As the glorious parade of British orchestras at the Proms has showcased, it's never been a better time for the native music scene across the board. Now the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, currently enjoying a honeymoon period with its Music Director of two seasons Andris Nelsons, has taken another step towards consolidating its post-Rattle reputation. Edward Gardner (pictured above in ENO rehearsal by Chris Christodoulou), currently doing wonderful things at English National Opera, is to take up the post of Principal Guest Conductor in September 2011.It's been a good year for both conductors. Nelsons pulled off a giant of the orchestral repertoire, Richard Strauss's Alpine Symphony, in February, and later a well-received concert performance of Wagner's Lohengrin which rather eclipsed Rattle's return in Bach's St Matthew Passion. At ENO, Gardner continues to equal Pappano's versatility over at the Royal Opera House, following up a blazing if controversial company Turandot with a revelatory Tosca and a musically fine team effort in Mozart' Idomeneo. As token of his mastery and his commitment to well-planned programmes, he's conducting the CBSO in Birmingham on 28 September in Paganini variations and orchestral showpieces by Rachmaninov and Lutoslawski.
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