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24th March 2025

There was a real sense of anticipation in the air on Sunday afternoon when the largest audience so far of the 2024-25 season began to appear at De Montfort Hall.

A queue formed outside (thank goodness it was fine weather!) as we discovered that the concert had drawn the largest number of seats sold not just this season, but for over 10 years at a Bardi classical concert at De Montfort Hall. All of this was probably due to the sparkling programme of music on offer and, of course, the much-anticipated appearance of the internationally renowned pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason.  

Guest conductor for this, the third concert in the Bardi’s New Horizons season, was Toby Purser. Head of Conducting at the Royal College of Music, Toby brought with him a vast array of experience, conducting most of the high-profile orchestras in the UK and much further afield, and an involvement in a number of opera festivals and seasons. He is also the Artistic Director of the Peace and Prosperity Trust which supports charitable projects for young artists in the Middle East. 

The rapport between Orchestra and Conductor was evident from the start of the concert with clear enjoyment of the pieces.  Isata simply brought the house down with a stunning performance of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3, she debuted with Bardi 11 years ago with many of the audience recalling that appearance.

An amazing experience for a March Sunday afternoon!
See you all at our stellar season finale on May 18th for The Planets.

Photography by Chris Roe

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18th February 2025

The Bardi Symphony Orchestra held their annual Workshop on Saturday. Conducted by leader Adam Summerhayes, the players enjoyed a very rewarding day getting to grips with Prokofiev’s Symphony No.5. 

The idea of the day was to rehearse a challenging work that the orchestra had not done before which concluded with an exciting complete run through of the 45 minute symphony. The workshop was held in Holy Trinity Church on Regent Road in Leicester, a familiar venue to the Bardi and the staff were, as always incredibly helpful. 

It was also a social day for the players who enjoyed a nice lunch together and afterwards there was general agreement that a good day of music making had been had by all. A small group of supporters of the orchestra who had watched the run through were very complimentary and said they couldn’t believe that they had witnessed such a polished performance given such a short rehearsal time. Here’s to the next one…

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2nd December 2024

Bardi’s biggest audience this year, almost 900 concert goers, enjoyed a fantastic concert on Sunday afternoon, and the enthusiastic comments from the enthusiastic audience are still coming in!

The music was a celebration of centenaries for three of the four pieces which featured in the programme: Sibelius Symphony No.7, Respighi’s Pines of Rome and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. 

Conductor Jonathan Lo struck up an immediate rapport with the Orchestra in rehearsals and the result was an electric performance. Joining the Orchestra for the Gershwin was internationally known pianist Tom Poster, an old friend of the Orchestra, and he and Jonathan clearly enjoyed themselves in the piece. 

Many have commented on the mesmeric performance of Ravel’s Bolero too, including several who had never heard it live before. More guests joined for the Pines of Rome in the shape of the Kibworth Band who appeared on stage in their striking green jackets and featured in the stirring last movement evoking Roman legions marching down the Appian Way. The piece reached a crescendo when joined by De Montfort Hall’s magnificent Taylor organ with all the stops out.  

Certainly a concert which will remain long in the memory of those who came, and those who played.

Photography by Chris Roe

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