Sir Bryn Terfel returns to the RLPO

Sir Bryn Terfel is set to return to the Philharmonic Hall following his sold-out residency with the RLPO four years ago.

The world-famous Welsh bass-baritone will spend 10 days in Liverpool in November as part of the new 2017/18 season announced this week.

He will perform in Verdi's Requiem, alongside the RLPO, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir and international soloists on November 19.

And then he will take on the title role in the Italian composer's Falstaff in two performances of the opera on November 24 and 26, singing along side soloists from the Liverpool-based European Opera Centre.

All three concerts will be conducted by Vasily Petrenko.

Finally, on November 29, he will be joined by West End star Ruthie Henshall for A Night at the Musicals.

Bryn Terfel at the Philharmonic Hall (photo by Mark McNulty)

Sandra Parr, the Philharmonic's head of artistic programming, says: "Bryn Terfel is acknowledged as one of the main exponents ever to sing the role of Falstaff."

A second artist in residence for the new season will be Wirral born international pianist and composer Stephen Hough, who will play all five Beethoven piano concertos in five different concerts over two-and-a-half months from March to June 2018.

'The Art of the Piano' is one theme for the new season, with RLPO consultant artistic director Andrew Cornall promising "a focus on great exponents and a great repertoire" as well as a number of unusual pieces.

Soloists include Marc-Andre Hamelin,Steven Osborne, Zhang Zuo, Julian Joseph, sisters Khatia and Gvantsa Buniatishvili, and a return for Japanese virtuoso Nobuyuki Tsujii.

A second theme for 2017/18 is From the New World.

America's impact on classical music has inspired the season

Andrew Cornall explains: "It will be American artists and composers, as well as music by European composers influenced by America or who emigrated there."

Expect work from Dvorak, Gershwin, Adams and Barber to the UK premiere of Philip Glass' Symphony No 11, marking the American composer's 80th birthday. There will also be a UK premiere for Aaron Jay Kernis' Legacy, a co-commission with Chicago's Grant Park Festival.

Other season highlights include a performance of Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony, a world premiere of Stephen Pratt's Symphonies of Time and Tide, Stravinsky's Firebird ballet in its entirety, and three films with live orchestral accompaniment - Casablanca, Back the Future, and Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo.

The entire 2017/18 season comprises 114 concerts (across the Philharmonic Hall, Music Room and St George's Hall Concert Room), featuring 129 pieces of music from 69 composers, and performed by 105 guest artists from 13 nations.