Forthcoming Concerts & Events SATURDAY, 1 October 2016, 7:30 pm A Sea Symphony - Ralph Vaughan Williams Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D minor Op 47 - Sibelius Ave Verum Corpus - Elgar Vaughan Williams chose the sea as the subject for his first large scale choral-orchestral work, the Sea Symphony, and this resulted in a truly great masterpiece. American poet, Walt Whitman, had created a brilliantly inspired seascape text and this resulted in Vaughan Williams seizing upon the numerous descriptive aspects of the world of the sea for this, his first symphony. The Sea Symphony resulted in this composer’s first big success and since its premiere at the Leeds Festival in 1910 this mighty work has remained as one of the greatest attractions in the English music repertoire. The opening section of the first movement, to the words ‘Behold the Sea’, is thought by many to be one of the most thrilling openings to be found in any large-scale work and the variety which follows, depicts superb representations of such subjects as the power of sea waves, the glory of sailing, the terror of fierce storms and the beauty of calm waters. The Vaughan Williams ‘Sea Symphony’ is a truly superb work. It is absolutely unique and is scored with musical power and melodious richness for soprano and baritone soloists, chorus and orchestra. As well as the brilliant opening theme there are numerous magical moments to be found in this work, such as the section in the middle of the fourth movement which is started by the two solo singers with the words ‘O thou transcendent’. There is also the beauty of the peace and calm of the second movement ‘On the Beach at Night alone’ plus the boldness of the third movement Scherzo headed by its title ‘The Waves’. There are many more glorious moments to be experienced in the ‘Sea Symphony’, a work which creates stunning effects on both audience and performers. The concert also includes Jean Sibelius's violin concerto which is the most frequently recorded and performed concerto of the violin concertos composed in the 20th century. The soloist is Hong Kiu Mak, an accomplished young violinist who was elected as the Hong Kong Young Musician of the Year in 2006. He is currently studying at Eton College as a music scholar.
This is the last concert in the Choral Society's 180th season _________  with Brass Ensemble from Royal Academy of Music Saturday 18 December 2016 2:45 Click here to book tickets by post (no charge) _________ SATURDAY, 14 January 2017, 7:30 pm Mass in C - Beethoven Nelson Mass - Haydn _________ SATURDAY, 18 March 2017, 7:30 pm St John Passion - J S Bach  Click here to be notified when bookings are about to open for a concert. See also 'Concert-diary' for other classical concerts |
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