Bold and Boisterous! A Concert Brimming with the Joy of Music from Start to Finish
By Haruo Yamada
This June, Kazuki Yamada made his debut in a subscription concert with the Berlin Philharmonic. Now, he is touring Japan with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), where he serves as Music Director. Yamada was first appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the CBSO in 2018, became Chief Conductor in 2023, and assumed the position of Music Director in 2024. He previously led the CBSO on Japan tours in 2016 and 2023.
The concert on June 30 opened with a rousing performance of Shostakovich’s Festive Overture. From the very first notes, the orchestra delivered an energetic and powerful sound that seemed to overflow from the stage of Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. For the grand finale, ten brass players from the Symphonic Orchestra of Makuhari Sohgoh High School in Chiba Prefecture—also known as the model for the anime Blue Orchestra—joined as a banda ensemble, positioned in front of the organ.
In Elgar’s Cello Concerto, the solo part was performed by Sheku Kanneh-Mason. His deeply impassioned playing stood out for its expressive phrasing, marked by a broad and fast vibrato. In the third movement, he delivered an intensely lyrical cantabile. For the solo encore, he performed Bob Marley’s She Used to Call Me Dada in pizzicato, showcasing his supple musicality and innate sense of song.
The main work on the program was Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Yamada chose the orchestration by Henry Wood—one of the founders of London’s Promenade Concerts—written in 1915, which predates Ravel’s more famous version. In this arrangement, the opening Promenade is not a trumpet solo but played by the full brass section. The orchestration is powerful and bold, and the performance matched its character. In The Old Castle, the melody was played by a euphonium positioned in the third-floor balcony. In Bydło, cowbells were used. In The Great Gate of Kyiv, even the organ was brought in. It was a robust and exuberant performance. Compared to Wood’s version, even Ravel’s famously brilliant orchestration feels almost austere.
As an encore, Walton’s Orb and Sceptre: Coronation March was performed in a relaxed and celebratory spirit. Throughout the evening, Yamada and the CBSO radiated a deep enjoyment of the music, leaving a lasting impression with the orchestra’s bright and spirited atmosphere.
Prior to the main concert, a mini-concert by members of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra—performing as the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (a chamber ensemble of about a dozen musicians)—was held at Tokyo Opera City’s Recital Hall starting at 6:00 p.m. Under the baton of Kazuki Yamada, two works by Dai Fujikura received their Japan premieres: Anthem (2023) and the Shō Concerto (2024), featuring Yuki Deai on shō. The program also included Rebecca Saunders’s Stirling Still (2006), performed by the ensemble without a conductor. This thoughtfully curated event offered an accessible and compact introduction to contemporary music.
Performance Data
Kazuki Yamada Conducts the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Date & Time:
June 30 (Mon), 7:00 p.m.
Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall
Artists:
Conductor: Kazuki Yamada
Cello: Sheku Kanneh-Mason
Orchestra: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Program:
Shostakovich: Festive Overture in A major, Op. 96
Elgar: Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85
Mussorgsky (arr. Henry Wood): Pictures at an Exhibition
Solo Encore:
Bob Marley: She Used to Call Me Dada
Orchestral Encore:
Walton: Orb and Sceptre: Coronation March
Upcoming Concerts
〇July 1 (Tue), 7:00 p.m.
Suntory Hall, Main Hall
Conductor: Kazuki Yamada
Piano: Hisako Kawamura
Orchestra: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Program:
Ravel: La Valse
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
〇July 2 (Wed), 7:00 p.m.
Suntory Hall, Main Hall
Conductor: Kazuki Yamada
Piano: Yunchan Lim
Orchestra: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Program:
Shostakovich: Festive Overture in A major, Op. 96
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor, Op. 40
Mussorgsky (arr. Henry Wood): Pictures at an Exhibition
〇July 4 (Fri), 7:00 p.m.
ACROS Fukuoka Symphony Hall
Conductor: Kazuki Yamada
Piano: Yunchan Lim
Orchestra: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Program:
Ravel: La Valse
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor, Op. 40
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
〇July 5 (Sat), 3:00 p.m.
ROHM Theatre Kyoto, Main Hall
Conductor: Kazuki Yamada
Cello: Sheku Kanneh-Mason
Orchestra: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Program:
Shostakovich: Festive Overture in A major, Op. 96
Elgar: Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85
Mussorgsky (arr. Henry Wood): Pictures at an Exhibition
〇July 6 (Sun), 2:00 p.m.
Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall
Conductor: Kazuki Yamada
Piano: Yunchan Lim
Orchestra: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Program:
Ravel: La Valse
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor, Op. 40
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
