AD: Candlelight Christmas Concert at the Cathedral

Twixmas. That time when no one knows what day it is, or whether any food exists other the cheese. To keep the Christmas spirit alive – and quite frankly, to get us out of our pyjamas – we head into Birmingham for a Candlelight Christmas Concert at St Philips Cathedral. This is becoming something of a festive tradition for us, after seeing the Sekine Quartet at the Botanical Gardens last December. Tonight it’s the turn of the Artume Quartet to entertain us with some festive film favourites.

Why is this post marked as an AD? I received complimentary tickets to this event in exchange for an honest review. You can trust that I will always be honest and truthful on A Brummie Home and Abroad, and being an invited guest will not influence my opinion in any way.

Candlelight Concerts with Fever

Fever have become synonymous with chamber music concerts in some of the most beautiful venues, not only in Birmingham and the UK, but around the world. In the summer, we watched Sekine Quartet take on the mighty Pink Floyd outdoors at Birmingham’s Botanical Gardens, which looked enchanting as dusk fell. But it’s their indoor concerts which really sprinkle a little magic, as hundreds of flickering LED candles cast dancing shadows on frescoed walls and high ceilings along with the music.

Candlelight Christmas in Birmingham

Would I be a terrible Brummie if I confess that I’ve NEVER been inside Birmingham Cathedral? Oh yes, I’ve sat among the pigeons in the cathedral grounds. I’ve visited their independent and local Christmas market every year, drinking boozy hot chocolate gazing up at the cathedral exterior. I even took this rather lovely photo of the Cathedral in springtime. But this is my first time entering the cathedral, and getting my first proper glimpse of those beautiful Edward Burne-Jones stained-glass windows, recently restored.

If you’re looking for a reason to visit Birmingham Cathedral, then how about visiting the Divine Beauty immersive light and sound show in January 2024? Find out more here.

There are two performances of the Candlelight Christmas Concert; we are attending the later one at 8:30pm. We arrive about 15 minutes before the start time, and we’re welcomed by the Fever team who scan our QR code tickets and show us to our seats in Zone A. You select a zone when booking, but seats within that zone are first come first served.

We’re very close to the front, and this makes for an excellent unobstructed view. Hundreds of LED candles are alight all around the cathedral and the stage – a perfect romantic and festive setting.

The Musicians

The Artume Quartet treat us to a variety of Christmas classics from the movies. If – like us – you spent the weekend before Christmas immersed in festive films, so many of these songs will be instantly familiar. There’s ‘Last Christmas’ and ‘Winter Wonderland’ from ‘The Holiday’; and ‘Sleigh Ride’ and ‘Jingle Bells’ from ‘Elf’. Songs from ‘Home Alone’ and ‘Love Actually’ also make an appearance.

The audience are asked to refrain from using mobile devices during the performance, although we are invited to take photos and videos towards the end of the concert.

It was a wonderful mix of contemporary favourites and timeless classics. The concert is only an hour long, but there are so many songs packed into the performance that it feels like a much longer show. Some pieces were vibrant and up-beat, others more thoughtful and emotional. But each was played with a passion and precision that took the audience on a journey. It’s a wonderful way to introduce classical music to a new audience, without the overwhelm of a full orchestral production.

The performers each take turn announcing the upcoming pieces which gives the show a personal touch as they share their own favourites and tell us a little about the music and the quartet themselves. I love seeing the little nods and smiles shared between the musicians, demonstrating their own relationship as a quartet. They also delay admirably with a very noisy disruption outside – something even divine intervention couldn’t stop.

Candlelight Christmas Concert at the Cathedral – Final Thoughts

Fever’s Candlelight Christmas Concert is a perfect Twixmas Date Night idea – bookmark this post for Christmas 2024 as tickets sell out early. Birmingham Cathedral is a beautiful venue and I promise I won’t leave it so long before my next visit!

Thank you to Fever for the invitation to keep the Christmas spirit alive just a little bit longer! You can find a programme of all upcoming Candlelight Concerts in Birmingham here, including music by Hans Zimmer, Pink Floyd and Queen.