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Exeter Symphony Orchestra - Winter Concert
This year’s ESO Winter Concert showcases the work of three great nineteenth century composer contemporaries whose renown quickly spread beyond their Austrian, Russian and Belgian homelands. The concert will open in lively fashion with the Overture to Die Fledermaus (Opus 362) by Johann Strauss II (1825-1899). The rather unlikely storyline of the operetta itself centres on a bat costume, a drunken prank and some light-hearted revenge-taking, but there’s no disguising the wonderful tunes which emerge.
It has been said that “Tchaikovsky was made for ballet”. Well, his ballet Swan Lake – featuring a young girl who has been turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse and the prince who falls in love with her – was the first of three such masterpieces by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893). Although the Swan Lake Suite (Opus 20a), certainly intended and possibly sketched by the composer himself, did not emerge until 1900, the collection of six numbers not only encapsulates the wonderful story, but entrances the listener.
The Symphony in D minor (Opus 48) by César Franck (1822-1890) is the Belgian born, naturalised French organist and composer’s best-known orchestral work. Initially criticised in the conservative Parisian academic circles of the day for the inclusion of a cor anglais part (alongside the oboes) and cornets (in addition to trumpets), the distinctive symphony quickly and regularly appeared in programmes across Europe and the USA thereafter, its popularity even rivalling that of Beethoven symphonies. Franck’s personal humility, simplicity and industry made him revered among his students, and his symphony was admired by the new generation of French composers including Debussy and Ravel.
It has been said that “Tchaikovsky was made for ballet”. Well, his ballet Swan Lake – featuring a young girl who has been turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse and the prince who falls in love with her – was the first of three such masterpieces by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893). Although the Swan Lake Suite (Opus 20a), certainly intended and possibly sketched by the composer himself, did not emerge until 1900, the collection of six numbers not only encapsulates the wonderful story, but entrances the listener.
The Symphony in D minor (Opus 48) by César Franck (1822-1890) is the Belgian born, naturalised French organist and composer’s best-known orchestral work. Initially criticised in the conservative Parisian academic circles of the day for the inclusion of a cor anglais part (alongside the oboes) and cornets (in addition to trumpets), the distinctive symphony quickly and regularly appeared in programmes across Europe and the USA thereafter, its popularity even rivalling that of Beethoven symphonies. Franck’s personal humility, simplicity and industry made him revered among his students, and his symphony was admired by the new generation of French composers including Debussy and Ravel.
Concert starts 7:30pm
Tickets - Adults £15; Under-18s £1
Tickets - Adults £15; Under-18s £1
Southernhay United Reformed Church, Dix’s Field, Exeter, Devon EX1 1QD
Sat 2 Dec 2023
Website:
exetersymphonyorchestra.co.uk
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