For their next concert the Alderley Edge Orchestra, under the baton of Richard Howarth, takes to the high seas for some romance and adventure.
On Saturday March 4th, they will be hoping for a "Calm Sea and a Prosperous Voyage" with a Mendelssohn concert overture of that name. This is a beautiful piece, perhaps less often played than some of Mendelssohn's works, based on two poems by Goethe and an earlier piece by Beethoven.
Richard commented "We will hope for a safe arrival in port, announced by a trumpet fanfare at the end of the piece!"
The excitement then mounts as sails are set for the Orient with Rimsky-Korsakov's momentous work, Scheherazade. Loosely based on tales from The Arabian Nights, the solo violin, played by orchestra leader Shahla Armitage evokes the beautiful concubine weaving stories nightly to beguile the Sultan and delay her execution. But as Richard says, "The listener can conjure up their own narrative with the music suggesting all manner of situations such as Sinbad's ship at sea, evil jiins and menacing forces at work!"
The orchestra then puts in to port, as the brilliant fifteen year old pianist, Elias Ackerley, plays the romantic 2nd Piano Concerto, written by Chopin when he was twenty. This is a beautiful, lyrical piece. Richard tells us "Of course there was a lady involved! Chopin idolized her from afar and without doubt this must have inspired the musical outpouring."
The concert takes place at 7.30pm on Saturday 4th March at the Alderley Edge Methodist Church, SK9 7DU. So to book your passage – 1st Class seats £10 and steerage at only £1 (for the under 18s) phone 01625 581321, online at www.aeorchestra.org.uk or at the door.
Guest post by Helen Hall.
