Evelyn Glennie and Scheherazade

Dame Evelyn Glennie joins Brighton Philharmonic for a dazzling programme, from the Scottish Highlands to fairy tales from Arabia.

We’re thrilled that one of Britain’s greatest and pioneering musicians, the extraordinary percussionist Evelyn Glennie, will be joining us to perform one of her signature pieces: James MacMillan’s Veni, Veni, Emmanuel, written as a tribute to her virtuosic flair and charismatic personality. Taking the Advent plainsong as the basis of the work, this is a tour de force and still packs the punch it had at its BBC Proms premiere over thirty years ago. Now in the pantheon of contemporary classics, it still sounds wonderfully imaginative, rhythmically impulsive and vibrantly colourful, and will be an unforgettable experience.

The young conductor Geoffrey Paterson takes the helm once more after his debut with the BPO last season, starting with Peter Maxwell Davies’ ebullient An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise, replete with shouts of glee and a bagpiper. After the interval, the ravishingly beautiful Scheherazade tells the story of A Thousand and One Nights in Rimsky-Korsakov’s most popular and glittering score.

‘A true master in joy: Evelyn Glennie’s performance was mesmerising and deeply sensitive.’ The Telegraph