University Symphony Orchestra at Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, York on Saturday 14th March 2026

University Symphony Orchestra

Part of the York Concerts 2025/2026 Cycle

Add to my Calendar 14-03-2026 19:00 14-03-2026 21:00 36 University Symphony Orchestra Carl Nielsen seeks to capture the full breadth of human nature in his Second Symphony of 1902, but this grand vision had more modest origins: it was prompted by a caricature of 'The Four Temperaments' on the wall of a village pub. Inspired by its exploration of the Ancient Greek notion of the four humours and their connection to character, the Danish composer evokes each – choleric, phlegmatic, melancholic, sanguine – across the four movements of this compelling work. An important figure in early twentieth-century French music, Albéric Magnard's orchestral elegy Chant funèbre was inspired by the death of his father, the well-known journalist Francis Magnard. The composer had a strained relationship with his father, blaming him for the death of his mother, who died by suicide when Magnard was four years old. Despite the work's notably sombre tone, Chant funèbre ends on a peaceful note, reflecting Magnard's deep grief over his father's death despite the tensions that had existed between them. There is also a striking resemblance between the conclusion of Chant funèbre and the final section of Strauss's tone poem Death and Transfiguration. As he ascends to the heavens, Magnard's father receives the redemption that the world had denied him. Magnard's own death while defending his family estate from German soldiers at the beginning of World War I motivated Charlotte Sohy to write her only symphony, subtitled Grande Guerre ('Great War'). Magnard was a close friend of Sohy and her husband, the French composer and conductor Marcel Labey. At times dark and brooding, and at others hopeful and longing, the Symphony was not performed during Sohy's lifetime, unlike her other orchestral works. It was not until over a century later that it received its world premiere, performed by the Orchestre de Besançon Franche-Comté in 2019. Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, York DD/MM/YYYY

Details

Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall
University of York
York
YO10 5DD
England

Saturday 14th March 2026
7:00 PM

Tickets

Prices: Tickets: £5 to £20, booking required
Booking line: 01904 322439
Book Tickets

Programme

Charlotte Sohy – Symphony in C-sharp minor, Op.10 (UK premiere)
Albéric Magnard – Chant funèbre, Op.9
Carl Nielsen – Symphony no.2 'The Four Temperaments', Op.16

Performers

University Symphony Orchestra

Other concerts in this Series (+)

Programme Note

Carl Nielsen seeks to capture the full breadth of human nature in his Second Symphony of 1902, but this grand vision had more modest origins: it was prompted by a caricature of 'The Four Temperaments' on the wall of a village pub. Inspired by its exploration of the Ancient Greek notion of the four humours and their connection to character, the Danish composer evokes each – choleric, phlegmatic, melancholic, sanguine – across the four movements of this compelling work.

An important figure in early twentieth-century French music, Albéric Magnard's orchestral elegy Chant funèbre was inspired by the death of his father, the well-known journalist Francis Magnard. The composer had a strained relationship with his father, blaming him for the death of his mother, who died by suicide when Magnard was four years old. Despite the work's notably sombre tone, Chant funèbre ends on a peaceful note, reflecting Magnard's deep grief over his father's death despite the tensions that had existed between them. There is also a striking resemblance between the conclusion of Chant funèbre and the final section of Strauss's tone poem Death and Transfiguration. As he ascends to the heavens, Magnard's father receives the redemption that the world had denied him.

Magnard's own death while defending his family estate from German soldiers at the beginning of World War I motivated Charlotte Sohy to write her only symphony, subtitled Grande Guerre ('Great War'). Magnard was a close friend of Sohy and her husband, the French composer and conductor Marcel Labey. At times dark and brooding, and at others hopeful and longing, the Symphony was not performed during Sohy's lifetime, unlike her other orchestral works. It was not until over a century later that it received its world premiere, performed by the Orchestre de Besançon Franche-Comté in 2019.

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