New Bristol Sinfonia - Archive

©Rob Townley

Saturday 15th October 2011

Tonight’s concert begins with Scenes Historiques by Jean Sibelius. This work is composed of two suites dating from 1899 and 1912 respectively. The first suite contains three pieces - All’ Overtura, Scène and Festivo. These were taken from music written for a patriotic pageant at a time of increasing nationalism in Sibelius’ native Finland. The work "Finlandia" was also included in this pageant, but published separately later on. The second, later suite consists of a further three pieces - The Chase, Love-Song and At the Drawbridge. This suite was written at the same time as his fourth symphony and the tone poem "The Bard", echoes of which can be heard in the atmospheric passages for the harp in "Love Song" and at the end of "At the Drawbridge".

Our second piece is the Violin Concerto by Alexander Glazunov. The Concerto is constructed as a single, 21-minute span of music in which all four movements seemlessly flow on from each other without pause. The slow second movement is found in the middle of the first movement, a rare structural peculiarity of the work. The showy cadenza at the end of the second movement utilizes extensive double-stopping technique and shows off Glazunov’s technically brilliant writing style. The work is performed tonight by the internationally acclaimed violinist Daniel Bell. Hailed by The Times as "immediately and irresistibly engaging", Daniel has performed at major music festivals and in London at the Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room and Queen Elizabeth Hall. Since 2000, he has lived in Berlin and has toured many of the world’s music capitals as a member of the Petersen Quartet. In 2008 he was appointed a member of the Berlin Philharmonic, and we are honoured to be playing alongside him for tonight’s concert.

Our final work is Brahms Symphony No. 1. Despite plenty of encouragement from his friends, Robert and Clara Schumann, Brahms’ first symphony suffered a long gestation period. It evolved out of a piano sonata in 1858 but a complete sketch of the first three movements didn’t appear much before 1862. It wasn’t until 1876 that it was completed and first performed. However, it was met with some disappointment and considered too serious and lacking in melody. Brahms himself said at the time that "composing a symphony is no laughing matter" but his vision was greater than that of his audiences, and over time it has come to be one of the most popular symphonies in the orchestral repertoire. The first movement begins slowly, but is energized by the heart-beat of the timpani. The violins announce the main theme, but the horns pursue a new theme, which leads into a stormy development section. The second movement starts with a melancholy song in the violins, which leads through a syncopated middle section to the pastoral serenity of the brief third movement. The finale begins with an extended slow introduction, concluding with a noble chorale by the trombones and bassoons. The piece ends with a majestic coda in C major featuring the trombone chorale of the introduction.

Concert Details

Date: Saturday 15 October, 2011
Time: 7.30pm

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

Programme:

• Sibelius - Scenes Historiques
• Glazunov - Violin Concerto
• Brahms - Symphony No. 1

Violin: Daniel Bell
Conductor: James Lowe
Leader: Mark Bunker

Tickets:
We recommend booking in advance with our Box Office: 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:

• £15 (£13 concessions) balcony
• £11 adults (£9 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.