New Bristol Sinfonia - Archive

Following unforseen circumstances, James Lowe now replaces Michael Wendeberg as conductor for this concert.

New Bristol Sinfonia present their third concert of 2006

Tonight's performance begins with Ravel's La Valse. Ravel composed the piece during 1919-1920 but had intended to compose it many years earlier. What he ended up writing was his Valses nobles et sentimentales; Ravel wanted to write the piece as a tribute to Johann Strauss and described the idea for the work as "a kind of apotheosis of the Viennese waltz, mingled in my mind with the idea of destiny's fantastic whirl." However, Ravel's intentions were skewed by the onslaught of the First World War and he no longer had such a kind view of Vienna. He returned to his concept of a Viennese waltz, however, La Valse is a more sinister and grotesque form than the whimsical idea he once had for it.

Berg wrote his Seven Early Songs for his future wife in 1907 and as such, they are amorous, dramatic and evocative tales of love and nature. They are undeniably influenced by Arnold Schoenberg, who was his tutor at the time but the writing also carries with it the heritage of Richard Strauss through the expansiveness of gesture and 'opening of new vistas'. Originally written for soprano and piano, they were revised and orchestrated in 1928 and the New Bristol Sinfonia is delighted to welcome Sri Lankan soprano Kishani Jayasinghe to perform these songs.

Sibelius wrote his first symphony when he was thirty-three, with his musical personality to some extent already formed. With his Finnish birth, it is not surprising that this should stand closer to the Russian than to the German symphonic tradition. There is little of Brahms or of Bruckner (except a comparable massive strength of utterance) and nothing recognisable of Mahler. There is, however, a debt which one can readily attribute to Tchaikovsky and to Borodin. Despite this, the first symphony discloses aspects of his personality that were to remain present throughout his symphonic career.

Concert

Date: Saturday 14 October, 2006

Programme:

• Ravel: La Valse
• Berg: Seven Early Songs
• Sibelius: Symphony No 1

Conductor: James Lowe
Soprano: Kishani Jayasinghe

Time: 7.30pm

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

Tickets:
We recommend booking in advance on our ticket hotline: "MusicBox" 01275 349010. (Cheques and all major credit and debit cards accepted, 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. The Box Office can advise on which seats are available and which have the best view.

The ticket prices are expected to be:

• £13 (£11 concessions) balcony
• £10 adults (£8 concessions) front stalls
• £7 adults (£5 concessions) rear stalls under the balcony (unreseved)
• £5 students, any seat
• £2 children/school parties, any seat

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

Supporting: St Peter's Hospice