Welcome to Rhapsody of the Firebird, the finale of Southampton University Symphony Orchestra's 2017/18 season. To round off its 98th year, Southampton University Symphony Orchestra will be performing five pieces which perfectly showcase the talent of musicians within the University.
Beginning the programme with Brahms’s ever-loved Academic Festival Overture, Southampton University Symphony Orchestra is setting you up for a sensational finale!
Rhapsody of Chaos is a world-premiere piece by Southampton University Symphony Orchestra's composer-in-residence, Alga Mau. As he reflects on his time with the orchestra, he transports the audience on a musical journey of excerpts from just some of the pieces the orchestra has performed over the last four years. Including Borodin’s Second Symphony, Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody and Mahler’s Sixth Symphony, Alga’s skill with composition and arrangement is to be marvelled as he combines seemingly incompatible pieces and turns them into his very own work-of-art. See how many pieces you can recognise!
Following on from this, Goossen’s Oboe Concerto provides complete contrast to Mau’s varying musical styles. Henrietta Cooke’s virtuosic playing recalls the perfect image of British summer time.
Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 encompasses the best of folk music from eastern Europe. However, it is more well-known from its frequent use in the Tom and Jerry cartoon sketches by Hanna and Barbera.
Known as one of the most notoriously difficult pieces in popular orchestral music, Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite is the definition of a masterpiece. Featuring an iconic french horn solo, the technical skill required for each player is something to marvel. The Firebird carries the audience above the clouds, through the sky into a magnificent climax.