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EMG Symphony Orchestra
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On Friday 3rd November join EMG SymphonyOrchestra and Music Director Leo Geyer at Exeter Cathedral for the orchestra’s 50th anniversary celebratory concert, generously supported by Exeter
City Council and Exeter Business Improvement District. This
promises to be a fabulous evening which is not to be missed!
This concert of English music opens with Sir Arnold Bax’s stormy
tone poem "Tintagel", followed by the
premiere of "Exeter Cityscapes", a
symphonic suite by local composer Alfie Pugh, which has been specially
commissioned to celebrate EMG’s 50th anniversary.
Alfie Pugh, an Exeter-based freelance musician, has
won multiple awards for composition including the Charities Philharmonia Young
Composer’s Competition 2011, and the Symphonic Wind Orchestra of North London’s
Composition Competition 2014. He has
enjoyed success working on the preservation of the music of Barry Gray, whose
soundtrack to Thunderbirds was recently rerecorded from scores partly prepared
by Alfie, and went to number one in the Japanese classical charts.
For the second half of the concert the orchestra is joined
by the EMG Singers under the baton of Associate Conductor Tony Hindley for Sir Hubert Parry’s "I Was Glad".
The concert concludes with Sir Edward Elgar’s "Enigma Variations", re-imagined for
chorus and orchestra by EMG Musical Director Leo Geyer, and featuring soloists Heloise West and Michael
Graham.
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| Leo Geyer (Photography: Nigel Cheffers-Heard) |
After completing the initially titled "Variations on an Original Theme", Elgar
resolved to add the title ‘Enigma’, suggesting that there is an enigmatic
secret hidden in the piece. During his lifetime he hinted at some clues to
solve the implied puzzle, and though various solutions were proposed, Elgar
accepted none and took the secret to the grave. Drawing on the commonly held
belief that the opening phrase of the theme mirrors the rhythm of Elgar’s name,
Leo’s re-imagining presents Elgar himself as the ‘Enigma’, an ideal artistic
genius, personified in the text of Arthur O’Shaughnessy’s "Ode", (the text Elgar used in his choral work "The Music Makers"). To complete the Enigma Variations puzzle, the chorus act as the missing piece,
singing the Ode to represent Elgar himself.
There will be a retiring collection in aid of Exeter Dementia Action Alliance, part of the national Dementia Action Alliance network,
which seeks to empower people living with dementia and their families, raise
awareness of dementia and is working towards making Exeter a dementia-friendly
city.
Tickets: £16, £13, £11 and £9
(student/U16 £5 for non-premium seats)
Available at the Cathedral Reception Desk (Main Entrance) on the night
Available at the Cathedral Reception Desk (Main Entrance) on the night
Advance Booking: Exeter Tourist Information, Dix’s Field, Exeter
(9.30am – 4.30pm, Monday – Saturday)
Online Booking: TicketSource
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