Glosas del arte – Manuel Martínez and Pascual-Vilaplana

April 27th 2025 at 11:00 – 12:30

Programme

Banda Sinfónica Portuguesa
Joäo Malha (1991): Apoteose (2018) 11’
Luís Carvalho: Gentio sao os olhos negros… (Gentiles son tus ojos negros…). Glosas sobre un tema tradicional de las Azores (2016) 11’

Banda Municipal de Barcelona
José Maria Sánchez-Verdú: Memoria de la isla verde para clarinete y banda sinfónica (2024) 10′ – Obra encargo de Manuel Martínez y la BMB. Estreno absoluto
Amando Blanquer: Gloses II (1989) 16’

Banda Simfònica Portuguesa y Banda Municipal de Barcelona
Florent Schmitt: Dionysiaques, op. 62 (1913) 10’

Banda Municipal de Barcelona (BMB)
Banda Sinfónica Portuguesa
José R. Pascual-Vilaplana, conductor
Manuel Martínez, clarinet

Performing to revisit ideas that already exist with a renewed vision is always an exercise in artistic commitment to time and space. Featuring the highly personal sound approach of this season’s tribute composer, Amando Blanquer, the debut of a new score by José Mª Sánchez Verdú and the music of contemporary Portuguese composers such as Luis Carvalho and Joao Malha, we delve into an original wind and percussion programme to celebrate the art of sound in its purest essence and diversity, accompanied by a legendary piece from the band’s repertoire: Dionysiaques. This piece was written in 1913 by Florent Schmitt and carries a mystical vision, which is similar in style to the popular The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky (premiered the same year, scandal included), and it is hard not to think about it.

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May 2nd 2025 at 19:30- 21:30

Programme

Mozart – Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385 “Haffner”
Finzi – Clarinet Concerto, Op. 31
Mozart – Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major, K. 543

Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Rodolfo Barráez, Associate Conductor
Ma Yue, clarinet

Gerald Finzi’s Clarinet Concerto is one of the 20th century British composer’s most popular orchestral works, a woodwind gem whose pastoral nostalgia and folk-inspired spontaneity will come to life with Singapore Symphony Principal Clarinet Ma Yue. SSO Associate Conductor Rodolfo Barráez continues his survey of Mozart’s symphonic oeuvre with the stately harmonies of the Haffner Symphony and the supreme confidence of his 39th.

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May 3rd 2025 at 19:30- 21:30

Programme

Mozart – Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385 “Haffner”
Finzi – Clarinet Concerto, Op. 31
Mozart – Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major, K. 543

Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Rodolfo Barráez, Associate Conductor
Ma Yue, clarinet

Gerald Finzi’s Clarinet Concerto is one of the 20th century British composer’s most popular orchestral works, a woodwind gem whose pastoral nostalgia and folk-inspired spontaneity will come to life with Singapore Symphony Principal Clarinet Ma Yue. SSO Associate Conductor Rodolfo Barráez continues his survey of Mozart’s symphonic oeuvre with the stately harmonies of the Haffner Symphony and the supreme confidence of his 39th.

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May 8th 2025 at 20:00- 22:00

Programme

The Magic Flute Overture
Clarinet Concerto
Die Entführung aus dem Serail Overture
Jupiter Symphony

RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Swann Van Rechem, conductor
Julian Bliss, clarinet

Join us for a special evening celebrating the genius of Mozart with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. From the enchanting drama of The Magic Flute to the lyricism of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, immerse yourself in the timeless beauty of Mozart’s music.

The evening opens with the lively and mischievous Overture to The Magic Flute Overture, an energetic introduction to one of Mozart’s most beloved operas, followed by his Clarinet Concerto, a masterpiece of brightness and warmth, written in the final year of Mozart’s life, 1791. Clarinet virtuoso Julian Bliss joins the RTÉ CO for his debut performance with the orchestra.

The spirited Overture to Die Entführung showcases Mozart’s wit and energy, with vibrant notes of Turkish culture. We conclude with the majesty of the Jupiter Symphony, Mozart’s final and most triumphant symphony. Symphony No. 41, the Jupiter Symphony, embodies an exhilarating blend of grandeur, brilliance, and complexity, marking the pinnacle of Mozart’s writing.

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Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto – Jonathan Leibovitz

May 21st 2025 at 19:00 – 20:40

Programme
Mendelssohn | Hebrides Overture
Mozart | Clarinet Concerto
Mozart | Overture to Lo Sposo Deluso
Louise Farrenc | Symphony No. 3

Sinfonia Viva
Olivia Clarke | conductor
Jonathan Leibovitz | clarinet

If the Classic FM Hall of Fame is anything to go by, then Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto is the most popular work by arguably history’s greatest composer. This is a rare chance to hear this warm and instantly engaging music in Derby, performed by international prize-winning clarinettist Jonathan Leibovitz.

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Jonathan Leibovitz – Sonatas for Clarinet

May 22nd 2025 at 19:30 – 21:00

Programme

Claude Debussy – Première Rhapsodie, L. 116 (1909-10)
Edison Denisov – Sonata for solo clarinet (1972)
Johannes Brahms – Clarinet Sonata in E-flat, Op. 120 No. 2 (1894)
Francis Poulenc – Sonate pour clarinette et piano, FP. 184 (1962)

Jonathan Leibovitz – clarinet
Jo Havlat – piano

Jonathan Leibovitz is an award-winning clarinettist and, over the past two seasons, has been announced as a prize-winner at the Young Classical Artists Trust and Concert Artists Guild International Auditions, a 2022 Classic FM ‘Rising Star’, a winner of the prestigious Arthur Waser Foundation and Lucerne Symphony Orchestra Award, and was announced as a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship Artist 2024.

As well as recitals across Europe – including at the Alte Oper Frankfurt, Konzerthaus Berlin, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and Wigmore Hall – Jonathan’s debut album Eastern Reflections was released in August on Delphian Records.

His accompanist (both in the recording and in this programme) is pianist Joseph Havlat. Joseph is a pianist, composer, and leading interpreter of new music, having collaborated with such composers as Hans Abrahamsen, John Adams, Thomas Adès, Gerald Barry, Brett Dean, Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Michael Finnissy, and Thomas Larcher. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music, where he is now a tutor.

Recent highlights include playing Adès’ In Seven Days with the LSO under the baton of the composer, as well as the premiere of his Növények at Wigmore Hall. In late 2021 he appeared with the BBC Philharmonic giving the premiere of Robert Laidlow’s piano concerto Warp, broadcast on BBC Radio 3, and in 2023 he made his solo recital debuts at King’s Place and Wigmore Hall in London, where he appeared five times in last year’s season.

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May 23rd 2025 at 12:15 – 13:00

Programme

Fauré – Pavane, version for clarinet and piano
Fauré – Berceuse, version for clarinet and piano
Fauré – Après un rêve, version for cello and piano arr. Pablo Casals
Fauré – Sicilienne for cello and piano
Fauré – Trio in d minor op 120

Johan Fransén – clarinet
Mikael Sjögren – cello
Stefan Lindgren – piano

French composer Gabriel Fauré’s music shines with melodic charm, sprinkled with a touch of nostalgia. In small pieces like Après un rêve (After a Dream) and Sicilienne for cello and piano, it’s easy to imagine a Paris bathed in romantic glow. Exquisitely beautiful is Pavane opus 50, one of Fauré’s most beloved pieces often performed in its orchestrated version.

Johan Fransén, alternate section leader in the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra’s clarinet section, along with Mikael Sjögren, alternate section leader in the cello section, and the orchestra’s pianist Stefan Lindgren, form a trio in a program entirely dedicated to Gabriel Fauré.

As a concluding highlight, we hear Fauré’s exquisite piano trio from 1923. In the first movement, there is a thoughtfulness bordering on melancholy, yet it is not sorrowful music. The second movement is dreamy and heartfelt, while the third is full of energy and strong contrasts. By around 1910, Fauré had begun to experience hearing problems, and when he composed this piano trio – one of his last completed works – he was likely completely deaf.

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May 25th 2025 at 20:00- 21:30

Programme

Walton – Three Façade Settings for Voice and Piano
Messiaen – Trois Mélodies for Soprano and Piano
Barber – Hermit Songs, Op. 29 for Voice and Piano
Spohr – Six German Songs, Op. 103 for Voice, Clarinet and Piano
Grieg – Six Songs, Op. 48 for Voice and Piano

Hanna-Elisabeth Müller – soprano
Daniel Ottensamer – clarinet
Juliane Ruf – piano

“Songs are like small operas into which you can infuse many colours,” asserts Hanna-Elisabeth Müller. Young in years, yet rich in success, the soprano always devotes particular attention to the programs of her song recitals.

A multifaceted approach is guaranteed in Hanna-Elisabeth Müller’s performances. No orchestra, no backdrop, no costume – there’s nowhere to hide in a song, admits the Mannheim native. The intimate atmosphere of this very special art form is also created for her by the close proximity to the audience. In addition to her long-time piano partner Juliane Ruf, she will also perform in Cologne with clarinettist Daniel Ottensamer, the celebrated soloist and member of the Vienna Philharmonic.

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Sabine Meyer & Friends

May 27th 2025 at 19:30 – 21:30

Programme

Ensemble Reflektor
Weber – Concertino in Es-Dur
Richard Strauss – Duett-Concertino for Clarinet, Bassoon and Orchestra
Vaughan Williams – Flos Campi. Suite for Viola, Chamber Choir and Orchestra

Sabine Meyer, Clarinet
Dag Jensen, Bassoon
Nils Mönkemeyer, Viola

“One of the greatest interpreters of our time,” “a global star with heart,” “the first lady of the clarinet”: there’s no shortage of superlatives when it comes to Sabine Meyer. And rightly so, because the clarinetist is one of the most outstanding artists of all time. For more than 40 years, she has not only performed as a celebrated soloist on the world’s stages, but is also considered one of the most important advocates of her instrument. But now a small but painful farewell for the music world is imminent: Sabine Meyer is bidding farewell to the big stages with orchestras. In the future, she will primarily be heard in chamber music concerts. But before that final date, she fortunately has a guest appearance in Wiesbaden on her calendar. The fact that she then brings another soloist to her side for Richard Strauss’s charming Duet Concertino is typical of the clarinettist. Because making music, as Sabine Meyer has always emphasized in her admirably unpretentious manner and in all her countless artistic projects, would be unthinkable without community.

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Kammerakademie Potsdam | Martin Fröst

May 29th 2025 at 11:00 – 12:00

Programme

Johannes Schöllhorn – divertimento per li regazzi for clarinet/bass clarinet, violoncello and piano (world premiere, commissioned by Trio Catch)

Martin Adámek – Clarinet
Eva Boesch – Cello
Sun-Young Nam – Piano
Johannes Schöllhorn – Narrator

The suit is far too big, a strange conical hat on his head and a dark mask with a hooked nose on his face. The character is unmistakable: Pulcinella – eternal buffoon, daredevil, provocateur. In literature, art and music, he is up to his hilarious mischief in almost endless variations. The rococo master Giandomenico Tiepolo also literally had a crush on the dazzling figure and dedicated a whole 104 drawings to Pulcinella. Divertimento per li regazzi he called his colorful series of scenes from the imaginary life of Pulcinella with an ironic undertone and in deliberately incorrect Italian. “Entertainment for children”? Hardly, because the sarcastic drawings blatantly hold up a mirror to an adult society. Johannes Schöllhorn has turned the drawings into a musical sequence of images and savored all the moods that Pulcinella strikes, from lively liveliness to melancholy to obsession. In conjunction with interludes from Tiepolo’s cycle, Trio Catch will present the premiere of Schollhörn’s divertimento.

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Outcry Ensemble – Light Unveiled
Copland Clarinet Concerto – Lewis Graham

May 31st 2025 at 18:30 – 20:10

Programme
Barber – Adagio for Strings
Caroline Shaw – Entr’acte
Copland – Clarinet Concerto
Michael Tippett – Concerto for Double String Orchestra

Outcry Ensemble
Clarinet – Lewis Graham
Conductor – James Henshaw

Opening with Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, a work of profound beauty and timeless poignancy, the programme moves to the contemporary brilliance of Caroline Shaw’s Entr’acte, a playful and inventive piece that reimagines classical traditions.

Aaron Copland’s delightful Clarinet Concerto follows, a work filled with jazzy rhythms and lyrical warmth, featuring the extraordinary Lewis Graham as soloist. To close, Michael Tippett’s Concerto for Double String Orchestra offers a dazzling display of energy and rhythm, showcasing the ensemble in its full vibrancy.

This concert is a celebration of the string orchestra’s expressive power, weaving together works that span emotions and styles. Join us for a night of unforgettable music!

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ECHO Rising Stars at 30: Carlos Ferreira – Clarinet

June 7th 2025 at 13:45 – 14:45

Programme
Pierre Boulez – Domaines
Joseph Horovitz – Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano
Claude Debussy – Première Rhapsodie
Lanqing Ding – New work

Carlos Ferreira – clarinet
Pedro Emmanuel Pereira – piano

Jazz-inspired music meets a brand new commission plus one of the cornerstones of the clarinet repertoire, with Portuguese clarinettist Carlos Ferreira.

Carlos Ferreira pursues a twin career as an orchestral player (formerly with the Philharmonia Orchestra and, most recently, as Principal Clarinet with the Orchestre National de France), chamber musician and recitalist. His magnetic playing, deep rooted understanding of musical style and attention to the finest detail, have won him widespread praise. He’ll bring all these qualities to the playful melodies of Joseph Horovitz’s Sonatina, Debussy’s expressive and seductive First Rhapsody (a deserved cornerstone of the clarinet repertoire) and to his specially commissioned work for this ECHO Rising Stars tour by Lanqing Ding, a fresh and inventive voice in contemporary music.

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Unsuk Chin Clarinet Concerto – Han Kim

June 7th 2025 at 20:00 – 22:00

Programme

Los Angeles Philharmonic
Hankyeol Yoon, conductor
Han Kim, clarinet
Inmo Yang, violin
Jaemin Han, cello
Unsuk Chin, curator

Mark Simpson – clarinet
Richard Uttley – piano

South Korea is home to an ever-expanding cohort of inventive composers with fresh ideas and talented performers who have made names for themselves at many of the world’s finest concert halls. In the second of two Seoul Festival programs with the LA Phil, composer Unsuk Chin curates a night showcasing Korean composers and artists who are shaping musical culture and building connections from Seoul to Los Angeles. Herbert von Karajan Award-winning conductor Hankyeol Yoon leads the LA Phil in a world premiere by Whan Ri-Ahn followed by Han Kim performing Unsuk Chin’s Clarinet Concerto, which was called “a musical, out-of-body experience” by the Financial Times.

Violinist Inmo Yang and cellist Jaemin Han embody a young generation of South Korean performers who have turned major international competition wins into thriving careers. Yang and Han—the 2022 Jean Sibelius Violin Competition winner and top prize at the 2021 George Enescu International Competition respectively—combine forces for Brahms’ Double Concerto, which offers a musical conversation for its two soloists moving between joy and turbulence.

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Unsuk Chin Clarinet Concerto – Han Kim

June 8th 2025 at 14:00 – 16:00

Programme

Los Angeles Philharmonic
Hankyeol Yoon, conductor
Han Kim, clarinet
Inmo Yang, violin
Jaemin Han, cello
Unsuk Chin, curator

Mark Simpson – clarinet
Richard Uttley – piano

South Korea is home to an ever-expanding cohort of inventive composers with fresh ideas and talented performers who have made names for themselves at many of the world’s finest concert halls. In the second of two Seoul Festival programs with the LA Phil, composer Unsuk Chin curates a night showcasing Korean composers and artists who are shaping musical culture and building connections from Seoul to Los Angeles. Herbert von Karajan Award-winning conductor Hankyeol Yoon leads the LA Phil in a world premiere by Whan Ri-Ahn followed by Han Kim performing Unsuk Chin’s Clarinet Concerto, which was called “a musical, out-of-body experience” by the Financial Times.

Violinist Inmo Yang and cellist Jaemin Han embody a young generation of South Korean performers who have turned major international competition wins into thriving careers. Yang and Han—the 2022 Jean Sibelius Violin Competition winner and top prize at the 2021 George Enescu International Competition respectively—combine forces for Brahms’ Double Concerto, which offers a musical conversation for its two soloists moving between joy and turbulence.

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Kammerakademie Potsdam | Martin Fröst

June 9th 2025 at 20:00 – 21:30

Programme

Brahms/Goran Fröst – Hungarian Dance No. 1
Weber – Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor op. 73
Bartók/Goran Fröst – Romanian Folk Dances SZ 56
Mozart – Symphony No. 38 in D major KV 504 “Prague”

Chamber Academy Potsdam
Martin Fröst – Clarinet and conductor

Off to the dance! Mozart would not be told twice. He loved social gatherings where things literally went round and round. Contemporaries attested to his immense urge to move. No wonder that this is also evident in countless of his compositions. From the “Prague Symphony”, for example, whose Presto finale makes it almost impossible to keep your feet still. In the program under the motto “Dance Mosaic”, Martin Fröst and the Kammerakademie Potsdam make the lively symphony the destination and head towards it with works that tell as much about dance as they do about (spiritual) relationships. Carl Maria von Weber’s Clarinet Concerto, for example, which naturally had an important model in the work of Weber’s cousin by marriage, Mozart. And there are also family ties in the program for the soloist and conductor himself: the “Romance Dances” are a joint work by the Swedish brothers Martin and Goran Fröst.

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Timeless Classics and New Beginnings
Dialogue of Minds

June 15th 2025 at 16:00 – 17:30

Programme

Rolf Martinsson – Suite Fantastique
Gerald Finzi – Five Bagatelles
Nicole Rubinova – TBA (world premiere)
Debussy – Premiere Rhapsodie
Margaret Sutherland – Clarinet Sonata
Mozart – Eine Kleine Nacht Musik

Kristina Newton – clarinet
Joel Slott – piano

Based in Gothenburg, Sweden, international duo Dialogue of Minds visits Burgh House in their second London tour.

Praised for their “great sensitivity” and technical virtuosity, British-Australian clarinettist Kristina Newton and Swedish pianist Joel Slott come together in an evening where timeless masters of classical music meet with exciting new voices of today.

The programme commences with the Australian Margaret Sutherland’s lyrical clarinet sonata. The energetic high points of Finzi’s ‘Five Bagatelles’ and Debussy’s romantic ‘Première Rhapsodie’ will both draw parallels with the alternatingly vivid and melodic ‘Suite Fantastique’ by Swedish composer and professor Rolf Martinsson.

Dialogue of Minds is also proud to present newly commissioned work by celebrated Swedish composer Nicole Rubinova. The programme will conclude with a joyful virtuosic arrangement of Mozart’s ‘Eine kleine Nachtmusik’.

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Timeless Classics and New Beginnings
Dialogue of Minds

June 18th 2025 at 19:30 – 21:00

Programme

Rolf Martinsson – Suite Fantastique
Gerald Finzi – Five Bagatelles
Nicole Rubinova – TBA (world premiere)
Debussy – Premiere Rhapsodie
Margaret Sutherland – Clarinet Sonata
Mozart – Eine Kleine Nacht Musik

Dialogue of Minds
Kristina Newton – clarinet
Joel Slott – piano

Based in Gothenburg, Sweden, international duo Dialogue of Minds visits the 1901 Arts Club in their second UK tour. Praised for their “great sensitivity”, British-Australian clarinetist Kristina Newton and Swedish pianist Joel Slott come together in an evening where timeless masters of classical music meet with exciting new voices of today.

The program commences with the alternatingly vivid and melodic Suite Fantastique, which will draw parallels with both the energetic high points of Finzi’s Five Bagatelles and the romantic Premiere Rhapsodie by Debussy.

Dialogue of Minds is also proud to present their newly commissioned work by Nicole Rubinova. The program will conclude with a joyful and virtuosic staple by Mozart.

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Timeless Classics and New Beginnings
Dialogue of Minds

June 19th 2025 at 19:30 – 21:00

Programme

Rolf Martinsson – Suite Fantastique
Gerald Finzi – Five Bagatelles
Nicole Rubinova – TBA (world premiere)
Debussy – Premiere Rhapsodie
Margaret Sutherland – Clarinet Sonata
Mozart – Eine Kleine Nacht Musik

Dialogue of Minds
Kristina Newton – clarinet
Joel Slott – piano

Based in Gothenburg, Sweden, international chamber duo Dialogue of Minds visits The Horton in their second UK tour.

Praised for their “great sensitivity” and technical virtuosity, British-Australian clarinettist Kristina Newton and Swedish pianist Joel Slott come together in an evening where timeless masters of classical music meet with exciting new voices of today.

The programme commences with the Australian Margaret Sutherland’s lyrical clarinet sonata. The energetic high points of Finzi’s ‘Five Bagatelles’ and Debussy’s romantic ‘Première Rhapsodie’ will both draw parallels with the alternatingly vivid and melodic ‘Suite Fantastique’ by Swedish composer and professor Rolf Martinsson.

Dialogue of Minds is also proud to present newly commissioned work by celebrated Swedish composer Nicole Rubinova. The programme will conclude with a joyful virtuosic arrangement of Mozart’s ‘Eine kleine Nachtmusik’.

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Timeless Classics and New Beginnings
Dialogue of Minds

June 21st 2025 at 19:30 – 21:00

Programme

Rolf Martinsson – Suite Fantastique
Gerald Finzi – Five Bagatelles
Nicole Rubinova – TBA (world premiere)
Debussy – Premiere Rhapsodie
Margaret Sutherland – Clarinet Sonata
Mozart – Eine Kleine Nacht Musik

Dialogue of Minds
Kristina Newton – clarinet
Joel Slott – piano

Based in Gothenburg, Sweden, international duo Dialogue of Minds visits St Pancras Clock Tower in their second London tour. Praised for their “great sensitivity” and technical virtuosity, British-Australian clarinetist Kristina Newton and Swedish pianist Joel Slott come together in an evening where timeless masters of classical music meet with exciting new voices of today.

The program commences with the Australian Margaret Sutherlands lyrical Clarinet Sonata. The energetic high points of Finzi’s Five Bagatelles and the romantic Premiere Rhapsodie by Debussy will both draw parallels with the alternatingly vivid and melodic Suite Fantastique by Swedish composer and professor Rolf Martinsson.

Dialogue of Minds is also proud to present their newly commissioned work by celebrated Swedish composer Nicole Rubinova. The program will conclude with a joyful a virtuosic arrangement of Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik.

Only 45 tickets will be available for this unique musical setting, inside the Clock Tower above Kings Cross Station! Enjoy the London skyline and share this intimate experience with us and other music lovers.

Additional information on the building:
The Clock Tower is within St. Pancras Chambers, the modern name for the former Midland Grand Hotel. a railway terminus hotel which was constructed at St. Pancras by the Midland Railway from 1868 to 1876, with the hotel opening in 1873.

The architect was George Gilbert Scott, the great proponent of the style known as the Gothic Revival, a Victorian style with echoes back to the Gothic era of the middle ages. The town hall at Armentières in north-eastern France was the inspiration behind much of the building.

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Felix Mendelssohn, Lachner, Mozart and more – Sabine Meyer

June 23rd 2025 at 13:00 – 14:00

Emma Johnson clarinet, conductor; Orchestra for the Environment

July 16th 2025 at 13:00 – 14:00

Mark Simpson & Richard Uttley

August 6th 2025 at 11:00 – 12:30

Programme

Sir James Macmillan – After The Tryst
Mark-Anthony Turnage – Cradle Song
Jay Capperauld – So My Tears Flow
Mark Simpson – Echoes and Embers
Brahms – Clarinet Sonata in F minor, Op.120 No.1
Zoë Martlew – Pyrrhos
Mark Simpson – Lov(escape)
Gavin Higgins – Three Broken Love Songs
Brahms – Clarinet Sonata in E flat, Op.120 No. 2

Mark Simpson – clarinet
Richard Uttley – piano

Mark Simpson brings dual talents as composer and clarinettist to an intimate programme featuring Johannes Brahms and his own works.

A virtuoso clarinettist with a ‘glittering composing career’ (The Arts Desk), Mark Simpson is joined on stage by Richard Uttley, Piano Professor at the Royal College of Music. Together, they perform a selection of Simpson’s own compositions alongside works by Brahms.

Since becoming the first-ever winner of both the BBC Young Musician of the Year and BBC Proms/Guardian Young Composer of the Year competitions in 2006, Simpson has forged a dual career, championing new music while delivering insightful, nuanced interpretations of the clarinet repertoire. Uttley is celebrated for the integrity and breadth of his musicianship as a soloist, chamber musician and recording artist.

Simpson’s performances of Brahms have been praised for their ‘real sense of shape and flow’ and ‘cathartic’ emotion (The Guardian), qualities that will bring out the warmth and richness of Brahms’s contemplative music.

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SCO – John Adams’ Gnarly Buttons – Maximiliano Martín

December 11th 2025 at 19:30 – 21:30

Programme

Adams – Shaker Loops
Adams – Gnarly Buttons
Adams – Fearful Symmetries

Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Andrew Manze – conductor
Maximiliano Martín – clarinet

Once a self-identifying minimalist, radical American composer John Adams quickly jumped from cool, hypnotic pulsations to red-hot emotion and vast cinematic soundscapes in his colourful, witty music. Experience that thrilling journey in three iconic pieces by this pioneering musician.

Minimalist classic Shaker Loops is a rippling soundscape of quivering energy – sometimes frenetic, sometimes meditative, but never less than mesmerisingly beautiful.

Mooing cows and ancient American hymns are among the inspirations behind Adams’ zany clarinet concerto Gnarly Buttons – played by charismatic SCO Principal Clarinet Maximiliano Martín – which blends humour and heart in music that spans jazz, pop, folk and the surging repetitions of minimalism. Fearful Symmetries is one of Adams’ boldest and brightest pieces, a high-energy workout of driving rhythms and larger-than-life orchestral sound.

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SCO – John Adams’ Gnarly Buttons – Maximiliano Martín

December 12th 2025 at 19:30 – 21:30

Programme

Adams – Shaker Loops
Adams – Gnarly Buttons
Adams – Fearful Symmetries

Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Andrew Manze – conductor
Maximiliano Martín – clarinet

Once a self-identifying minimalist, radical American composer John Adams quickly jumped from cool, hypnotic pulsations to red-hot emotion and vast cinematic soundscapes in his colourful, witty music. Experience that thrilling journey in three iconic pieces by this pioneering musician.

Minimalist classic Shaker Loops is a rippling soundscape of quivering energy – sometimes frenetic, sometimes meditative, but never less than mesmerisingly beautiful.

Mooing cows and ancient American hymns are among the inspirations behind Adams’ zany clarinet concerto Gnarly Buttons – played by charismatic SCO Principal Clarinet Maximiliano Martín – which blends humour and heart in music that spans jazz, pop, folk and the surging repetitions of minimalism. Fearful Symmetries is one of Adams’ boldest and brightest pieces, a high-energy workout of driving rhythms and larger-than-life orchestral sound.

Click on the button below to purchase ticket.