michael nyman 70th birthday

Celebrated British composer, Michael Nyman, will mark his 70th Birthday with a series of special events, ending at London’s Royal Festival Hall on 30th April, where he will feature two of his concertos and present the UK premiere performance of the first of a series of symphonies with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphony No.2. 

Prior to this date, Nyman will present with the Michael Nyman Band, four shows, coinciding with the band’s 40th anniversary, with special dates in Gateshead (22nd April), Edinburgh (23rd April), Liverpool (25th April) and Bristol (28th April). 

The London concert, presented by BBC Radio 3’s Petroc Trelawny, will see his first concerto, ‘Where The Bee Dances’, for soprano saxophone performed, which was originally written in 1991 (though heavily revised for this concert), and one of this more recent concertos, for violinist Gidon Kremer receive its UK premiere. 

In what will also be a UK premiere, the concert will also present for the first time one of Nyman’s [projected] 19 symphonies – No. 2. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will be conducted by Josep Vicent, who has worked extensively with Michael Nyman on several projects in recent years, including the recording of Symphony No.2. 

VIP “In Conversation With…” tickets are also available. Hosted by Petroc Trelawny, he will be interviewing Michael about his career before the concert. As part of this package, VIP ticket holders will also get a signed piece of the manuscript from the World Premiere of  Symphony No.2, a CD copy

of the symphony, and a meet and greet.