Salomon Past Concerts - 14th October 2003 

St John's Smith Square

Conductor Nicholas Braithwaite Soloist Christine Bunning

A holiday on the Italian Riviera was the inspiration for Elgar's concert overture In the South. We hear the might of the Roman empire contrasting with a Neapolitan love song.

Settings of Herman Hesse and Joseph von Eichendorff show Richard Strauss had retained his great skill to the end of his long life. The Four Last Songs are Spring, September, Falling Asleep, and Sunset.

Christine Bunning (soprano) has sung Lady Macbeth for the Royal Opera; Tosca, Mimi and Marjenka (The Bartered Bride) for Welsh National Opera; Miss Jessel, Thibault (Don Carlos), Mrs. Fiorentino (Street Scene), First Lay Sister (Suor Angelica) and Nella (Gianni Schicchi) for ENO; Katya for Opera North; Lady Billows and Sasha (The Electrification of the Soviet Union) for Glyndebourne; Donna Elvira for the Opera Factory; Violetta, Mother/Witch (Hänsel u. Gretel) for WNO National Tour. Recent engagements include Wanda in Sophie's Choice and the Overseer (Elektra) for the Royal Opera, and Lady Macbeth for Singapore Lyric Opera.

Eine Alpensinfonie is a vivid description of a journey starting and ending at night, climbing, reaching the summit and descending an Alpine mountain. Strauss lived in Garmische Partenkirchen and would have been inspired by the presence of Zugspitze in the distance. The very large orchestra includes 4 Wagner tubas, wind and thunder machines, cowbells, and off-stage there are scored a dozen horns with a brace of trumpets and trombones. 

Once this page is fully open you should hear the sunrise from our performance of Eine Alpensinfonie (users of the Firefox browser may need to find a plug in for background music).

©Salomon Orchestra

2006

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