Birmingham fills up on £1 tickets
OrchestrasThe City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s Season of Joy opened last night with Beethoven’s ninth symphony to a packed house.
A correspondent writes: ‘The near-capacity audience was bolstered by an offer of tickets for a pound for those with a Birmingham postcode willing to queue for the special offer.’
The blurb about filming has been amended to this: We are happy for you to take photos and short videos at our concerts during applause breaks. We ask that you are mindful of disturbing artists and other audience members. Please dim the brightness on your phone, and do not use your flash.
Review here.
So…they filled the hall with affordable tickets for residents who wanted to attend (and with a serious program, not some dumbed down crossover), and they have a policy on filming that exactly matches what literally every other hall and orchestra does.
Got it.
Yes, quite. I was there last night and it was a complete triumph: the chorus, orchestra and Kazuki were on fire. Strauss’ Metamorphosen has never sounded so intense and lovely to me. One does wonder why this simple change of filming / photography policy could not have been effected immediately after the Bostridge debacle. It does smack of CEO recalcitrance? “I’m not going to be told what to do by you bloody lot…” A great deal of bad blood would have been saved had the whole thing been sorted straight away back then. In the meantime – superb start to the season. Bravo CBSO + Chorus + Kazuki.
It was recorded and will be broadcast on Radio 3 on Monday.
Stenning’s behaviour back then was inexplicable. What was she trying to gain by antagonising subscribers?
Very glad to see the change to the policy. I’m sure Birmingham concertgoers want to support Stenning if she is showing genuine support to the music and orchestra too.
Yes, inexplicable. Except I have come across this kind of stubbornness before many times – “I am right and you lot can go hang.” It is the nature of the beast and nowt will change it – you watch – I have said this before. Look at the absurd contradictions in emails she made about the filming policy: nothing but contempt for us CBSO supporters. She clearly thinks we are inferior beings.
Let us hope so, Brummie. Though my mischievous side might yet wish that Stenning have just a brief relapse, if only because I so miss the satirical joys of “I Support Emma” (and I’d also then have the incentive to polish up my interview with ISE).
Fair and shrewd review in The Times also (sadly behind paywall). https://www.thetimes.com/culture/classical-opera/article/cbso-yamada-review-an-affecting-collection-of-farewells-qwtrzkl2h
Great to see so much positivity at the start of a new season – I hope to goodness it can continue and everyone can work together for the orchestra and its music’s sake!
It was a wonderful night! Full house and a standing ovation. Amazing atmosphere.
So glad the £1 ticket scheme has helped – it’s a good news story for a city and an orchestra who’ve had a rough time.
Exactly what the doctor ordered! Great start to the season.
Oh dear. So standing ovations have spread from theatres to concert halls. If you won’t or can’t stand, you can only see the backside of the person in front you when you applaud.
I am afraid this comment is curmugeonly. I too dislike endless and needless ovations – but please agree that there are times when it is merited – and this was one. Besides – this orchestra – and many others – need all the encourgement and support they can get at the moment. It is a tad joyless to think and suggest otherwise.
Another great initiative from the CBSO team, building on the recent ‘CBSO in the city’ week. Keep up the good work!
Great to see a full hall anywhere these days. CBSO’s website is also advertising for a Planning Director role who can hopefully help steer Stenning the right way forwards (and at £65k salary, it should be a good one)
I think Ms Stenning has proved again and again that she will not listen to reason – don’t forget that she simply would not alter the filming policy immediately after Bostridge. Heels dug in further. Time will tell. In the meantime – the orchestra suffers. She has her own agenda, I fear. But yes, Bravo CBSO last night.
Hurray well done CBSO! It is a very positive move and has got many more people, who wouldn’t otherwise attend, engage. I fail to see how you can possibly make this a negative! As professional musicians we are fearing for our livelihoods on a daily basis and the continuation of our art form. Please only helpful posts!
Critical can also be helpful (see my comment above on the filming policy).
Whatever the merits of getting more people into the hall and hearing a (by all accounts) rousing performance, it sounds like a financial loss-leader to me – the orchestra can’t do this very often I would not have thought. A decent initiative though, so I applaud them for that.
They sold a few hundred pairs of tickets at £1, targetting first-time concertgoers, spread across the entire season of 50+ concerts. The hall seats around 2,200 people and there have been hundreds of seats empty for most concerts since Simon Rattle left Birmingham over 25 years ago. It’s a no brainer to fill some of the empty seats while de-risking attending for the first time through initiatives of this sort. Bravo CBSO. Less smart has been the price increase for low priced seats for regulars who can’t afford more.
Did they open the Grand Tier for this ? It was already very well sold prior to this offer.
They did open the Grand Tier, which was also almost full to capacity. And yes, it was a well-selling concert even before the £1 ticket offer was made. I’ve paid a lot more per concert for my seats, but I don’t for one minute begrudge the special offer: my impression is that a lot of people who have never been to a CBSO concert before bought tickets, and I applaud the initiative.
Yes, and yes. But it was so heart-warming to see it full. That was partly the programming, partly the “start of season”, partly Kazuki (Bham audiences love him) and of course the great orchestra itself. If you care to look at the booking for the woke “CBSO Explores” stuff – they are selling appallingly. Easy lessons there, CEO! Those lessons will be ignored, though… I do wonder what the musicians think.
Yes I was in the grand tier Great to see the hall full
People on the whole seemed very sensible regarding phones
Excellent start to the season
The Strauss especially was wonderful
I last heard it live when the VPO and Rattle did it at Symph Hall
To be honest I think the CBSO strings last night were even better
Bravo
This £1 special offer was only for 2 tickets across the whole season, not just for this concert.