This February, the Cambridge University Orchestra, under the baton of Duncan Ward, presents a concert of Rachmaninov and Stravinsky, featuring symphonic invocations of dance in the form of two breath-taking meditations on life, death, and history. Ward, known for his balance of verve and composure, has recently conducted orchestras including Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and the major symphony orchestras of the BBC.
Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances, his final composition, melds themes from Rachmaninov’s earlier works, traditional religious motifs including the Dies Irae, rhythmic vivacity and physicality, and lush harmonies.
Few pieces of classical music, and fewer from the twentieth century, are as famous or as famously shocking as Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. Depicting rituals for welcoming spring that culminate in a young woman dancing herself to death as sacrificial victim, Rite showcases Stravinsky’s experimentations in rhythm and tonality melded with hauntingly beautiful melodies like the opening bassoon line.
Truly a concert of masterworks!