Past concerts

Tickets: £17, £15, £10 (concessions £3 off)

Finland’s early history is characterised by Russian domination. Sibelius was an ardent nationalist, and his music became a rallying cry for the Finnish people in their fight for linguistic, cultural and political independence. One of his earliest pieces was the incidental music for a patriotic play performed by students in Karelia. In 1896 Sibelius took three of these pieces and mashed them together into the Karelia Orchestral Suite you will hear this evening. A few years later, Sibelius began sketching the First Symphony. Ironically, many have pointed out how Russian this symphony is - borrowing much from Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. However, this symphony, like Finlandia composed that same year, is far from Russian - it is fiercely nationalistic and patriotic. Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 1 was Nordic inspired. He adapted the entire musical structure of the outer movements of the Grieg Piano Concerto to create it in 1891. This Concerto lived in the shadow of his later concerti, but in recent years, consensus has been building that this neglect is unjust. Although it does not have the great themes and orchestration of the later concerti, the First is a lively, ebullient work that brimming with youthful enthusiasm, and it has gradually taken its place in the concert pianist repertoire.

At our next concert, we shall we raising money for the Royal Free Hospital Quiet Cancer Therapy Appeal. This is devoted to research into Neuroendocrine cancers.

Although they are relatively uncommon, these cancers are particularly difficult to treat as in most cases, the sufferer has no symptoms until they have reached an advanced stage so the prognosis is poor. In comparison to many other cancers, little is known about them, and much basic research is still needed into their causes, the identification of those at risk, and the optimum treatment.

Tickets: £22, £18, £14 (concessions £3 off)

To reserve tickets
Email: tickets@corinthianorchestra.org.uk

Jean-Philippe Rameau is one of the orchestral world's neglected masters. Although he is acknowledged as one of the most important and influential composers of French baroque music, modern symphony orchestras today rarely play his music. So, we are really pleased to play for you this evening some instrumental selections from Les Boréades (The Descendants of Boreas) an opera in five acts by this composer.

Mendelssohn’s violin concerto needs little introduction.  The concerto turned out to be Mendelssohn’s last orchestral work and a powerhouse finale to a career burdened by the promise of spectacular early accomplishment.

We conclude this evening’s concert with Beethoven's Second Symphony.  Written mostly during his stay at Heiligenstadt in 1802, it was a time when his deafness was becoming more apparent and he began to realise that it might be incurable. Paradoxically, "this Symphony is smiling throughout" (as Hector Berlioz remarked) and will be a relatively light-hearted and humorous end to this evening’s concert.