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Details
SJE Arts - St John the Evangelist Church
109A Iffley Road
Oxford
Oxfordshire
OX4 1EH
England
Programme
John Ireland – Concertino Pastorale
Benjamin Britten – Les Illuminations, Op.18
Edward Elgar – Serenade for String Orchestra in E Minor, Op.20
Edward Elgar – Introduction and Allegro, Op.47
Performers
Erica Eloff – voice
Janet Lince – Conductor
Corona Strings
Programme Note
A programme of popular English string works by Elgar and Ireland, and Britten’s precociously accomplished ‘Les Illuminations’ will be performed by soprano Erica Eloff with acclaimed professional Oxford-based orchestra Corona Strings, conducted by Janet Lincé.
Sir Edward Elgar’s evocative early ‘Serenade’ and his more complex ‘Introduction and Allegro’ are stalwarts of the English string repertoire, and with their taught, lyrical and exciting string writing, it is difficult to think of works which are more satisfying amongst audience favourites.
Benjamin Britten’s exhilarating setting of poems by Arthur Rimbaud – ‘Les Illuminations’ was written in just a few months during 1939 when the composer was still in his mid-twenties. In these sparkling miniatures, which are drawn together as a cycle for soprano or tenor and string orchestra, Britten pays tribute to the sounds and colours of French music and language.
The work opens in dramatic style with the arresting line, translated as, “I alone have the key to this savage parade!" suggesting perhaps that only the artist has the answer to life’s challenges. The soloist in this performance will be soprano, Erica Eloff.
Written at the outset of the Second World War, John Ireland’s ‘Concertino Pastorale’ of 1939 was written for the Canterbury Festival while the composer was residing in Deal, Kent.
It was into this emotionally charged atmosphere that the piece came about; Ireland writing in April 1939: “I am having a hellish time trying to concoct a suite for string orchestra, with no ideas at all…I do not see how anyone with any sensibility can compose music in the present world-atmosphere…”
Following the first performance, the composer received many letters of gratitude for his new composition in an outpouring of sentiment and this lyrical, pastoral and virtuosic work has continued to be widely performed ever since.
Conductor Janet Lincé commented: “When I was planning this programme I was looking for a companion piece for Britten’s ‘Les Illuminations’ and a link to Elgar. Up popped Ireland’s ‘Concertino’ which was written in the very same year as the Britten and which also contains elements of Elgar’s melodic style. I was especially pleased that Erica Eloff, with her brilliant voice, was free to come and sing the Britten.”
Corona, formed in 2012, led by Catherine Leech, is a professional string orchestra based mainly in and around Oxford and known as a flexible and vibrant ensemble which includes a fine group of ‘period’ instrument players at its core. Repertoire showcases many of the standard classical works and the players share a particular enjoyment for programming pieces by home-grown composers.
St John’s Church, Iffley Road, Oxford provides a warm, comfortable venue with a superb acoustic for these vibrant and atmospheric works.
