Philharmonia Chamber Players: Flamenco to Foxtrot

Ravel and Gershwin rub shoulders in this free performance showcasing the virtuosity of Philharmonia Orchestra’s wind section, bookended by two passionate pieces inspired by the landscape and culture of Spain.

The drama and passion of Albéniz’s Asturias kicks off our evening of concert classics arranged for wind ensemble by Philharmonia Principal Bassoon Robin O’Neill, ahead of the introspective mood of Ravel’s Pavane for a dead princess.

Inspired by the sound of jazz music, which had taken the world by storm in the 1920s, Gershwin’s Three Preludes and Ravel’s Five o’clock Fox-Trot from his opera L’enfant et les sortilèges weave syncopation and bluesy sounds into their charming music. Gershwin took this one step further in Walking the Dog, the most enduring number from hit Hollywood musical Shall we dance with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Finally, we return to the vivid Spanish flavours that opened our performance, in French composer Chabrier’s most enduring piece of music, España.

Free, no ticket required