New Bristol Sinfonia - Archive

©Rob Townley

New Bristol Sinfonia present an evening of inspiring music.

The Perfect Fool is a comic opera in one act, written in 1918 - 1922. The opera itself was not a great success, although the opening ballet has become a popular part of the orchestral repertoire. The ballet is danced by the Spirits of Earth, Water and Fire, and opens with a wizard (the trombone) summoning the Earth Spirits. Their awkward and clod-hopping dance eventually takes them back underground while the solo viola calls up the Spirits of Water “the essence of love distilled from Aether”. The Spirits of Fire then arrive abruptly and bring the ballet back to crackling life.

Our next piece is John Pickard’s “The Flight of Icarus”. The enduring Greek myth of the young man who built wings of wax and feathers, only to fly too near the sun and fall to his death, inspired the archlike structure of this piece. The themes of earth, air, fire and water again determine the character of the piece, with the ascent from the labyrinth, flight, then descent to the sea. After its US debut, the San Francisco Chronicle wrote of it as “a translucent and achingly lovely memorial to the fallan Icarus” and that the work was “a serious contender for the most exciting musical premiere of 2006”. Pickard wrote that his concern with writing the piece was “to say someting about the story’s timeless relevence; that human endeavour inevitably generates catastrophe. We rarely learn anything from such events, but simply try to put our lives back together and carry on as best we can”.

Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 7 was completed in 1952, only a year before his death. The piece is perhaps better known as the “Children’s Symphony” as it was premiered as part of a radio programme for children. It is simpler in style than his more usual dissonant work, and is nostalgic and melancholy in mood. A lively and energetic coda was added at one stage (so he could win the Stalin Prize and claw his way out of poverty) but before he died, he indicated the the original quiet ending was to be used. The piece was very well received, and indeed four years after Prokofiev’s death, the symphony was awarded the Lenin Prize.

Concert Details

Date: Saturday 10 October, 2009
Time: 7.30pm

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

Programme:

• Holst: Perfect Fool
• Pickard: Flight of Icarus
• Prokofiev: Symphony No 7

Conductor: James Lowe

Tickets:
We recommend booking in advance with our Box Office (PLEASE NOTE THE NEW NUMBER): 07796 573869.
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.