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Details
St Matthew's Church
Cottingwood Road
Northampton
Northamptonshire
NN1 4RY
England
Tickets
Prices: Adult £15, Concession £12, 18 and under £5
Book Tickets
Programme
Dmitry Shostakovich – Symphony No. 9 in E♭ major, Op.70
Ruth Gipps – Oboe Concerto, Op.20
Malcolm Arnold – Little Suite no.3 'Manx Suite', Op.142
Malcolm Arnold – Philharmonic Concerto, Op.120
Malcolm Arnold – The Sound Barrier
Dmitry Shostakovich – Festive Overture in A major, Op.96
Performers
John Gibbons – Conductor
Emmet Byrne – oboe
Northampton Symphony Orchestra
Other concerts in this Series (+)
Programme Note
The Northampton Symphony Orchestra presents a rousing celebration of orchestral music by Malcolm Arnold alongside two of his fellow-composers and performed under the baton of the orchestra’s musical director and life-long Arnold champion John Gibbons.
An evening of high-octane performances is promised featuring the composer’s characteristic themes from the film soundtrack to ‘The Sound Barrier’; alongside his final work, Little Suite No.3, entitled ‘Manx’, which incorporates traditional tunes from the Isle of Man. The Philharmonic Concerto – a three-movement orchestral showpiece featuring a wealth of percussion including bongos, tam-tam, side drum and tambourine – is performed to mark the 250th anniversary this year of the American Declaration of Independence.
Alongside these works will be the spirited Oboe Concerto by Ruth Gipps, written when the composer was just 20 years old and studying under the legendary Léon Goossens at the Royal College of Music, where Malcolm Arnold was a fellow student. As a fine oboist herself, the work demonstrates Gipps’ deep understanding and technical mastery of the instrument and reflects the expressive, lyrical style inspired by her teacher. For this performance, the oboe soloist will be the CBSO’s Principal Second Oboe, Emmet Byrne.
Two contrasting works by Dmitri Shostakovich bookend the programme: the exuberant Festive Overture and satirical Symphony No. 9 - a piece famously banned in Soviet Russia until 1955. Acknowledging the composer’s creative influence and shared sentiment, Arnold viewed the symphony as a masterclass in artistic defiance, declaring “we’re kindred souls in a very rough barbaric world.”
Earlier, Julian Lloyd Webber launches a day of live performances of Arnold’s music for strings, wind and brass at Cripps Hall in the composer’s hometown, to include the Cello Fantasy played by Jiaxin Cheng Lloyd Webber. Guest artists include the Albion Symphony Orchestras. Enjoy access to all the daytime concerts by purchasing a low cost day pass, with the evening concert priced separately. Find full details of all concert on Classical Events.
The festival continues with a live-stream on Sunday 1st November presenting a programme themed around Malcolm Arnold's music of 1956 and a discovery of his piano repertoire.
