new bristol sinfonia

Next concert:
Saturday 17th November 2007

Such supple and rich string-playing, expressive woodwind ... the mellow tone of the brass and the energetic skill of the percussion would please any professional outfit.
Click here to read a 5-star review of our recent 10th Anniversary concert.

New Bristol Sinfonia present an evening of Russian and French favourites!

Tonight’s concert is the last concert of 2007 and is full of musical favourites. Mussorgsky’s "Night on a Bare Mountain" is our first piece and was inspired by Russian folklore and tales of midsummer night with its witches, sorcerers and evil spirits gathering on Bare Mountain. Orchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov after Mussorgsky’s death, the piece creates supernatural atmospheres, images of demonic wild revelry and a hauntingly beautiful quiet ending where a church bell announces the arrival of dawn.

Next on the programme are 3 excerpts from Ravel’s orchestrated piano work "3 Miroirs". Alborada del Gracioso ("Morning Song of a Jester") is first and is characterised as one "in which the dry and biting virtuosity is contrasted, Spanish-wise, with the swooning flow of the lovelorn melodic line which interrupts the angry buzzing of guitars". "Une Barque sur l’Ocean" follows with "La Vallee des Cloches" depicting Parisian church bells fading into the distance.

Debussy - "Preludes" is third on the programme, orchestrated by Colin Matthews. There were originally 24 piano preludes, and in 2001 Mark Elder (conductor with the Halle Orchestra) asked Colin Matthews to orchestrate them all. These are not however note for note transcriptions, indeed Colin Matthews has modified rythmns, added a few newly composed sections and transposed keys. In the process he has created a whole new suite for orchestra which truly keeps to the spirit of Debussy’s composition. Tonight we are playing four of the preludes - "Hommage a S. Pickwick Esq"; "Le Vent dans la Plaine"; "La Fille aux Chevaux de Lin" and "General Lavine - excentric".

Our final work tonight is Mussorgsky’s - "Pictures at an Exhibition". Originally composed as a suite for piano, we are playing Ravel’s more famous orchestrated 1922 version. Mussorgsky composed the work after sinking into a deep depression after the death of his friend, the painter Victor Hartmann. A year after the artist’s death, a memorial exhibition of 400 of his paintings was held, and Mussorgsky’s visit to the display, combined with his desire to compose a piece in his friend’s memory, led to the creation of "Pictures at an Exhibition". It is a majestic piece with dynamic and menacing portraits of Russian folklore, finishing off with The Great Gate at Kiev, which has few rivals for sheer orchestral spectacle.

Concert

Date: Saturday 17 November, 2007

Programme:

• Mussorgsky : Night on a Bare Mountain (orch. Rimsky-Korsakov)
  
• Ravel: 3 Miroirs (orch. Ravel and Clarke)
  
• Debussy: Preludes (orch. Matthews)
  
• Mussorgsky : Pictures at an Exhibition (orch. Ravel)
  

Conductor: Mark Heron

Time: 7.30pm

Venue: Victoria Rooms, Clifton, Bristol. Click here for a map

Tickets:
We recommend booking in advance with our Box Office: 0117 983 5922. (Cheques are accepted and there is no booking fee.) Pre-booked tickets will be posted to you or can be picked up at the door.

Most seats for this concert are numbered and can be reserved in advance. Click here to see a seating plan of the Victoria Rooms. Use the Back button on your browser to return to this page. The Box Office can advise on which seats are available and which have the best view.

The ticket prices are:

• £13 (£11 concessions) balcony
• £10 adults (£8 concessions) stalls
• £5 students
• £2 children/school parties

Pre-concert talk:
Mark will be presenting a pre-concert talk at 6.45pm. This is open to all and entry is free.