Conductor: Tim Redmond
It’s the last Saturday before Christmas in Birmingham, the German Market is still in full swing, and there’s a 
party going on in town – and it’s going on at none other than the home of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Hall.
If you think the CBSO is just about classical music, think again – because here they are in fun mode, and it’s a Christmas treat with something for everyone, including those who have wandered in expecting a classical concert.
The evening kicks off with a bit of Leroy Anderson – not his best-known seasonal piece, Sleigh Ride, but A Christmas Festival, a medley featuring popular carols to get things started. Then we’re into Nutcracker – so far, so traditional but this is not a classical Christmas concert and when we get to Waltz of the Flowers with its harp solo, we find ourselves listening to a seasonal favourite that was most certainly not written by Tchaikovsky. It’s a virtuoso performance once again from CBSO principal harp Katherine Thomas.
Meanwhile, we’ve met our presenter for the evening, and if you were wondering when the party was starting wonder no more – it starts with Tom Redmond. Bounding onto the stage, he brings enough enthusiasm to lift the roof off Symphony Hall on his own. Not that he needs to – the enthusiasm is infectious, and before very long he has the audience sharing it with him and the conductor, Tim Redmond. Yes, they are brothers, and yes, they really are called Tim and Tom. The inevitable chemistry shows, and it brings opportunities galore for banter between the pair which all adds to the fun.
More traditional orchestral favourites follow through the evening – the driving percussion of Suite from Polar Express, Coleridge Taylor’s Christmas Overture, Dance of the Tumblers from Rimsky Korsakov’s The Snow Maiden but we find ourselves increasingly into party mode as the concert progresses. A jazzy Jingle Bells leads to Midnight Sleigh Ride – it’s Prokofiev, it’s the Troika from Lieutenant Kije, but it’s in a style you almost certainly won’t have heard before. Arranged by Les Reed, this is a Troika with electric guitar and syncopated rhythms, all reminiscent of the big crooners of 40 or 50 years ago with snatches of what could be Bond themes of the time.
While we’re thinking Bond themes, we also get Diamonds are Forever. Vocalist Louise Dearman has become a regular performer at Symphony Hall, particularly with the seasonal concerts. This is just one of the many contributions she makes to the varied programme and she’s seldom sounded better. Whether it’s the expected White Christmas, or heading into pop territory with Slade and Mariah Carey she delivers, and the orchestra is with her all the way.
Don’t expect to spend the evening calmly in your seat, as opportunities for audience participation abound and become increasingly frantic as the night wears on. Simple jingling keys become frantic dance moves as we hear Rondo alla Turca in a style that Mozart could never have dreamt of – and judging by the smiles on the orchestra members’ faces, they’re having a ball too. There’s oohs and aahs to add to Polar Express, and full sing-along mode with actions for The Twelve Days of Christmas, calming down as we wind up with another Christmas Overture, this time by Nigel Hess. Of course, that’s not the end – and the expected encore brings us full circle back to Leroy Anderson, and this time it is Sleigh Ride.
It’s an evening that’s pretty much guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. Whether it’s the orchestra, the presenters, the vocals or the wonderful effects created by the lighting team at Symphony Hall, everything comes together to create a wonderful experience as we lead up to Christmas – and also the concert ends there, the party doesn’t as there’s a chance to carry on with a free event immediately afterwards in the Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space, with more festive classics featuring members of the CBSO. It’s just one of the many ways they bring music to the city, and it all adds up to a festive delight.
Reviewed on 21 December 2024
