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Sinfonia Viva in Derby

Monday 23rd April 2012 at 7.30pm
Talking Music from 6.30pm
Assembly Rooms, Derby
Tickets: £15 to £28
Box Office: 01332 255800

Nicholas Collon - credit Benjamin Ealovega

It's St.George's Day and there's more than a little English composing talent featured in tonight's concert in which Sinfonia Viva conducted by Nicholas Collon is joined by Richard Watkins (Horn) and *Ed Lyon (Tenor).

Berlioz' wonderful homage to the Shakespeare play ranks highly among his greatest works and was sparked by him attending a performance of Romeo & Juliet in 1827. With libretto by Émile Deschamps, the work took until 1838 to complete, a time at which Berlioz' influence was at its pinnacle, and received its premiere in November 1839. Britten's gorgeous Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings came about following a request by Dennis Brain, the accomplished horn player, for the composer to write something for him after the two met following Britten's return to England from the States in 1942. Taking a range of poems about evening and nightime as its inspiration, the work epitomises Britten's skillful melding of artforms. On to William Walton, whose second world war activity involved working for the Ministry of Information's film unit producing soundtracks for motivational films. In this capacity, the Two Pieces from Henry V featured this evening came about as part of Laurence Oliver's 1944 version of the Shakespeare play, which itself became one of the most famous of the unit's films. The wartime years also played a part in our final piece tonight. Vaughan Williams composed his Symphony No.5 over a five-year period from 1938-43. The work marks a departure from the strident nature of his previous symphony in favour of a more gentle and melodic stance.

Join Sinfonia Viva for an evening of truly beautiful classics.

Supported by Rolls-Royce plc, Derby City Council, Derby LIVE, Orchestras Live and Arts Council England.

*Ed Lyon replaces Allan Clayton in tonight's concert due to ill health.