One of the world’s most renowned conductors makes his highly anticipated return home for a major musical performance at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall.

Launching the 25th Anniversary of the Birmingham International Concert Season at Symphony Hall, the performance is a celebration of the city’s musical heritage. The work performed will be Elgar’s ‘The Dream of Gerontius’, the Birmingham composer’s self-proclaimed best work.

The work was commissioned and first performed at the 1900 Birmingham Triennial Festival in the iconic Town Hall, the world’s oldest purpose built concert venue, which continues to host several hundred live performance events each year.

On his appointment as Musical Director and Artistic Adviser of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle cemented his reputation as one of the leading figures in British music. This influence was a key factor in the City’s decision to build a state of the art concert hall that boasts the best acoustics in Europe, if not the world.

Sir Simon will also be joined by his wife and distinguished soloist, Magdalena Kožená, renowned British tenor, Toby Spence and baritone, Roderick Williams. Together with the national BBC Proms Youth Choir, the performance will be in advance of the Proms performance at the Royal Albert Hall, on Friday 11th September.