Spring Concert: the Elements

Cheltenham Philharmonic Orchestra presentsSpring Concert: The ElementsVaughan Williams: The Lark AscendingViolin: Herbie Urquhart-Dixon - Gloucestershire Young Musician of the Year 2026Dvorak: The Water GoblinSmyth: The Wreckers OvertureNielsen: Symphony No 4 “Inextinguishable”Our spring programme explores the natural world and the elements, framing both the serene and the turbulent ways nature has inspired composers.At the heart of the programme is Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, consistently voted one of the nation’s favourite pieces of classical music.

Its soaring, bird-like violin solo captures the English countryside with timeless beauty.

We are thrilled to welcome violinist Herbie Urquhart-Dixon, winner of the Gloucestershire Young Musician of the Year 2026, as our soloist for this iconic work.Contrasting with this familiar favourite are three works that showcase the dramatic forces of nature.

Ethel Smyth’s powerful Overture to The Wreckers opens the concert with evocative images of the stormy Cornish coast.

We also perform Dvořák’s rarely heard tone poem The Water Goblin, which combines his characteristic melodic warmth with a darker folk narrative based on Czech mythology.

The concert concludes with Carl Nielsen’s extraordinary Symphony No. 4 (“The Inextinguishable”), a driving, dramatic work that features a famous battle between two sets of timpani placed at opposite sides of the orchestra.Please note: The bar and venue will be accessible 45mins before the performance.

Tickets will be available to purchase on the door.

Drinks may be pre-ordered for the interval.