The power of the human spirit meets the full force of 90 musicians.

Not all heroes wear capes. With the explosive opening of his Eroica symphony, Beethoven blew classical music wide open, and for Kazuki Yamada, this performance will be another landmark in his relationship with the CBSO. Don Quixote, meanwhile, wore rusty armour and tilted at windmills – but Strauss’s warm-hearted portrait of the mad knight makes an irresistible showcase for two of the CBSO’s home-grown stars.

On Thursday 30 November, we announced a new vision and period of exploration for the CBSO (which you can read more about here), centred around reimagining the concert experience and connecting with our amazing city.

The first performance in which we will explore what a different CBSO concert might look like, is this one. The new concert presentation willexplore different concepts of ‘the hero’. Conceived by Tom Morris and Kazuki Yamada, in collaboration with the orchestra, the performance will use projected images and film, creative lighting and enhanced staging to allow you, the audience, to see the more of the structure of the music as it unfolds.

In the first half, narrative is key, and by revealing the story within Strauss’ tale of a mad knight, a mixture of found, filmed and live footage will guide the audience through the adventures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza – brilliantly characterised by two of the orchestra’s own musicians, cellist Eduardo Vassallo and violist Chris Yates. For Beethoven’s explosive Third Symphony, the presentation is more abstract, using lighting and projection to explore the idea of heroism, what it means for the orchestra, what it meant to Beethoven, and what it might mean for the audience.

We can't wait to share this with you and see what you think!