English Chamber Orchestra

Described by the American radio network CPRN as one of the world’s greatest 'living' orchestras the English Chamber Orchestra makes a welcome return with the insightful young conductor, Joseph Wolfe, at the helm. The concert opens with Samuel Barber’s most celebrated work, his luscious Adagio for Strings. Charismatic soprano Nadine Benjamin performs Barber’s mesmerising song Knoxville: Summer of 1915, a setting of James Agee’s poem of childhood reminiscences, and Mozart’s Ch’io mi scordi di te?, an independent aria that is unusually scored for soprano, piano and orchestra. Pianist Tom Borrow, a BBC New Generation Artist, also takes the solo role in Mozart’s uplifting Piano Concerto No 23. Wagner’s beautiful symphonic poem, Siegfried Idyll, was originally written as a private birthday gift for his beloved wife Cosima.