orchestra
Principal Guest Conductor George Jackson
Violin Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux

Firebird’s 2024/25 season kicks off with a fantastic concert of two great classical masterpieces with the multi-award-winning violinist Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux…

Beethoven’s mighty Violin Concerto was heralded by the famous 19th century violinist and conductor Joseph Joachim as the German composer’s greatest violin concerto and has since become one of the best-known and regularly performed works of the genre.

French violinist Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux is a YCAT and Concert Artists Guild Artist. In 2022 she was nominated as a Rising Star Artist by Classic FM. She led the Quatuor Confluence to 1st prize at the Trondheim Chamber Music Festival in 2021. Charlotte, who joins us fresh from concertos with the CBSO and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, will shortly be going on a USA tour.

The second half of the concert features Mozart’s fabulously feisty finale – his final symphony, the Jupiter. But why Jupiter?

Regarded as one of the great symphonies of all time, the name is said to have been coined not by Mozart but by the impressario Salomonafter the English music publisher Cramer claimed that from the opening chords the symphony reminded him of the Roman god, Jupiter – the King of the Gods and his thunderbolts.

George Jackson (pictured below) conducts this opening concert, the first in a fabulous season throughout 2024 and into 2025.

Beethoven with Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux

Tuesday 24 September 2024
St George’s Hanover Square
2A Mill Street, Mayfair, London W1S 1FX

Beethoven Violin Concerto in D, Op. 61
Mozart Symphony No.41, K.551 Jupiter

London Firebird Orchestra
Guest Conductor George Jackson
Violin Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux

Pianist Martin James Bartlett gives a personal insight into Mozart’s D minor concerto ahead of Firebird’s next concert on 30 April…

The first performance of this concerto took place at the Mehlgrube Casino in Vienna on 11 February 1785, with the composer as the soloist. A few days later, the composer’s father Leopold wrote to Mozart’s sister Nannerl about his recent success:

‘[I heard] an excellent new piano concerto by Wolfgang, on which the copyist was still at work when we got here, and your brother didn’t even have time to play through the rondo because he had to oversee the copying operation.’

The young Beethoven so admired this concerto that it became part of his repertoire. He even wrote a monumental cadenza for the final movement which Martin James Bartlett will include in his performance.

‘Martin James Bartlett brought maximum feeling to the music and played with astonishing delicacy and punch.’

The Daily Telegraph

According to Leopold’s report, Mozart used his own piano at the first performance which was specially equipped with a pedal-board for his feet! Presumably this was to reinforce the left-hand part.

Bohemia!

Tuesday 30 April 2024, 7.30pm
St George’s Hanover Square
2A Mill Street, Mayfair, London W1S 1FX

Beethoven 
Leonore Overture No.3, Op.72
Mozart 
Piano Concerto No.20 in D minor, K.466
Dvořák 
Symphony No.8 in G, Op. 88

Conductor George Jackson
Piano Martin James Bartlett

No – not Freddy Mercury’s 1970s progressive rock hit – this is Firebird’s next concert with a curious link to the exotic land of Bohemia…

Our 30 April concert takes us to the very heart of Central Europe with one of the greatest works by the Czech composer Dvořák (pictured below). Dvořák’s musical style is inextricably linked with the traditional folk music of Moravia and Bohemia. 

His cheery and lyrical 8th Symphony is a perfect example of this musical influence from his homeland, composed on the occasion of his election to the Bohemian Academy of Science, Literature and Arts in 1890.

The concert opens with Beethoven’s heroic Leonora Overture. Beethoven (pictured below) actually wrote four overtures for his only opera Fidelio, struggling to balance the intense drama with the calmer opening scenes in the opera.

It wasn’t until the 1841 revival of the opera that he composed this somewhat lighter version – with the first performance outside Vienna talking place that year in Prague – which is of course in Bohemia!

In between these two masterworks we have one of the most admired works for piano and orchestra in the repertoire with Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.20. This work was so admired by Beethoven that he frequently performed it himself. In our concert it will be performed by our soloist, Martin James Bartlett (pictured below).

‘Martin James Bartlett brought maximum feeling to the music and played with astonishing delicacy and punch.’

The Daily Telegraph

The concert will be conducted by our very own George Jackson (pictured below). Tickets are now on sale for this fantastic evening of great music.

Bohemia

Tuesday 30 April 2024, 7.30pm
St George’s Hanover Square
2A Mill Street, Mayfair, London W1S 1FX

Beethoven 
Leonore Overture No.3, Op.72
Mozart 
Piano Concerto No.20 in D minor, K.466
Dvořák 
Symphony No.8 in G, Op. 88

Conductor George Jackson
Piano Martin James Bartlett