Philharmonic will have something for all this season

Aug 15 2008 by Vicky Anderson, Liverpool Daily Post

ANOTHER busy season filled with every type of entertainment gets under way this autumn at the Philharmonic Hall.

From candlelight concertos to reggae, there’s something for all tastes.

The classical season begins on Friday, September 12, with a special season opening with principal conductor Vasily Petrenko.

With Paul Lewis on piano, the orchestra will reprise two-thirds of their recent programme at the BBC Proms at the Albert Hall: Kenneth Hesketh’s Graven Image, which premiered at the Proms, and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 2, alongside Prokofiev’s Symphony No 5.

On November (5 and 6), he will conduct two concerts as part of the Classic FM series, Passion and Triumph, featuring Tchai- kovsky’s Violin Concerto and Symphony No 5; the Cathedrals of Sound on November 13; a Sunday Best afternoon concert on November 16; and Secrets, a joint presentation by the RLPO and the European Opera Centre.

Sir Simon Rattle, after his sold- out concert with the Berlin Philharmoniker at the start of next month, will follow it up with another special show on October 2, featuring works by Wagner Siegfried and new 2008 commis- sion, Brett Dean Songs of Joy.

Carl Davis returns for Pops at the Phil on New Year’s Eve, and to conduct the RLPO alongside two screenings of the 1993 movie version of the Nutcracker.

Big guest names on the way to the Phil this season begin with Michael Feinstein, former mus- ical assistant to Ira Gershwin, and special guest Diahann Carroll on September 13.

The ever-popular Al Martino returns on September 15, followed by the Kings of Swing Rat Pack Party (September 20).

The city orchestra makes way for The Orchestra (of the electric light variety, it turns out) – featuring former members of ELO and Electric Orchestra Part II. Box Office isn’t up to speed on the band’s history, but the name alone suggests there’s been a fair few rock star style fall-outs over the years.

The perennial Van Morrison returns to the city on October 3, followed by the absurd premise of David Gest . . . My Life, the Musical Concert Extravaganza (to give it its full title).

The former Mr Minnelli relives the pertinent points of his unusual life story alongside musical interludes from pals including one of En Vogue, Peter Andre and gangster rapper Coolio (surely a first for the Phil) on October 6.

The unusual yet compelling Amadeus Project, by trumpeter Guy Barker, is a modernised version of the Magic Flute, reworked into “jazz noir” by thriller writer Robert Ryan, and narrated by actor and City Talk presenter Michael Brandon on September 25.

It is quickly followed by another new composition from the Wally Fields Orchestra, and the Liverpool premiere of his Born to Dream, an anthem for his home town, alongside the Gershwin classic, Rhapsody in Blue (Sept 28).

Another premiere will be The Fairest Hour, including new work commissioned by the Culture Company by Mark Simpson (October 11).

Boy George will be playing all the hits and more in a rare solo show on October 12.

The Real Thing and The Temptations play shows back-to-back for a full-on dose of disco and soul on October 31 and November 1 respectively.

Liverpool’s own The Christians will be playing alongside the RLPO for a special show on November 14; followed by the original Pop Idol, Will Young, on November 18.

The Rightful Owners of the Song, as part of the Capital of Culture programme, will feature some of the finest singers from the city’s pub circuit performing classics alongside the RLPO on November 29.

The Phil will also be one of the foremost venues for the Liverpool Irish Festival in October.

African superstar Toumani Diabate, the “Hendrix of the Kora” plays with the RLPO on October 21; while reggae legend Jimmy Cliff takes to the stage on October 30.

The low-key After Eight events boast an autumn line-up including concerts from Stefan Grossman, Joe Stilgoe, and the Neil Cowley Trio; and there’s top- notch comedy from Paddy McGuiness (October 29), Michael McIntyre (October 13) and Ken Dodd’s annual Happiness Show (December 29 and 30).