Listening Club: Revolutionaries (Beethoven and Jimi Hendrix)

Join Joanna MacGregor as she dives deeper into the music of our April concert, Revolution.

Our final concert of the season combines two musical revolutionaries, Beethoven and Jimi Hendrix, presented by one of the UK’s most beloved musicians, the irrepressible Nigel Kennedy. He’s celebrating his 70th year with the BPO, in an exclusive performance.

Join Joanna MacGregor in her exploration of Beethoven’s heroic violin concerto, tracing its explosive innovation and influence. From a bumpy premiere in 1806 to its triumphant championing by Joachim and Mendelssohn, the concerto is now seen as one of the pinnacles of the repertoire. We’ll explore, too, the new arrangements of Jimi Hendrix’s music Nigel will be playing with the orchestra, discussing how Hendrix stands at the cultural intersection of blues, jazz, soul and rock.

Designed to illuminate and entertain, our new series The Listening Club delves deep into this season’s music, uncovering composers’ intentions, social context, and musical motifs to listen out for. Most importantly, we’ll have fun.

‘Thanks too for Joanna’s concise but cogent introductions. The enthusiasm of her live comments makes these performances that bit more special!’ – Andrew Connal

This is a companion event to BPO's concert Revolution. Tickets sold separately.