Kazuki Yamada on European tour with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

Europe Tour with the CBSO (March 7-23, 2026) 

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra embarks on a major European tour under the baton of its Music Director Kazuki Yamada from 7 to 23 March 2026. The tour will take the orchestra to leading concert halls across Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and France, showcasing a dynamic and compelling programme. 

This season’s repertoire blends iconic orchestral works with one of the most beloved piano concertos in the repertoire: Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23, featuring acclaimed pianist Bruce Liu as soloist. Liu, celebrated for his remarkable artistry since his sensational victory at the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition, brings a vibrant and richly nuanced voice to one of the great cornerstones of the piano repertoire. 

© Sonja Mueller

The programme is complemented by works by William Walton, including Orb and Sceptre and, in selected concerts, his Symphony No. 1. Kazuki Yamada has also dedicated a complete album to Walton’s music, to be released in March (see below). The programme further includes the imaginative orchestral suite Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky, performed in the celebrated orchestration by Maurice Ravel.

Programme

• William Walton
  Orb and Sceptre (at selected concerts: Symphony No. 1)

• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
  Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23
  Soloist: Bruce Liu

• Modest Mussorgsky
  Pictures at an Exhibition (orchestral version by Maurice Ravel)
  
  Programme in Hamburg and Linz featuring Walton's Symphony No. 1.
  At some venues, Walton's Overture Porstmouth Point instead of Orb and Sceptre.
  In Basel Baiba Skride is playing Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3. 

Kazuki Yamada showcases Walton for his Deutsche Grammophon Debut

Music Director Kazuki Yamada and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra release their first recording together on Deutsche Grammophon on 6 March 2026.

Captured live at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall, the album brings together Walton’s two symphonies with the ceremonial march Orb and Sceptre, all appearing in the DG catalogue for the first time. Orb and Sceptre will be released digitally on 20 February 2026.

Reflecting on Symphony No. 1 (1932–35), Kazuki Yamada describes the work’s explosive energy and intensity as a special challenge for performers: “It’s a little bit like surfing. If you catch the waves of excitement, the piece goes well.” Written some 25 years later, Symphony No. 2 reveals a more introspective voice. Shaped by a post-war world, it is, in Yamada’s words, music in which “there is a feeling of peace – but is it real?” Together, the three works highlight both Walton’s dramatic power and his evolving musical language.

 Appointed CBSO Music Director in 2023, Yamada has continued the orchestra’s distinguished legacy, forging a close artistic partnership widely praised by critics. That bond is clearly reflected in these performances. The choice of Walton for their debut recording together is especially apt, with Orb and Sceptre, written for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, carrying added resonance ahead of the centenary of her birth in 2026.

 The release follows Yamada’s contract extension with the CBSO until the end of the 2028–29 season and his receipt of the Royal Philharmonic Society Conductor Award 2025. Internationally in demand, Yamada will become Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin in September 2026, while continuing an active career across Europe and Japan.