An eclectic mix of musical morsels combine to make a wonderfully appetising whole, in this evening with Sheffield Chamber Orchestra.
Rossini had an amazing gift for writing catchy memorable tunes and his Overture to the Barber of Seville is stuffed full of them — some of which are instantly recognisable. Few will have heard, or heard of the second piece Mina. Mina was Elgar's cairn terrier and this is his hymn of thanks to her. Caplet composed his Suite Persane in response to the Exposition Universelle held in Paris in 1889 evoking the foreign, exotic lands which he encountered at the Expo. Next is Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence which seems to have been inspired by Italy's sunny climes. The string section plays the 2nd Movement with its mellifluous and richly romantic main theme. The first half closes with Rachmaninov’s Scherzo in D minor.
After the interval another well-known piece, Handel’s Suite #2 in D from the Water Music. It was composed at the request of King George I who wanted a concert on the River Thames, and Handel obliged him with this masterpiece. Next comes Svendsen’s Romance where the soloist tonight is the orchestra's leader Ralph Dawson. They've chosen Mozart’s 31st Symphony – Paris for the grand finale – notable for having an unusually large instrumentation for its time and the first symphony where he used clarinets.
The full programme for the evening:
Rossini Overture Barber of Seville
Elgar Mina
Caplet Suite Persane (2nd and 3rd Movements)
Tchaikovsky Souvenir der Florence (2nd Movement)
Rachmaninov Scherzo in D minor
INTERVAL
Handel Water Music
Svendsen Romance
Mozart symphony 31 Paris
