LGSO Winter Concert
Presented by: London Gay Symphony Orchestra| 0 | LONDON: St Giles Cripplegate (info) |
|---|---|
| P | Sunday 16th February, 2025 |
| N | Door time: 6:30pm Start time: 7:00pm |
| . | All ages |
| C | Music - Classical |
Event information
Our programme starts with Smyth’s Prelude to Act II: Cliffs of Cornwall which is taken from Smyth’s Opera, Les Nefraguers, or The Wreckers in english, and tells a story of forbidden love via a bunch of local villagers plundering ships off the coast of Cornwall in the early 1800’s. Though the opera is heralded as one of the “most important english operas composed during that period”, Smyth faced much hardship and marginalisation simply for being a woman, struggling for two years just to get it premiered. However, she persevered and the work was finally premiered in 1906 - giving her the recognition she deserved, becoming the first ever composer to receive a damehood in 1922.
Our second work is Ibert’s Flute Concerto, a vibrant and captivating concerto written in 1932 for the revered solo flautist Marcel Moyse. Due to the concertos breadth of expression and exploration in the capabilities of the flute as a solo instrument, it solidified itself as a cornerstone of the flute repertoire, celebrated widely for its engaging melodies and masterful orchestration. The flute solo will be performed by our wonderful soloist, Daniel Shao, who will serenade you with the intricate melodies of this fabulous piece.
The final piece, Shostakovich’s Symphony No.10, is a powerhouse of a symphony, written between 1946 and 1953, but only performed after the death of Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, in March 1953. Reportedly “elated” by the death of Stalin, Shostakovich found that after the confines of Stalin's rule he could finally flex his personal style in his music and returned to the symphony to complete and premiere it in December of that same year. Wishing to convey a real view of life in Soviet Russia, specifically under Stalin's rule, when asked for program notes his response was simply: “I wanted to convey human feelings and passions. Let them listen and decide for themselves.” Well, decide for themselves they did; within only a year of its premiere in Russia, it had already received successful premieres in both London and New York!
Doors are at 6:30pm, concert starts at 7:00pm sharp, hope to see you there!
Conductor: Christopher Braime
Leader: Corey Wickens
