Concerts

This Christmas The University of Sheffield Concert Series is proud to present The Snowman and Peter and the Wolf LIVE! A perfect, festive event for all the family. Date: Saturday 19th December Time: 13:30, 19:00 Venue: Firth Hall Tickets: Advanced: £12, £8 (under 18 ) Family Ticket (4 people, up to 2 adults): £30 On the Door: £15, £10 (under 18 ) Family Ticket (4 people, up to 2 adults): £40 TICKETS FOR THIS EVENT ARE ONLY AVAILABLE ONLINE http://concerts.sheffield.ac.uk/tickets Raymond Briggs' spellbinding tale of a snowman that comes to life, and his adventures with the little boy who built him, is magically brought to life by the Sheffield Rep Orchestra. This timeless animated classic is screened with live orchestra, alongside a performance of Prokofiev's introduction to the instruments of the orchestra, told through the story of the brave boy Peter and his quest to catch a Wolf. A Christmas treat for all the family! Generously supported by BresMed Health Solutions LTD © Snowman Enterprises Limited 2015 “The Snowman” by Raymond Briggs is published by Puffin

The University of Sheffield Concert Series is proud to present The Snowman and Peter and the Wolf LIVE! Date: Saturday 19th December Time: 13:30, 19:00 Venue: Firth Hall Tickets: Advanced: £12, £8 (under 18 ) Family Ticket (4 people, up to 2 adults): £30 On the Door: £15, £10 (under 18 ) Family Ticket (4 people, up to 2 adults): £40 TICKETS FOR THIS EVENT ARE ONLY AVAILABLE ONLINE http://concerts.sheffield.ac.uk/tickets Raymond Briggs' spellbinding tale of a snowman that comes to life, and his adventures with the little boy who built him, is magically brought to life by the Sheffield Rep Orchestra. This timeless animated classic is screened with live orchestra, alongside a performance of Prokofiev's introduction to the instruments of the orchestra, told through the story of the brave boy Peter and his quest to catch a Wolf. A Christmas treat for all the family! Generously supported by BresMed Health Solutions LTD © Snowman Enterprises Limited 2015 “The Snowman” by Raymond Briggs is published by Puffin

Icy landscapes and glittering snowfields… Rugged coastlines with mountains plunging into the sea… Summer days with the midnight suns giving way to long dark winters… The mysterious Northern Lights… Whilst conjuring up images of breath-taking natural Nordic beauty we welcome you to the final events in Sheffield University Concerts’ Nordic Spring Series. Sacconi Quartet Tuesday 14 April, 19:30, Firth Hall Recognised for their fresh and imaginative approach, the acclaimed Sacconi Quartet showcase the works of two giants of Nordic music, performing Sibelius’s profoundly intense and atmospheric ‘Intimate Voices’, and, one of Carl Nielsen’s most popular chamber music works, the masterful ‘String Quartet in G minor’. Anna Huntley (mezzo soprano) & Simon Lepper (piano) Tuesday 21 April, 19:30, Firth Hall One of the most gifted accompanists of his generation joins forces with fast rising British talent to perform a thrilling programme of song. Miracle marriages of music and poetry are presented in Grieg’s rarely performed darkly erotic masterpiece ‘Haugtussa’ (The Mountain Maid) combined with sublime songs by Delius, Poulenc and Britten. For info and tickets visit: http://concerts.sheffield.ac.uk Find us on Facebook and Twitter: ShefUniConcerts

Keystone Studios used this headline to advertise their legendary star comedian to international audiences. Are you ready? The #ChaplinBoom is coming to Sheffield. Toothbrush moustache, bowler hat, tight jacket, baggy pants and oversized shoes... Charlie Chaplin's Tramp erupted onto the big screen 100 years ago becoming one of the most instantly recognisable characters of all time. Alongside some of Sheffield's most vibrant arts organisations delve into Chaplin's life, work as an actor, director, musician, composer and all round innovator. Full programme via our website: http://concerts.sheffield.ac.uk/whats-on/?tags=Chaplin&filter=yes

Tuesday 04 March, 19:30, Firth Hall Duration: 90 minutes + 20 minute interval Tickets: £8.50, £6 (concessions-over 60s), £3 (under 26s, students, unwaged) One of the UK’s premier chamber ensembles the “brilliant Endymion” (Sunday Times) execute world-class music. Join us on an illuminating journey from the joyous chirrups of the violin in one of Beethoven’s most famous works to the moving stillness at the end of Ligeti’s masterful horn trio. Ligeti’s inspiration was not the hunting calls and folk tunes in the outer movements of Brahms‘ horn trio, but the work’s second movement, a deeply compelling elegy to the memory of his mother. Beethoven: Violin Sonata No.10 in G major, Op. 96 Ligeti: Trio for horn, violin and piano, ‘Hommage à Brahms’ Brahms: Trio for horn, violin and piano in E flat major, Op. 40 Krysia Osostowicz (violin) Stephen Stirling (horn) Michael Dussek (piano)

Tuesday 18 February, 19:30, Firth Hall Duration: 90 minutes + 20 minute interval Tickets: £8.50, £6 (concessions-over 60s), £3 (under 26s, students, unwaged) Ensemble DeNote revitalise masterpieces of the past. Bringing together performers and scholars of historically-informed performance they recreate the dazzling soundworld of colours, textures and instruments familiar to the composers themselves. Listen to fresh perspectives on the groundbreaking Mozart ‘Piano Quartet’ which unleashes the piano from its former accompanying role. Haydn demonstrates intimacy and innocence in the ‘Piano Sonata in G’ and Hummel’s ‘Clarinet Quartet’ features an exquisite slow movement. A young Beethoven offers a glimpse of what’s to come as he exuberantly explores the relationship between the strings and piano capturing his virtuosity as both composer and performer. Mozart: Piano Quartet in G minor, K.478 Hummel: Clarinet Quartet in B flat Haydn: Piano Sonata in G, Hob. XVI:40 Beethoven: Piano Quartet in E flat, Op.16 Peter Hanson (violin) Peter Collyer (viola) Jennifer Morsches (cello) Jane Booth (clarinet) John Irving (fortepiano)

Beat the traffic, avoid the public transport rush and unwind before going home after a hard day’s work. These informal concerts provide great affordable music for all people, including those with busy lifestyles who cannot make our evening and lunchtime concerts. All concerts take place at Firth Court (Firth Hall) at 17:30. Doors open at 17:00 Duration: 1 hour Tickets: £2.50 (only available on the door) Monday 18 November Jessop Voices - 1st year undergraduate choir

Friday 25, Saturday 26, Sunday 27 October, 19:30, Firth Hall Duration: 100 minutes plus 20 minutes interval Tickets: £12, £10 (concessions) Benjamin Britten was given the idea for an opera based on Henry James’s ghost story by Myfanwy Piper, wife of the artist John Piper. The Pipers had a close friendship with Britten, John Piper provided several set designs for Britten’s operas and Myfanwy would go on to write the librettos for the operas Owen Wingrave and ‘Death in Venice’ in addition to 'Turn of the Screw.' With an additional underlying theme on the corruption of innocence, it’s obvious why this story would have attracted Britten. Written in 1954 Turn of the Screw is a tale of good versus evil, natural versus the supernatural, and possession and exorcism, when two orphaned children living in a country house come under the evil influence of the ghosts of the former valet and governess. The new governess attempts to counteract the situation, with disastrous consequences. Brilliantly scored, the majority of musical material is derived from the twelve-note ‘Screw’ theme heard near the work’s opening, giving a feeling of intensity and claustrophobia. Steel Opera Steel Opera is Sheffield’s only professional chamber opera company and comprised of young musicians who are dedicated to bringing more opera to the region and into the 21st century.

Beat the traffic, avoid the public transport rush and unwind before going home after a hard day’s work. These informal concerts provide great affordable music for all people, including those with busy lifestyles who cannot make our evening and lunchtime concerts. All concerts take place at Firth Court (Firth Hall) at 17:30. Doors open at 17:00 Duration: 1 hour Tickets: £2.50 (only available on the door) Monday 14 October Sheffield University Rep Orchestra, Stewart Campbell (tenor), Tom James (horn), George Morton (conductor) http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/concerts/whatson/rushhour

Tuesday 15 October, 19:30, Firth Hall Duration: 90 minutes + 20 minute interval Tickets: £8.50, £6 (concessions-over 60s), £3 (under 26s, students, unwaged) The composer Benjamin Britten and poet WH Auden met in 1935 and quickly developed a close friendship and collaborative working relationship. Through the General Post Office Film unit they created short films with Britten providing music for Auden’s texts. Britten went on to set a number of Auden’s poems to music including ‘Fish in the unruffled lakes’ ‘On This Island’ and ‘Cabaret Songs’. Utter:Jazz weave their intimate chamber improvisations through Britten’s rich melodies and harmonies, evolving each song through a kaleidoscope of jazz and world music influences. These beautifully re-imagined versions of songs from the above works are complemented by readings of WH Auden poetry by Roger Lloyd Pack. Ruthie Culver (singer) Dan Hewson (piano) Jonny Gee (double bass) Andrea Trillo (drums) Mick Foster (saxophone & clarinet) Utter:Jazz is an exciting quintet injecting a new dimension into jazz and poetry. Members have appeared with Ravi Shankar, STOMP, Groove Armada, Cleo Laine, Nigel Kennedy, Herbie Hancock, The Sixteen, English Touring Opera, King Salsa, Antonio Forcione and Jarvis cocker – but not all at once. Roger Lloyd Pack has appeared extensively in theatre, including at the National Theatre and The Royal court, but is probably best known for his TV roles in ‘Only Fools and Horses’ and ‘The vicar of Dibley’, and as Barty crouch in ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’. He recently appeared in the films ‘Made in Dagenham’ and ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ as well as in the West End and Shakespeare’s Globe in ‘Richard III’ and ‘Twelfth Night’. Part of the Off the Shelf Festival of Words http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/concerts/whatson/eveningconcerts/utterjazz

Britten and Folksong Saturday 15 June, 19:30, Holy Trinity Church, Millhouses S7 2GY Duration: 2 hours with 15 minute interval Tickets: £10, £5 (students, under 18s) It was while Britten was in America that he began to arrange traditional folksongs. Perhaps it helped the homesick composer to connect with his English roots; it certainly also provided a lighter repertoire for his recitals with Peter Pears. His interest in arranging these songs would be life-long: Britten wrote six volumes of songs in total, taking material from England, Scotland, Ireland, and France. He said of the songs that he was attracted to the ‘weakness of tunes, which seldom have any striking rhythms or memorable melodic features’. In reinterpreting the songs, though, Britten’s distinctive harmonic language adds an extra dimension, making them anything but weak – rather, they are full of colour and passion. Here, Albion and Britten find common ground. Both celebrate the rich musical heritage of “these islands” through reimagining the songs we grew up with. As Britten re-wrote songs of Purcell, Dowland, and authors unknown, now Albion paint afresh some of Britten’s best-loved songs, including Greensleeves, Early one morning, and The water is wide. In this special concert in the warm acoustic of Holy Trinity Church in Millhouses, the two traditions unite. Alongside brand-new Albion arrangements of folksongs made popular by Britten, the concert also features the solo-song repertoire of Britten and his contemporaries, plus some special surprises. Albion sings the music of "these islands" – England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales – and further afield, rich traditions of folksong, plainchant, madrigals, and part-songs, and from a literary heritage that spans a millennium and covers Burns, Blake, Chaucer, Traherne, and Owen. The choir draw inspiration from music and words ancient and modern, and from a deep connection to the land and its peoples. Working without a conductor and singing largely from memory, the choir strives to create a natural, beautiful sound that springs from a place deep within. The choir sing music that is familiar, but perform it in a new, different way that draws in listeners from all around. Click here for more information + ticket purchase Click here to visit Albion's Website

Britten, Rostropovich and the Cello Tuesday 07 May, 19:30, Sheffield University Firth Hall, Western Bank, S10 2TN Duration: 90 minutes with 20 minute interval Tickets: £8.50, £6 (concessions), £3 (students, unwaged, under 26) Click here for more information Beethoven: Cello Sonata No.5 in D major Op.102/2 Britten: Cello Suite No.1, Op. 72 Britten: Cello Sonata in C major, Op. 65 Beethoven: Cello Sonata No.4 in C major Op.102/1 After their chance meeting at concert in 1960 when Britten described Rostropovich’s playing as 'the most extraordinary cello playing I'd ever heard' the composer arranged a meeting with the cellist the following day. The product of this meeting would be their first of many collaborations, the cello Sonata, which would proceed three unaccompanied cello Suites, the ‘Cello Symphony’, in addition to the song cycle ‘The Poet's Echo’ and the solos in the ‘War Requiem’ for Rostropovich’s wife Galina Vishnevskaya. Vishnevskaya describes this energetic sonata as a portrait of her husband ‘now high and expressive, now low and grumbling, now gay and carefree.’ The pair debuted the work in the 1961 Aldeburgh Festival. A few years later after hearing Rostropovich play the Bach ‘Solo Cello Suites’ Britten took it upon himself to write a Solo cello Suite for Rostropovich as a Christmas gift in 1964. This virtuosic work features a series of nine very distinct character pieces that fully explore the expressive and technical possibilities of the instrument. Natalie Clein (cello) Alasdair Beatson (piano) Natalie Clein has been described by the Times as a "mesmerising" cellist who "plays everything with passion". Natalie came to widespread attention at the age of sixteen when she won both the BBC Young Musician of the Year and the Eurovision Competition for Young Musicians. Natalie has performed with orchestras including the Philharmonia, Hallé, Royal Philharmonic, Vienna Chamber, Bournemouth Symphony, Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, City of Birmingham Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Orchestre de Lyon, New Zealand Symphony and Orquesta Filarmónica de Buenos Aires, with conductors including Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Mark Elder, Gennardi Rozhdestvensky, Heinrich Schiff, Sir Neville Marriner and Mark Wigglesworth. In recital Natalie has appeared at venues including the Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw, Lincoln Centre, at the BBC Proms, Aldeburgh Proms, Manchester International Festival, and in Salzburg, Vienna, Tokyo, Sydney and Seoul.

Hannah Robbins (soprano) Thursday 18 April, Firth Hall, 13:10 (Doors open at 12:45) Music to include: Wagner: Wesendonck song cycle Poulenc: Les Fiançailles pour Rire Verdi: Caro Nome Hannah Marie Robbins is a final year soprano studying under Carol Smith. She is currently preparing for a performance of Britten's Cabaret Songs as part of the University of Sheffield's A Boy Was Born Festival, Mrs Sem in Britten's Noye's Fludde for London choral society Queens Park Singers, and her end of degree recital. Click here for more information

Simon Armitage, Department of Music Students – Britten + WH Auden Sunday 05 May, 19:30, Sheffield University Firth Hall, Western Bank, S10 2TN Duration: 90 minutes with 20 minute interval Tickets: £8.50, £6 (concessions), £3 (students, unwaged, under 26) Click here for more information Britten and poet WH Auden met in 1935 and quickly developed a close friendship and collaborative working relationship. Through the General Post Office Film Unit they created short films, Britten providing music for Auden’s texts, including the iconic documentary film ‘Night Mail’. The two young men mutually influenced each other's work, and developed their political and artistic views alongside each other and Auden, already an established poet, admired the young composer's "extraordinary musical sensitivity in relation to the English language". Britten and Pears followed Auden to America, where they collaborated on a number of substantial works together. Britten settings of Auden poems, including the jazzy cabaret Songs and the compelling song cycle On This Island, (Britten’s first published song cycle) are performed by students from the Department of Music. Interspersed are readings of Auden poetry by Simon Armitage, and insight into Britten and Auden’s relationship by musicologist Dr Kate Kennedy. The evening includes the premiere of a new song cycle of Simon Armitage’s poems by Department of Music composers. As part of the university of Sheffield’s Lyric Festival 2013 Click here to visit the Lyric Festival's Website

Sacconi String Quartet – String Quartet No. 2 Tuesday 30 April, 19:30, Sheffield University Firth Hall, Western Bank, S10 2TN Duration: 90 minutes with 20 minute interval Tickets: £8.50, £6 (concessions), £3 (students, unwaged, under 26) Click here for more information Shostakovich: Two Pieces for string quartet (1931) Haydn: String Quartet in C, Op. 20, no. 2 Bridge: Three Novelletten for string quartet Britten: String Quartet No. 2 in C, Op. 36 In 1945 England’s musical world marked the 250th anniversary of the death of Henry Purcell. Purcell’s music greatly influenced Britten, and this is particularly evident in the realisation (or arrangements) of Purcell songs composed in the same year, The ‘Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra’ and in the Second String Quartet. The quartet opens with an exploration of harmonies, textures and rhythms with Britten’s distinctive style creating fresh sounds for string ensemble, followed by a virtuosic middle movement full of invention and rhythmic drive. The third and final movement of the quartet has the name "Chacony", Purcell's term for "Chaconne” a baroque musical form. A set of variations on a ground-bass the movement is magnificent both structurally and musically, and among the finest ground-bass movements ever written for string quartet. Sacconi Quartet Ben Hancox (violin) Hannah Dawson (violin) Robin Ashwell (viola) Cara Berridge (cello) Since its formation at the Royal College of Music in 2001, the Sacconi Quartet has established a secure and substantial reputation. The Quartet is recognised for its unanimous and compelling ensemble, performing with style and commitment and consistently communicating with a fresh and imaginative approach. Over the past decade they have enjoyed a highly successful international career, performing regularly throughout Europe, at London’s major venues, in recordings and radio broadcasts.