Sudbury Symphony Orchestra Concert

6 pm on Sunday 2nd July at St Gregory’s Church in Sudbury

Sudbury Symphony Orchestra is delighted to announce that their next concert will be on Sunday 2nd July at 6 pm in St Gregory’s Church in Sudbury. The two principal works for the evening are Mozart’s 3rd Horn Concerto and Méhul’s 1st Symphony. Mozart’s Third Horn Concerto is a real concert favourite, with a wonderful slow movement and a very jolly and witty hunting horncall of a finale. The soloist for the evening is the orchestra’s very own Robert Spivey, twice Mayor of Sudbury and a player in many local orchestras. The other main work for the evening is by Étienne Méhul, considered a master composer in France who should be much better known over here. His first symphony is a great piece, full of exciting and full throated driving lines. Other pieces for the concert include the Dances from Delibes’ Le Roi S’Amuse and Fauré’s Pavane, a beautiful, if far too short, piece, full of unspoken longing.

Robert has been performing with the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra for close on twenty years and plays with many other local orchestras including Ely Sinfonia, Colchester Symphony, Suffolk Sinfonia and Wolsey Orchestra. His musical talent was identified as soon as he started playing the French Horn at the age of 11. After leaving school and going to university though Robert left the horn behind and did not take it up again for over 30 years. When he did take it up again he got lucky, he found a fantastic teacher in Jonathan Lipton of the Guildhall School of Music and a wonderful local accompanist, Ian Flowers. Jonathan is still guiding Robert in developing his playing but sadly Ian died a few years ago. Robert has asked that this concert is dedicated to the memory to Ian and his wife Sheila without whose support and encouragement he would not be the player he is now.

Étienne Méhul was a contemporary of Beethoven and their styles are not too different, full of strong and exciting passages. In France Méhul was particularly famous for his operas but tonight though we perform his 1st Symphony which was written at the same time as Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. Both symphonies are dramatic and full of tension and we are pretty sure this will be the first time ever this work has been performed in Sudbury. So do come and be part of this historic event!

This will be a wonderfully enjoyable evening of music, do come and enjoy. For all information about the concert please go to www.sudburysymphonyorchestra.com