STARS of the stage past and present will come together and celebrate 40 years of music with a special gala performance in Southampton.

Turner Sims hall hosted its inaugural concert on November 19, 1974 and despite the thousands of musicians whose sounds have echoed around the arena, manager Kevin Appleby says Wednesday’s show will be unique.

A variety of artists will perform music by Elgar, Mozart, and Purcell at the historic evening, while world-famous pianist Paul Lewis, who normally plays unaccompanied or in small groups, will team up with an orchestra for the first time.

Mr Appleby said: “We are bringing together some very familiar faces, who have played here over many years, and they are coming together to do a special concert.

“It’s a chance to celebrate what the hall has done over the 40 years, and we have artists who want to play there because it’s an amazing space to perform in.

"When it was built in 1974 they were very clear about making sure it had the best possible acoustics they could offer.”

Mr Appleby has worked at the venue for 14 years and estimates that in that time there have been more than 800 performances at the hall.

Some of the leading lights who have graced the stage include jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck, conductor Sir Simon Rattle and jazz musician Courtney Pine.

Chinese piano sensation Yundi and Scottish classical violinist Nicola Benedetti, who played at the opening of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, are the upcoming attractions.

Anniversaries often bring the temptation of nostalgia, but Mr Appleby is keen to highlight ways that staff at the hall are looking to the future.

He said: “When it opened it just did classical musical and there were 20 to 30 concerts in the first season, but in the 2014-15 season we have 70 concerts.

“We are doing educational classes which aren’t held in the building or in the hall itself.

“And with Twitter and Facebook and Web streams it means we are connecting with a mobile audience in a way that ten years ago we wouldn’t be thinking of doing.”

n Tickets for the anniversary gala concert, which begins at 8pm, are available at turnersims.co.uk/events/40th-anniversary-gala-concert.