Your events at Classical Events
Details
St Peter's Church
Kensington Park Road
Notting Hill
London
W11 2PN
England
Tickets
Prices: £18, £13 concessions £8 Under 16s
Book Tickets
Programme
Pyotr Tchaikovsky – Romeo and Juliet (fantasia-overture), TH 42
Igor Stravinsky – Symphonies of Wind Instruments
~ Interval ~
Sergei Rachmaninov – Symphonic Dances, Op.45
Performers
Peter Stark – Conductor
Covent Garden Chamber Orchestra
Other concerts in this Series (+)
Programme Note
Join Covent Garden Chamber Orchestra for our final concert of the season, featuring an all-Russian programme conducted by the renowned Peter Stark. Peter is known for his expressive, audience-focused approach - under his baton performances are marked by energy, clarity and a compelling narrative flow.
Tchaikovsky’s Fantasy Overture “Romeo and Juliet” — a sweeping, passionate tone-poem — captures the drama of Shakespeare’s tragedy through rich orchestral colour and irresistible melodies. From the brooding, fate-laden opening to the ardent, lyrical love theme and the tempestuous conflict music, the overture balances tenderness and turmoil with vivid emotional clarity. A staple of the romantic repertoire, it offers audiences a powerful, evocative experience: love rendered in soaring strings, luminous woodwinds and driving brass, culminating in an unforgettable musical climax.
A concentrated, brilliant portrait of wind colour and rhythmic vitality: Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments compresses his razor‑sharp clarity and austere lyricism into a short, powerful essay. Scored for winds and brass with percussion, the work juxtaposes spare textures, haunting slow chorales and jagged, motoric figures to create an atmosphere at once mournful and fiercely modern. Intimate yet monumental, it rewards close listening with unexpected harmonies, incisive ensemble interplay and a dramatic sense of arching form — a masterly distillation of Stravinsky’s post‑war voice.
Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances conjure sweeping lyricism, rhythmic vigour and haunting nostalgia. Scored for vivid orchestral colours and a striking piano duet in the final movement, the work moves from brooding nocturnes through driving rhythms to a luminous, transcendent close. Passionate, cinematic and deeply theatrical, the Symphonic Dances offer an electrifying showcase for orchestra and conductor.
