News – Saxophones in the City: Budding Birmingham talent to perform with star saxophonist Jess Gillam

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published by Ben Hogwood from the press release. Picture of Jess Gillam (c) Robin Clewley

Amateur musicians of all ages will get the chance to rehearse and perform with award-winning saxophonist and CBSO Collaborative Artist Jess Gillam as part of ‘CBSO in the City’ which will bring free performances to iconic spaces across Birmingham this summer (27-31 August) for the third year.

The next generation of Birmingham’s musical talent is set to receive a vital boost this summer, with a new ‘come and play’ initiative launched by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO). As part of the upcoming CBSO in the City, Birmingham-based saxophonists and clarinettists will have the chance to rehearse and perform with CBSO Collaborative Artist Jess Gillam. As she prepares to embark on her first season as a Collaborative Artist, Jess will lead amateur musicians in a rehearsal session on Saturday 29 August, before performing with the massed saxophone and clarinet ensemble in the city-centre’s vibrant waterside gathering spot, Brindley Place.

CBSO Collaborative Artist Jess Gillam said: “I’m so looking forward to my first season with the CBSO as a Collaborative Artist, alongside some amazing upcoming concerts, I’m also looking forward to deepening my relationship with Birmingham community. This event is the perfect way to do this, and it’s a great opportunity for aspiring musicians of all ages to boost their skills and get together for some inspiring ensemble playing. At a time when music education is so often underfunded and undervalued, this is our chance to show that the next generation deserves high-quality learning and performance opportunities – wherever they’re based.”

Keen musicians of all ages are invited to sign up on the CBSO website until midday on 20 July. Rehearsal sessions will take place on the morning of Saturday 29 August at the CBSO Centre, while the performance will take place that afternoon in Brindley Place.

The CBSO’s annual Birmingham-wide CBSO in the City festival returns for 2026 with five days of free music running from Thursday 27 to Monday 31 August across the summer bank holiday weekend. The 2026 programme will present performances from full orchestral spectacles to duos, quartets and free family concerts.

At a time when classical music is working ever harder to reach new audiences, the CBSO continues its mission to serve the whole city of Birmingham. Orchestral players will meet local audiences wherever they are: presenting music in stations and on local transport as well as in the city’s most iconic spaces (and beyond), from the Bullring and Botanical Gardens to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the Black Country Living Museum.

CBSO Chief Executive Emma Stenning said: “Birmingham is a city that holds its cultural life with real conviction. The pride people feel in this orchestra, the breadth of what they listen to, the generosity with which they engage with music that’s new to them – that’s something Birmingham brings, and we celebrate. Everything begins here. And if we’re serious about being Birmingham’s orchestra – not just in name but in practice – then we have to bring music to the city, not as something separate from daily life, but woven through it.”

CBSO in the City is generously supported by John Osborn CBE.

While all events are free and unticketed, standard admission applies at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, RBSA Gallery and Black Country Living Museum.

Published post no.2,933 – Tuesday 30 June 2026

Playlist: Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment @ 40

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by Ben Hogwood

This month, London’s Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment have been celebrating their 40th birthday…so Arcana have taken the opportunity to join in the celebrations by crafting a playlist from their discography. If you click here, you can enjoy a selection including works by Rameau, Handel, Brahms and Mahler:

https://tidal.com/playlist/8fb15e7f-d576-4eee-af5e-b59c2b33f86a

Published post no.2,932 – Monday 29 June 2026

Vinyl revival – Holst: The Planets (Ormandy)

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by Ben Hogwood

The third in our occasional series on Arcana…sharing vinyl purchases from charity shops in a particularly productive week!

Costing just 50p, this most recent example is the 1975 recording of Holst’s The Planets, one of the best-travelled British compositions of the 20th century. In the final planet, Neptune, Ormandy is assisted by the Women’s Voices Of The Mendelssohn Club Of Philadelphia:

Published post no.2,931 – Sunday 28 June 2026

Podcast – Whisky High Notes

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by Ben Hogwood

In something of a rarity for the Arcana pages, I’m very pleased to say I have made a guest appearance on Naomi Belshaw‘s very excellent Whisky High Notes podcast. The idea is to pick four meaningful pieces of classical music and present them to Naomi, who thoughtfully and creatively pairs each with a whisky.

My appearance is on episode four, which you can watch below:

I would strongly encourage you to watch the rest of the series, whose contributors so far include artistic director of King’s Place Sam McShane, viola player Dan Shalliday and composer Dobrinka Tabakova. Click here to access the Whisky High Notes homepage

Published post no.2,930 – Saturday 27 June 2026

On this day 100 years ago – the first performance of Janáček’s Sinfonietta

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by Ben Hogwood. Picture of Janáček used courtesy of Wikipedia, unknown author

On this day, 100 years ago, the first performance of Janáček’s Sinfonietta took place in Prague, under the direction of Václav Talich.

Arcana has examined this piece before, but in a very different context – as approached by Emerson, Lake & Palmer! Here are the details of Knife-Edge:

What tune does it use?

The first movement of the Sinfonietta, by Leoš Janáček (born on this day in 1854):

The Sinfonietta is a thrilling orchestral work, begun with a powerful brass fanfare but containing five incident-packed movements.

How does it work?

The main melody of the first movement Fanfare is the basis for Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s song, but in his keyboard part Keith Emerson refers to other parts of the work.

Then, on his solo from 2’40”, Emerson departs from Janáček’s blueprint with a characteristically incisive solo, backed by a virtuosic drum track. From 3’25” the style broadens to include explicit references to J.S. Bach, the Allemande of his French Suite no.1 in D minor:

What else is new?

You can hear the whole of the Sinfonietta below, in a thrilling performance from the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Charles Mackerras, in a recording made in 1980:

Published post no.2,929 – Friday 26 June 2026