News

Eroica! Beethoven, Mozart and Sibelius get the Bardi underway in 2018

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Tamsin Waley-Cohen

The Bardi Symphony Orchestra got 2018 off to a Classical start on Sunday February 4th at De Montfort Hall with a well attended concert featuring Mozart, Beethoven and Sibelius. The concert started with the ever-popular overture to The Magic Flute by Mozart and then we welcomed back soloist Tamsin Waley-Cohen who gave a superb performance of the Violin Concerto by Jean Sibelius. The second half saw the Orchestra give a brilliant rendition of the revolutionary third symphony by Beethoven – the ‘Eroica’.

Bardi Wind Orchestra Christmas Festival Concert 2017

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The Bardi Wind Orchestra gave their annual “A Christmas Festival” concert on Saturday December 16th 7.30pm at Holy Trinity Church on Regent Road, Leicester.

The annual Christmas Festival Concert has become one of the highlights of the Bardi concert season and this year the concert was again conducted by Music Director David Calow with seasonal readings by John Florance. Colin Blackler was our compère and we welcomed back Nicky Bingham as our soprano soloist.

A nearly 200-strong audience heard festive favourites including Sleigh Ride, Christmas Festival, In The Bleak Mid-winter, Walking in the Air, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Jingle bells, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and a symphonic suite from the Disney block-buster Frozen. All joined in with the sing-a -long finale of White Christmas and Slade’s Merry Christmas Everybody!

Leicestershire Chorale celebrate their 40th Anniversary

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The Bardi were delighted to take part in Leicestershire Chorale’s 40th Anniversary concert.

The Orchestra played at De Montfort Hall alongside the Chorale in a performance of the Verdi Requiem and Walton’s Coronation Te Deum on Sunday 19th November at 3pm.

The Walton was conducted by Paul McCreesh and the Verdi by the Choral’s Music Director Tom Williams.

BBC Young Musician 2014 Piano Finalist Isata Kanneh-Mason opens the new 2017/8 concert season.

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BBC Young Musician 2014 Piano Finalist Isata Kanneh-Mason made her second appearance with the Bardi Symphony Orchestra at the first concert of the 2017/18 Season on Sunday 8th October at Leicester’s De Montfort Hall.   Isata played Schumann’s romantic Piano Concerto and the concert featured the “Carnival Overture” by Dvorák and only the second ever performance at De Montfort Hall of the 5th Symphony by Vaughan Williams.

The Bardi Wind Orchestra Celebrates 25 Years!

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Let’s celebrate! 25 years of the Bardi Wind Orchestra, 100 years of the Lions Clubs and 30 years of the MNDA Leicestershire and Rutland Branch was celebrated at the Gala Concert at De Montfort Hall on Sunday 11th June.

The concert was another joint venture by the Bardi Wind Orchestra and the Oadby & Wigston Lions Club. The chosen charity this year is the Motor Neurone Disease Association, Leicestershire and Rutland Branch.

The concert was a celebration of Disney favourites and other well known movie music and was conducted by David Calow with Soprano Jenny Saunders and Tenor David Morris. The compere was Martin Ballard from BBC Radio Leicester.

Clarinettist Sam Abbott is the 2017 Bardi Young Musician

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This year’s Bardi Young Musician is clarinettist Sam Abbott. He played Finzi’s Clarinet Concerto at the afternoon concert on Sunday 9th July at Fraser Noble Hall, London Road Leicester.

With guest Conductor Paul Hilliam, the concert also included Fauré’s Pavane and Schubert’s Symphony No.3 ‘Rhenish’ in E-flat.

Firebird! A Russian Spectacular

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The Bardi under the baton of Music Director Claus Efland premiered the complete Firebird Ballet by Stravinsky at De Montfort Hall, Leicester. The dancers were from Dance Activate with choreography by Graham Fletcher.
The sell-out audience also saw a stunning performance of Rachmaninov’s 2nd Piano Concerto by soloist Katya Apekisheva. The concert started with a lively rendition of the Polonaise and Waltz from Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky.

Young Leicester Grammar School players featured in Bardi’s 2017 LGS Concert

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The Annual LGS concert featured LGS pupils as both soloists and orchestra members in a concert on 4 March 2017.

Celebrating Bardi’s special links with Leicester Grammar School once again, the talents of five young players were showcased in solo items in a varied and entertaining programme in St Nicholas Hall on March 4th. A number of other talented musicians from the school enjoyed the opportunity to play alongside Bardi players in the Orchestra. Head of Musc at the School, Dr David Whittle, realised the ambition of a lifetime when he conducted the orchestra in a well-received performance of Borodin’s Symphony No 2.