Though Royal Birmingham Conservatoire has recently launched its year-long Opening Festival, in fact ever since the magnificent new building opened its doors to the current academic year last September it has been adding further jewels to Birmingham鈥檚 cultural crown.
In March the CBSO鈥檚 Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla conducted the RBC Symphony Orchestra in a Royal Gala concert attended by the RBC鈥檚 patron, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and a couple of weeks ago the first concert of the festival featured a genial Peter and the Wolf narrated by Birmingham City University Chancellor Sir Lenny Henry, accompanied by the expert RBC Pops Orchestra under Christopher Houlding That event was recorded and broadcast by Classic FM.
RBC Principal Julian Lloyd Webber shares my enthusiastic reaction to that concert.
鈥淵es, Sir Lenny鈥檚 performance was brilliant,鈥 he says, 鈥渁nd both the BBC and Classic FM have really taken to RBC鈥檚 beautiful concert hall because it is completely sound-proof, no outside noise at all, which makes it ideal for recording.鈥
And RBC achieved another triumph just two weekends ago, when 16-year-old Lauren Chang from King Edward鈥檚 High School for Girls, Edgbaston, and a Saturday student at the Junior Conservatoire, won the BBC Young Musician competition with a stunning account of Prokofiev鈥檚 Second Piano Concerto, accompanied by the CBSO conducted by Mark Wigglesworth. Julian expands on the significance of this event.
鈥淭he Conservatoire鈥檚 recent success with Lauren really demonstrates the depth of Birmingham鈥檚 classical music scene. Firstly Lauren herself is a phenomenon 鈥 one of the finest young talents I have ever heard. Then the final itself was held in the city鈥檚 magnificent Symphony Hall and the orchestra on the night was the wonderful CBSO.鈥
Among the attractions of this term鈥檚 segment of the Opening Festival are a visit from the legendary pianist Paul Badura-Skoda, a pupil of the great Edwin Fischer (June 12, 7pm), a two-day celebration of the music of Sir Arnold Bax (June 18 and 19), and a lunchtime recital from saxophonist Jess Gillam, a finalist in the 2016 BBC Young Musician competition.
And there will be a happy return of the conductor Barry Wordsworth, whose Verdi Requiem, which he took over at the eleventh hour, closed the old Conservatoire鈥檚 Adrian Boult Hall with such style and colour two years ago. This time round he presides over A Queer Concerto for Nine Saxophones and Orchestra by RBC deputy head of composition Michael Wolters, and ballet repertoire, including Stravinsky鈥檚 Firebird (June 29, 7pm).
鈥淲e are planning exciting events all the time,鈥 Julian enthuses. 鈥淥ur department heads for individual instruments have great personal contacts so we have a constant stream of top visiting musicians.
鈥樷榃ithout giving too much away I know that we will be having a return visit from the soprano Danielle de Niese, and composer John Rutter will be conducting a special Easter concert of his music.鈥
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire now has its own professional orchestra-in-residence, with Orchestra of the Swan鈥檚 first concert on May 28 (2.30pm, pre-concert talk with me at 1.30pm), with Julian on the baton.
鈥淚鈥檓 really looking forward to it,鈥 he beams, 鈥渆specially as I will be conducting my fellow-cellist wife Jiaxin and her brilliant Chinese compatriot, Jian Wang in lovely pieces for cello. And the Elgar works are also great favourites of mine. I have worked with the Orchestra of the Swan many times as a soloist so I know the players really well. It鈥檚 always a brilliant feeling of mutual collaboration in concert.鈥
With EastSide still something of an unknown quantity for some concert-goers, how are attendances? And is there any possibility of a taxi-rank being established?
鈥淥ur attendances are steadily building 鈥 and many of our events are sold out. As a Londoner for many years I find it extraordinary that people think twice about walking for 15 minutes. I lost count of the number of times it took me an hour trying to find the Barbican! Regarding the obviously essential 鈥榩ull in鈥 for taxis, etc, you鈥檒l have to ask the council who I have written to many times without receiving a reply鈥︹欌
We conclude by discussing something really important: the Conservatoire鈥檚 own special beer blended to Julian鈥檚 own cultured and experienced taste. Can we look forward to quaffing it into the future, and what did His Royal Highness Prince Edward think of it? Julian smiles.
鈥淲ye Valley Brewery鈥檚 wonderful Conservatoire Ale will certainly be continuing. We are having to order three times the number of barrels originally predicted! The Principal鈥檚 Ale was widely available at the post-concert reception following our Opening Gala, and HRH was certainly made aware!鈥
