Saturday 28 March 2026 7.30pm

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A 9% booking fee applies online and over the phone. A £2.50 postage fee is charged where applicable.

Suitable for ages 8+

Main hall

Bristol Concert Orchestra bring dazzling Mediterranean sunshine to St Georges with two works inspired by Italy, with our new Music Director Alex Mackinder.

In Berlioz’s Harold in Italy, inspired by Byron’s poem, the melancholy dreamer, personified by a viola solo, wanders through vivid tableaux: mountains, a pilgrims’ march, a serenade, a brigands’ orgy. Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien is a work of uncharacteristic joy, celebrating the folk tunes and street music he heard on a Roman holiday. We start with Mussorgsky’s A Night on Bare Mountain, a thrilling witches’ sabbath.

Pre-concert talk

Spotlight on: Hector Berlioz (with Alex Mackinder and Bryony Gibson-Cornish)
Start time: 6:30pm (doors open from 6:15pm)
Length: 30 minutes

Discover the extraordinary world of Berlioz’s music.

Hector Berlioz quite literally rewrote the rule book of what orchestral music could be and sound like – his treatise on orchestration is still used as a source of inspiration by composers today! In this pre-concert talk, the first of Bristol Concert Orchestra’s new ‘Spotlight’ series, conductor Alex Mackinder explores one of history’s most innovative composers whose works still sound somewhat ‘modern’ even today. Alex is joined by viola soloist Bryony Gibson-Cornish, and together they will dive into Berlioz’s symphony-concerto hybrid Harold in Italy, setting the stage for tonight’s performance of the work which concludes this evening’s concert.

Tickets free and bookable when booking for tonight’s concert. (Please note: you must have a valid ticket to tonight’s concert to attend the pre-concert talk.) Tickets for this pre-event talk can be found under interval drinks when booking.

Enjoy delicious drinks and light bites from our Café Bar ahead of the event.

Available to pre-order when booking your tickets, you can choose from a selection of house drinks on arrival, accompanied by a mezze board of bread, dips, olives, stuffed peppers, falafel, feta cheese and garden salad (all vegetarian). Just select which option – for one or two people – you would like, before checkout. Or if you’ve already booked, please email boxoffice@stgeorgesbristol.co.uk to add your food to your order.

Your pre-ordered food and drink will be available to collect from the Café Bar from 90 minutes before the event. It’s the perfect way to begin your event experience at St George’s!