Sibelius Karelia Suite Grieg Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 Sibelius Symphony No. 1 We look north with our programme of music by Scandinavian composers.  Sibelius wrote his early Karelia Suite, with its jaunty marches and folksongs, for a Finnish patriotic pageant.  In Grieg’s varied and colourful incidental music for Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt, the scene ranges from the mountains of Norway to the deserts of Arabia. The Suite No. 1 includes some of Grieg’s most well-known music, from the peaceful Morning Mood to the ever-popular Hall of the Mountain King.  The dramatic and tempestuous Symphony No. 1 by Sibelius brings [...]

Glazunov Autumn from The Seasons Tchaikovsky Sleeping Beauty Suite Prokofiev Cinderella Suite Our ballet-inspired Autumn concert opens appropriately with Autumn from Glazunov’s ballet The Seasons. The series of colourful and lively scenes includes the energetic Bacchanale and a luscious Adagio. Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Suite contains much-loved and tuneful music of great character and introduces us to the familiar fairy tale figures – Princess Aurora, the Lilac Fairy and wicked fairy Carabosse. Puss in Boots also puts in an appearance and the Suite ends with the famous Waltz. In the Cinderella Suite by Prokofiev, we hear Cinderella playing with the kitchen [...]

Hamilton Harty A Comedy Overture   Denis Wright Cornet Concerto Soloist: Chris Avison Hamish MacCunn The Land of the Mountain and the Flood Elgar Enigma Variations   We embark on a musical tour of the British Isles with the lively A Comedy Overture by Irish composer, Hamilton Harty.  Trumpeter Chris Avison, originally from Bath, introduces us to the world of the British brass band, with the tuneful and virtuosic Cornet Concerto by Denis Wright.  We stride across the heather with Scottish composer Hamish MacCunn to his popular The Land of the Mountain and the Flood.  Elgar’s much loved Enigma Variations needs no introduction and [...]