Classical February Warwickshire.qxp_Layout 1 20/01/2022 14:35 Page 2
Classical music from across the region...
Classical
Orchestra of the Swan: Loops And Verses Stratford Play House, Stratford-upon-Avon, Tues 8 February
Chineke! Orchestra Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Wed 23 February “Chineke! is not only an exciting idea but a profoundly necessary one,” says Sir Simon Rattle in talking about Europe’s first orchestra to feature a majority of black and minority ethnic musicians. “It’s the kind of idea which is so obvious that you wonder why it’s not already in place; the kind of idea which could deepen and enrich classical music in the UK for generations. What a thrilling prospect!” Chineke! here present a programme
featuring Coleridge-Taylor’s dramatic and sweeping Othello Suite and Beethoven’s joyful Symphony No6 in F. The concert bill is completed by Edvard Grieg’s only Concerto. The piece was famously brought to wider public attention by a nowadays oft-repeated sketch from the 1971 Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show featuring composer/conductor Andre Previn (or Andrew Preview, as Eric & Ernie repeatedly referred to him throughout).
A familiar face on the Midlands classical music scene, celebrated pianist Peter Donohoe (pictured), here makes a welcome appearance to perform Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major. And there’s plenty more besides to enjoy in this Orchestra of the Swan concert, including Ralph Vaughan Williams’ thrilling Wasps Overture - a piece written after the composer had spent three months studying orchestration in the company of the aforementioned Ravel. Thomas Adès’ Three Studies From Couperin and John Adams’ Shaker Loops complete the programme.
Pražák String Quartet Royal Pump Rooms, Leamington Spa, Fri 25 February
Ex Cathedra: When A Child Is A Witness Coventry Cathedral, Sat 26 February
“When A Child Is A Witness is a full-concert piece by the Malvern-based composer Liz Johnson,” explains Ex Cathedra’s founder, Jeffrey Skidmore. “The work is a Requiem mass, here sung by Ex Cathedra, that has five meditations between movements of the Requiem that are deliberately left empty. These meditations - or ‘windows’ - are for
local groups to create and perform their own contributions, which are curated into the final performance by the composer. “The contributions are not necessarily musical - they may be spoken word, dance or even cookery that connect to the message of the piece. “It’s a compelling, emotional work that conveys the suffering endured by refugees and carries a strong message of hope, shared ground and common aspiration.”
Pražák’s scheduled Spring 2020 Leamington concert bit the dust as a result of the first Covid lockdown, so it’s good to see them paying a visit to the town this month. Established way back in the mists of the mid-1970s and nowadays considered to be one of the Czech Republic's premiere chamber ensembles, the quartet are here presenting a programme that features: Suk’s Meditation; Janáček’s Quartet No1, The Kreutzer Sonata; the UK première of Karel Janovický’s Quartet No4; and Dvořák’s Quartet In G.
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