Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was a quintessentially English, strongly individual and very personal composer. Ken Russell’s delightful and original tribute to this great man of twentieth-century music uses extracts from his nine symphonies to sketch the story of his life. Vivid memories of Vaughan Williams are recounted by his widow, Ursula, and others who knew him.
MSO: Sir Andrew Davis conducts 20th-Century Classics
Conducted by Sir Andrew Davis with Australia’s violin master Richard Tognetti, this concert features Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending which was placed No. 1 in the ABC’s Swoon Classic 100 countdown in 2015. The work itself remains a glorious evocation of English pastoral life — the solo violin being the evocation of George Meredith’s soaring verse. Benjamin Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes convey all the scrunchy saltiness of the coast of his beloved East Anglia. The program also includes the Partita for Violin and Orchestra by Witold Lutoslawski, and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s vibrant Symphonic Dances.
Inaugural concert of Tarmo Peltokoski in Latvia
With the start of the 2022/2023 concert season, 22-year-old Finnish conductor, Tarmo Peltokoski, becomes the musical and artistic director of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO). The French music magazine Diapason writes about him: “ATTENTION, A GENIUS!” Peltokoski has a strong musical vision and a clear idea of what he wants to achieve in the next three years. His inaugural concert took place in the Cesis Concert Hall, which is characterised by exceptional acoustics. PROGRAM Williams: Symphony No. 5; Auznieks: Grace; Sibelius: Symphony No. 5
LSO: Rattle conducts Tippett, Turnage and Vaughan Williams
An all-British programme of Tippett, Turnage and Vaughan Williams inspired by opera and jazz – including an unmissable world premiere, to celebrate Sir Simon Rattle’s 70th birthday. Rattle leads the LSO players across a glorious range of orchestral colours and styles, joined by the legendary John Scofield for a brand new Guitar Concerto. In Rattle’s own words, ‘Who better to be playing this extraordinary British music than the London Symphony Orchestra?’ PROGRAM Tippett: Ritual Dances from Midsummer Marriage; Turnage: Sco – Guitar Concerto (world premiere); Vaughan Williams: Symphony No 5
LSO: Pappano conducts Elgar and Vaughan Williams
At the time of his last symphony, Vaughan Williams had seen the damage of two world wars. The Ninth is a magnificent final statement, balancing dark with warmth, and dread with hope. Reminiscent, ruminating and spiralling: Elgar’s Cello Concerto is unlike his early works and yet remains one of his most popular, from its unforgettable opening gesture, voiced by the cello, to its haunting themes. Bax’s symphonic poem paints Tintagel Castle on a ‘sunny but not windless day’, evoking the characters who once inhabited it.