Sunday March 8th at 3.00pm
in the Georgian Theatre, Richmond
Prodigies and Whizz-Kids
How the great composers began
An afternoon of music by young musical geniuses aged between 12 and 20.
Mendelssohn at 10, Rossini at 12 and Mozart at 16 gave concerts, wrote literally hundreds of pieces. Gershwin earned $10,000 on Broadway aged 18. We played their astonishing music.
Rossini String Symphony No.2
Britten Simple Symphony
Mozart Divertimento in D major K136
Gershwin Lullaby
Mendelssohn Octet for 4 violins, 2 violas & 2 cellos
Sunday May 31st at 3.00pm St Mary's Church Richmond
Masterpieces for Strings, with a Twist
Fenella Humphreys and Philippa Mo (violins)
Grieg Holberg Suite
JS Bach Concerto for 2 Violins
Max Richter The Four Seasons Recomposed Soloist Fenella Humphreys
Directed by Philippa Mo
We were joined by not one but two international soloists to play a fabulous programme of string orchestra favourites. After Grieg and Bach’s much-loved classics came Max Richter’s ‘recomposing’ of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. An enthusiastic sell-out audience bore out what an extraordinary success the piece has been in its own right, and the resonant acoustics of St Mary's were the perfect setting.
Soloist Fenella Humphreys
The featured artist during the first week of the Swaledale Festival, Fenella also played her own brilliant jazz arrangement of The Four Seasons, and a recital that included The Lark Ascending. She also bought pop-up concerts to several unsuspecting local pubs!
Director Philippa Mo
She also gave a late-night recital in The Georgian Theatre Royal featuring Bach's Partita #2 in D minor (which includes the extraordinary Chaconne), and Missy Mazzoli's Break, O My Heart, a moving tribute to Bach's masterpiece.
The Orchestra
A programme featuring music by a living composer fulfilled one of the orchestra's USPs. Accompanying two top-flight violinists who are enjoying every moment of their Bach partnership was thrilling. All in all, something of a watershed in the RCO's development.