Philharmonia Chamber Players: Theseus

Enjoy a free concert programmed and performed by members of the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Arnold Bax’s love for Irish landscape led him to compose the heartfelt Quintet for harp and strings, evocative of the sights and sounds of a visit to the country after the First World War.

Next, discover the music of Canadian composer and environmentalist Raymond Murray Schafer. Theseus opens with a lingering, mysterious note held by the bowed strings, perhaps depicting Ariadne’s guiding thread in the Minotaur’s labyrinth. Then follows a dramatic journey in which Schafer explores the harp’s full breadth of sound, from lush glissandos and delightful plucked melodies to passages where the strings are hit with a stick for a powerful, dramatic effect.

Free, no ticket required