CBSO takes audiences into a new world with a deep-dive into the origins of one of classical music's most iconic pieces

This Saturday (February 15), the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) will be joined on stage at Town Hall Birmingham by Black Voices. Together they will explore the origins and historic context of Dvořák’s 9th Symphony, hoping to offer insight and further understanding into the music and poetry that inspired the symphony’s creation.

In between each movement of the symphony, conducted by CBSO Music Director Kazuki Yamada, Linton Stephens will be guiding audiences through the significance of African American Spirituals in the context of the work, with performances from the incredible female a cappella quintet, Black Voices.

Tom Spurgin, Creative Director – Learning & Engagement, CBSO comments: “We're always excited to explore collaborations that bring people closer to incredible music. Saturday’s concert follows immediately after our Friday performance of the ‘New World’ symphony at Symphony Hall, offering the audience deeper insight into the origins of this well-known piece, and bringing to the fore the amazing work of Harry Burleigh. Audiences are in for a real treat, hearing the Dvořák and spirituals performed by the CBSO and the extraordinary Black Voices."

Composed in 1893 while Anton Dvořák was the director of the National Conservatory of Music in America, Symphony 9 ‘From the New World’ has become one of the most performed symphonies around the world. In 1973 the music featured in the Hovis TV advert directed by Ridley Scott. This weekend the CBSO revisit the inspiration behind one of the world’s most cherished orchestral symphonies.

The concert has been generously supported by the Dunard Fund.

For more information and tickets for Saturday’s concert, visit https://cbso.co.uk/events/cbso-explores-the-new-world-symphony