A Postcard from Spain - Chester Philharmonic Orchestra

Chester Philharmonic Orchestra invites you to enjoy a grand musical tour of Spain for their next concert at Chester Cathedral on Saturday 27 April, starting at 7.30pm.

‘A Postcard from Spain’ will feature four contrasting works by composers Bizet, Chabrier, Turina and Lalo, who were all inspired by the country’s vibrant culture and landscape.

We are delighted to be joined by a new conductor, Lauren Wasynczuk, a Californian whose conducting and music education work spans both sides of the Atlantic. A conducting Masters graduate from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and a former guest conductor with Northern Ballet and the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, she has travelled over from America specially to take the baton for this concert.

Our soloist will be the talented young violinist Cristian Grajner de Sa, whose acclaimed performances have graced concert halls across Europe. Widely predicted to be one of the great violin stars of the future, he joins the orchestra to play the solo role in Édouard Lalo’s ‘Symphony Espagnole’, effectively a violin concerto.  Composed in 1874, this launched a period of Spanish music, which influenced other important composers including Tchaikovsky and Glinka.

The programme includes the delightful ‘Rhapsody Espana’ by Emmanuel Chabrier, a French composer who travelled widely in Spain and wrote this piece to celebrate his visit. Originally a piano duet, the work evolved into a full orchestral piece and its successful premiere in 1883 helped to establish Chabrier’s reputation as a composer.

Bizet’s ‘Carmen’ opera was premiered a month after Lalo’s ‘Symphony Espagnole’ to rapturous acclaim. This suite of music was compiled posthumously by Bizet’s great friend Ernest Guiraud and features highlights from the original composition. Continuing the theatrical theme, ‘Ritmos’ was originally composed as a ballet by the Spanish composer Joaquin Turina, who was inspired by the great 1920s flamenco dancer, Antonia Mercé. However, it was never staged as a ballet, but premiered in Barcelona as an orchestral work in 1928. It is a highly coloured allegory of flamenco dance and Andalusian folk music, and is one of the best and most interesting works by this prolific composer.

Founded in 1884, Chester Philharmonic Orchestra is a non-professional orchestra that performs a wide range of orchestral music with experienced conductors, internationally acclaimed soloists, and rising stars from top music colleges.

Full details of all upcoming concerts this season can be found on the orchestra’s website:

www.chesterphilorchestra.co.uk