New Bristol Sinfonia - Archive

©Rob Townley

Music in celebration of St Valentine's Day!
Also introducing Bryony Soothill, winner of the 2008 Rotary Young Musicians' Competition

New Bristol Sinfonia present an evening of romantic music.

Tonight’s concert includes four contrasting pieces of music chosen to set a romantic mood. Having read the play of Romeo and Juliet, Tchaikovsky took it as his destiny to write a new opera based on this tragic story. However he only managed to create the Fantasy Overture and never wrote a full opera. Opening with a quiet chorale of clarinets and bassoons, the piece continues with prayer-like calmness. But before long, the theme becomes more agitated signalling the Capulets and Montagues at war with each other. The cor anglais sounds the love theme, but this is eventually overwhelmed by the feudal theme bringing the piece to its climax before the death knell and dark, chromatic bass proclaiming the tragedy of the lovers’ deaths.

Set in Seville, Spain, around 1830, Bizet’s opera Carmen concerns the beautiful and fiery gypsy - Carmen. Somewhat free with her affections, she initially woos Don Jose who turns his life upside down to be with her. Inevitably, Carmen’s fickle eye is then drawn elsewhere, to the bullfighter Escamillo, but her betrayal leads a jealous Don Jose to murder her. This suite consists of six excerpts from the opera including Preludes to several of the opera’s Acts and the famous "Les Toreadors" introduction to Act 1.

Khachaturian’s Spartacus Suite No. 2 was created as one of four suites taken from his original ballet score and this second suite is most memorable for the love scene between Spartacus and Phrygia. The background of the story involved the fate of Spartacus, a rebel slave who leads a revolt against his Roman captors, only to be betrayed and brought down. The opening piece in Suite No. 2 is perhaps most famously known as the opening theme for the television series "The Onedin Line".

Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story is a big-city adaptation and more modern-day representation of the story of Romeo and Juliet, set to the background of feuding gangs in west-side Manhatten. Three years after its debut, Bernstein created the orchestral suite which follows the principal themes of the drama and includes the musicals most famous songs and dances including "Somewhere", "Maria", "Mambo", "Cha-cha" and a recapitulation of the "Finale".

Concert

Date: Saturday 14 February, 2009
Time: 7.30pm

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

Programme:

• Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture
• Bizet: Carmen Suite No. 1
• Ravel: Cinq melodies populaires grecques
• Khachaturian: Spartacus Suite No. 2
• Rachmaninoff: Vocalise
• Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story

Conductor: James Lowe
Soprano: Bryony Soothill, winner of the 2008 Rotary Young Musicians' Competition

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