Aylesbury Symphony Orchestra Spring Concert 2026

For our spring concert we are delighted to present our very own Rebecca Sackman-Smith (cello) and Liz Drabble (oboe) as soloists for Zipoli's "Elevazione". Born in Tuscany in 1688, Domenico Zipoli studied with the music director of the cathedral in Florence and was then sent by the Archduke to study with Alessandro Scarlatti in Naples, whom he soon left on account of strong differences of opinion. The Sonata dIntavolatura per Organo e Cimbalo , from which Elevazione is taken, was published in 1716. In April of the following year, he went as a missionary with a number of Jesuits to Paraguay and took residence in Cordoba, studying theology and philosophy. His fame and artistic influence spread rapidly, and he received many commissions for church music from may countries.
The concert will start with Dvorak's exciting Scherzo Capriccioso, followed by Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite No. 1.
After the interval, we will perform Glazunov Symphony No. 5. Premiered in St. Petersburg in 1895 with the composer conducting, the symphony successfully synthesises Nationalist tradition with sophisticated Western technique. A rich and imaginative work, it is filled with striking ideas presented with beautiful craftsmanship.