Featured works in this concert include Brahms’s wonderfully dramatic 'Tragic' Overture, and a work that has often been voted the finest symphony of the 20th century; Sibelius’s evocative Symphony No 5, its final movement inspired by the sight of migrating swans over a Finnish landscape - always an unforgettable experience for the listener.
"Over the last several seasons, the music of Sibelius has taken an ever-more-prominent place in our repertoire," says conductor Kenneth Woods. "Every time one of these great symphonies comes around in our schedule, I think we all feel that it will be a highlight of the year." The English Symphony Orchestra is currently in the midst of recording the complete symphonies of Sibelius on ESO Digital Records.
A much loved favourite from the repertoire, made famous in more recent years by the 'Morecambe and Wise' comic sketch featuring André Previn, is Grieg’s Piano Concerto, which forms the centrepiece of this afternoon concert and is to be performed by Japanese pianist Noriko Ogawa, making her first appearance at Cheltenham's prestigious venue.
Noriko Ogawa has achieved considerable renown throughout the world since her success at the Leeds International Piano Competition, appearing with many of the major European, Japanese and US orchestras, and has been hailed as "one of the finest pianists currently on the circuit", by Guy Rickards, (Musical Opinion), following her previous performance with the English Symphony Orchestra.
Firmly established as ‘The International Orchestra of Elgar country’, the English Symphony Orchestra, under their Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, Kenneth Woods, has become synonymous with artistic excellence, innovative and visionary programming, distinctive commissioning, ground-breaking recording, a welcoming and immersive concert experience, transformative youth programmes and service to the community.
Each year, the English Symphony Orchestra headlines an ambitious series of concerts in Worcester, Malvern, Hereford, and across the Midlands’ region and as far as Oxford, Bristol and London. Full details of the orchestra’s current schedule can be found on their website.