Havering Concert Orchestra is proud to present its spring concert 'A Journey to Fantastical Places'
Our 'Journey to Fantastical Places' starts by taking us to Rome. The date is 1532, and it's carnival time. Benvenuto Cellini is about to cast the famous statue of Perseus commissioned by the Pope, but nothing is easy.
Then we travel to Vienna in 1816 where the 19-year old Franz Schubert has just finished his lively, youthful and sweet 5th Symphony.
We continue our journey to the 'Paradise Garden' of Frederick Delius but, in this case, it is an inn where two star-crossed lovers meet before they take their own lives.
The end of our journey is in a garden full of stone statues. It's where the magical realm of Kostcheï the Immortal rules, transforming people into stone. Our hero, Prince Ivan, captures the fantastical Firebird, a powerful female spirit bird with magical feathers that provide beauty and protection. After granting her freedom, she gives him one of her magic feathers. This feather offers our hero the lifeline he needs to rescue the Princesses from the evil Kostcheï and to recall the Firebird to return the statues to life. Of course, Ivan marries one of the Princesses.
You can hear excerpts from all the above pieces by visiting our website.