Cheltenham Concert Series 2017-2018 Concert Series brochure_2017-2018_DPS FOR WEB | Page 6

2018
BBC NATIONAL ORCHESTRA OF WALES
Friday 19 January 2018, 7.30pm, Cheltenham Town Hall Sunday 11 February 2018, 3pm, Cheltenham Town Hall
Against the backdrop of the birth of the
modern orchestra, in Mannheim around 1750,
Czech composer, Johann Stamitz, wrote what
is probably history’s earliest clarinet concerto.
This milestone work is the first of two from
tonight’s Austrian soloist, Andreas Ottensamer.
The second comes from Carl Stamitz,
continuing where his father left off, by further
developing both clarinet writing and classical
structure in his concerto, with its broad
symphonic style and thematic progression. clarinets for added textural timbre. The finale,
which Mozart marked ‘as fast as possible’,
bubbles over with comic vivaciousness. A feast of Scandinavian fervour and colour runs
through all the works In tonight’s programme,
ranging from the stirring to the surprisingly playful.
It was with his simultaneously airy and
dramatic Fifth Symphony that Dvořák left
his apprenticeship behind him and attained
not only symphonic mas tery but also the
individual style - emblematic of his Bohemian
roots - that makes him so popular. Sibelius will no doubt go down in history as
Scandinavia’s greatest musical export, and three of
his finest works dominate this dramatic concert. His
patriotic side comes to the fore in his most anthemic
tone poem, the massively popular Finlandia, and
then again in his Fifth Symphony, a glorious paean
to nature and the countryside of his homeland.
The evening opens with the brilliant ‘Haffner’,
with its sweeping first movement containing
just one real theme and innovative use of
Pre-Concert Talk (6.30pm to 7pm):
Presented by a member of the BSO team.
Free entry using your ticket for tonight’s
concert.
The first half balances Finnish fervour with music
on a Danish theme, starting with a suite of light
incidental pieces for a play about Christian II, the
16th century Danish king, paired with the flute
concerto of Carl Nielsen, Denmark’s most celebrated
composer, whose concise and provocative work
keeps the afternoon’s playful mood alive.
There is no Pre-Concert Talk before this
afternoon’s performance.
CONDUCTOR
Thomas Søndergård
FLUTE
Matthew
Featherstone
SIBELIUS
Suite from King
Kristjan II
BOURNEMOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
NIELSEN
Flute Concerto
SIBELIUS
Finlandia
SIBELIUS
Symphony No.5
DRINKS & DINING
CONDUCTOR
Matthew Halls
CLARINET
Andreas Ottensamer
MOZART
Symphony No.35,
‘Haffner’
JOHANN STAMITZ
Clarinet Concerto in
B flat
CARL PHILIPP STAMITZ
Clarinet Concerto
in E flat
DVORÁK
Symphony No.5
6
September 2017 - June 2018
Enjoy a delicious meal of antipasti & prosecco before our concerts, served in the
Regency Café at Cheltenham Town Hall for only £9.95 per person.
Our Pillar Room Bar opens 45 minutes before each performance and offers a selection of drinks and
snacks. Don’t forget to order your interval drinks before the performance and they’ll be waiting for you.
TO BOOK call 0844 576 2210 * , or book online at
Cheltenhamtownhall.org.uk
Please ensure that you have purchased/booked your concert ticket separately. Pre-performance dining does not include entry to events.
* Charges to 0844 numbers cost 7p per minute, plus your telephone company’s access charge and mobile providers may vary.
September 2017 - June 2018
7