Bravi Celli: Opera Reimagined

Bravi Celli: Opera Reimagined comes to the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on Monday 19 April 2027, a lunchtime concert that hands the power, drama and grand melodies of opera over to the cello. The music is performed by cellists from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and the programme pulls from some of the biggest names in the repertoire.

It starts with Bach, with four chorales — BWV 402, 323, 300 and 140 — before moving into the opera house. Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro is represented by the overture and 'Voi Che Sapete'. Verdi's La Traviata brings 'Sempre Libera' and 'Parigi, o cara, noi lasceremo', and Bizet's Carmen contributes a selection of movements. Wagner rounds it out with the overture to Tannhäuser, in Jacobowsky's arrangement, and fragments from Parsifal. It's a broad sweep of the classics, all played on cellos.

The four cellists on stage are Anna Crawford, Anna Stuart, Mark Lindley and Alexander Holladay, all from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. They're taking these roles — the soaring lines and the heavy drama — and playing them on the cello, which sits right in the middle of the orchestra's range.

The concert is in the Music Room at the Liverpool Philharmonic, on Hope Street (L1 9BP), and starts at 13:00. Tickets start from £13.