Brahms’ highly revealing musical self-portrait bookends this programme with the musical caricatures within Elgar’s Enigma Variations.
From the beginning, Brahms’ Third Symphony has proven to be his most evocative – a compelling piece rich with references to his own thoughts about life and love in its striking mixture of passion and pessimism, of restlessness and serenity. With numerous acknowledgments to Wagner and allusions to the same Rhine-based mythology, it provides other fascinations as well.
The spirit of Brahms infuses Stephen Hough’s Piano Concerto. The title refers to Stefan Zweig’s memoir of his cultural life in Vienna before the First World War and evokes nostalgia for a bygone era when piano concertos were a touring composer-pianist’s calling card. It bridges time, weaving together echoes of the past with virtuosic brilliance.
The Variations on an Original Theme is a brilliantly varied portrait gallery of Elgar’s friends, family and neighbours. The musical caricatures contain some of the most charming and deeply felt music Elgar ever penned. These are elaborated upon in this unique performance featuring excerpts from Elgar’s own writings which have been specially compiled by Mark Wigglesworth and will be spoken by actor Walter van Dyk.
Presented by Bristol Beacon
Mark Wigglesworth Conductor
Sir Stephen Hough Piano
Walter van Dyk Narrator (Enigma Variations)
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Programme
Brahms Symphony No. 3
Hough Piano Concerto, ‘The World of Yesterday’
Elgar Variations on an Original Theme, ‘Enigma’
ONLINE PROGRAMME
An online programme is available containing full programme notes, artist biographies and orchestra credits. It complements the printed freesheet which will be available on the night.
Pre-Concert Talk with Jonathan James
Lantern Hall, 18:25. Free with concert ticket.
Format: Reserved seating
Age: For all ages (Under 16s to be accompanied by an adult)
Performance Times
Doors: 19:00
Start Time: 19:30
All timings are approximate and subject to change
Did you know patients in the city’s central hospitals can listen to a live broadcast of this concert on Hospital Radio for Bristol? Find more info on how patients can tune in at bhbsradio.com
Saver Seats
Grab yourself a surprise deal with £10 Saver Seats!
We have a limited number of Saver Seats for this concert.
The deal: Saver Seats cost £10 each and are your last minute ticket to watching a tremendous concert from a world-class orchestra at a greatly reduced price.
The surprise: You won’t find out where you will be sitting until the night.
We don’t offer Saver Seats for every concert, but when we do, you can be sure you’ll be in for a treat. Buy a Saver Seat now and we will allocate you to one of the best available seats on the night.
How to book:
- Click ‘book tickets’
- Select “Saver Seats”
- Proceed to checkout
- On the night of the event, visit Box Office from 17:30 with your order confirmation email to be allocated a best available seat. You will not recieve your ticket in advance.
Terms and conditions
- Saver Seats are available to all, subject to availability.
- By purchasing a Saver Seat, you are not selecting a specific seat.
- Box Office will allocate Saver Seats from the best seats available from 17:30 on the evening of the concert, on a first come first served basis. We cannot allocate Saver Seats before this time and you will not receive your ticket in advance.
- It may not be possible to seat all of your Saver Seat tickets together.
- All other ticketing terms and conditions apply.
ACCESS CUSTOMERS: Please contact Box Office if you have any questions Tel. 0117 203 4040
Musical Insights with Tom Service
BBC Radio 3’s Tom Service talks through the programme for tonight’s concert – Notes of Nostalgia – featuring music by Brahms, Hough and Elgar.
Pre-concert Talk
with Jonathan James
18:00 or 18:25, Lantern Hall (30 mins) Please check the event page for start time
Free with a concert ticket
Hosted by conductor, music educator, writer and presenter Jonathan James, pre-concert talks are a great way to take a deep dive into the season’s concerts.
With his breadth of expertise and bags of enthusiasm, Jonathan introduces the works being performed, interviews members of the orchestras and demystifies the creative process
Please check the event page for pre-concert talk start times.
Orchestral Ticket Prices
There are five price bands for every concert in the 2024/25 orchestral season: Premium and Bands A – D, with the exception of Víkingur Ólafsson’s Piano Recital on Tue 8 Apr 2025.
Within price bands A-D, there are two types of ticket: Standard and Open Concession.
If you are under 26, there is a fixed ticket price available on a limited number of seats for every concert.
Ticket Offers
Take advantage of our 2024/25 Orchestral Season Multibuy offer and save up to 30% on tickets!
Buy 3 concerts save 10%
Buy 4-7 concerts save 20%
Buy 8-10 concerts save 25%
Buy 11+ concerts save 30%
To qualify for the discount, tickets for the corresponding number of concerts must be purchased in one transaction.
A group booking offer is also available – book 10+ tickets for any one concert in the season and save 10%.
About Beacon Hall
Our new flagship venue at Bristol Beacon
View Beacon Hall
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View Beacon Hall
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Seating plans
Seating plans
Beacon Hall has three levels that can be used in a seated or standing format. View seating plans, auditorium entrances and exits and accessible viewing areas.
Venue information
Venue information
Take a closer look at our beautifully restored venue, see what’s on and view detailed information about the performance space.
The venue
Beacon Hall
at Bristol Beacon
Getting to the venue
Location: Beacon Hall is located within Bristol Beacon. Head to Level 1 and follow signs to find the auditorium.
Address: Bristol Beacon, Trenchard Street, Bristol, BS1 5AR
Bicycle
Bicycle racks can be found in front of the main entrance on Trenchard Street, Colston Street, and on the city centre promenade. Find your nearest cycle routes using Cycle Planner.
Car parking
Trenchard Street multi-storey car park is 200m away, directly behind Bristol Beacon.
Bristol Clean Air Zone
Bristol Beacon is inside the Bristol Clean Air Zone. Check if your vehicle will be charged and how much you’ll have to pay.
Bus
Most bus services stop in and around the city centre promenade, 250m from Bristol Beacon.
Access
Mobility
Spaces for wheelchair users are in:
- row S in the centre of the rear Stalls (10 spaces)
- row Z in the left and right wings at the back of Lower Tier (4 spaces, 2 on each side),
- rows G/H on the left only at the back of Upper Tier (2 spaces)
Assistance Dogs
Assistance dogs and emotional support animals are allowed in the performance space. Seats in row F are most suitable. If you prefer, you can leave your animal with a member of staff during the performance.
Hearing Facility
A Sennheiser MobileConnect assistive listening system is installed in the venue. Download the free App and use your own mobile device and headphones to listen to the performance. (Devices are available on request.)
Eat & Drink
Eat & Drink
We’ve got plenty of places for you to relax and refill. From coffee and cake, to delicious sharing boards, to full menus.
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Event Ticket Coverage
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