Lark symphony announces start of fall season for Ripon Orchestra
IN its first performance since the UK’s lockdown in March 2020, the Ripon’s St Cecilia Orchestra will return to Ripon Cathedral on Saturday October 2, with two back-to-back concerts.
The hour-long program will combine Wagner Siegfried Idyll’s magnificent symphonic poem and Beethoven’s Light Symphony No.8 with Vaughan-Williams’ The Lark Ascending, which in April of this year topped the Hall of Fame Classic chart. FM for the 11th record time.
Renowned soloist and chamber musician and first violinist of the Oculi Ensemble, violinist Charlotte Scott, will join St Cecilia in the Vaughan-Williams.
A century after its first performance in the orchestral version, The Lark Ascending continues to engage and captivate audiences with its rising violin lines, mimicking the flight of the lark.
The mood of the music is both nostalgic and uplifting, filled with echoes of the folk music Vaughan-Williams loved and evoking breathtaking images of the English countryside.
Charlotte said: “It’s always a joy to be invited to play The Lark Ascending. I love to look every time I play this masterpiece for new colors and lines in the music that truly represent the Lark and its surrounding nature – the possibilities are endless. I’m so excited to come back to explore and play with Xen and St Cecilia Orchestra. ”
The Wagner and the Beethoven, two gems of the orchestral repertoire, represent a more intimate performance than one might usually see by Saint Cecilia in Ripon Cathedral, which last year saw the performance of the second epic symphony of Mahler.
With the current climate in mind, the safety of the audience and the orchestra is at the forefront of concert planning and a slightly shorter concert with no intervals or rehearsals to allow for greater social distancing will help reassure members of the concert hall. audience in their return to live music. .
The orchestra members are eager to resume the music they love after such a long interval, under the expert guidance of conductor, Xenophon Kelsey. Xen, who founded the orchestra and has been with them throughout its 26-year history, is also excited to be back.
” I look forward ! ” he said. “It’s going to be fantastic to see our wonderful players back together after 18 months without concerts. We’re going to love performing these great works and I’m sure audiences will love it too – don’t miss it!
The performance hours are 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available online at www.st-cecilia.org.uk, at the Little Ripon bookstore and at Henry Roberts and at the door.
