What's On

Programme

Igor Stravinsky Concerto in D for string orchestra ‘Basle’ ^
Benjamin Britten Lachrymae *
Rodion Shchedrin after Georges Bizet Carmen Suite for strings and percussion ⁺

Performers

Chris Hoyle ^, Alec Frank-Gemmill *, Benjamin Huth conductors
Zoe Beyers guest leader
Nobuko Imai viola *
Anthony Missen, Alice Bonazzi choreographers ⁺
Alice Bonazzi, JP Hon, Kadafi Mulula dancers ⁺

About

Part of RNCM Strings Festival.

Across cultures and genres, the partnership between dance and music shines, as seen in flamenco’s passionate rhythms, ballet’s ethereal grace, and modern dance’s bold innovations. This powerful synergy is fully realised in the closing concert of this year’s festival, in which music and movement unite to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

Led by Zoe Beyers from BBC Philharmonic, the RNCM String Orchestra brings to life a vivid and expressive interpretation of exciting works, together with dancers from Company Chameleon.

The programme opens with Stravinsky’s Concerto in D ‘Basle’ which skilfully contrasts rawness with grace, sound with silence, and tension with resolve to reveal a powerful expression of intensity.

Originally written for violist William Primrose, Britten’s Lachrymae follows in a string orchestra arrangement that he completed in the last year of his life. Its haunting sonorities echo the melancholic beauty of John Dowland’s If my complaints could passions move, upon which it is based.

The kindred spirits of ballet and opera are then reignited in a dramatic and fiery finale. Rearranging the original story’s sequence and orchestrating the work for strings and percussion, Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite pays homage to Bizet’s beloved opera while infusing it with his own distinctive style, creating a fresh and contemporary reimagining of the classic.

The RNCM Strings Festival celebrates the sheer versatility, beauty, and brilliance of string music across a range of concerts and programmes. Our students, staff, and guest artists will be performing side-by-side throughout the festival, captivating listeners and embodying learning at its highest level.

Company Chameleon is one of the UK’s leading independent dance companies. Established in Manchester in 2007 by Anthony Missen and Kevin Edward Turner, Chameleon makes dance productions in the city, which they tour and perform around the world.

Photo credit: Robin Clewley

Tickets:
Full Price £18
Student/Under 26 £12

Promoted by RNCM.

This event will include an interval and will end at approximately 5.45pm.