Summer Sinfonia Concert

The years programme of orchestral concerts ends with a bang, with possibly the most famous pieces of music ever composed: BeethovensSymphony No.5 in C Minorbegins with a four note motif so vital and enigmatic that it has penetrated global culture; from being used to signal V for Victory at the end of the Second World War, to decades later adapted to be a number one disco hit, the cultural impact of this colossal work cannot be understated. For all its pomp and grandeur, the symphony was composed as a very personal response to the composers encroaching deafness; his resistance to fate knocking at the door. To depict this, Beethoven takes the audience on a thrilling journey from tragedy to triumph, a narrative that becomes the archetype for subsequent composers.
Narrative archetype provides the backbone for this concerts first half, which explores depictions of one of the most important components of any fairy tale; the princess. Tchaikovskys traditional approach to this elegant heroine can be seen in the bright waltzes of Sleeping Beauty, tinged with darkness in Swan Lake. A later, more exotic presentation is found in Stravinskys Firebird, while John Williams Princess Leias Theme for the Star Wars movies softens the edges of a character that subverts what one expects from a princess.