WARWICKSHIRE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SPRING CONCERT

Music lovers will be delighted by the forthcoming concert by the Warwickshire Symphony Orchestra as they perform music by Shostakovich, Smetana and Elgar on Saturday 9 March at All Saints Church, Leamington Spa.

The first concert for Warwickshire Symphony Orchestra of 2024 brings together three major 20th century works; Shostakovich’s Festive Overture, Vltava and Sárka from Má Vlast by Smetana and Elgar’s Second Symphony. The concert will be conducted by the orchestra’s long-standing principal conductor, Roger Coull, also well known for his work with the Coull Quartet.

The Festive Overture was premiered at the Bolshoi Ballet in 1954, where Shostakovich was engaged as a musical consultant. Extraordinarily it was composed in only three days, and is now one of Shostakovich’s most performed pieces. The composer himself described it as "just a short work, festive or celebrative in spirit."

Ma Vlast is Smetana’s love letter to his homeland. Each piece depicts an aspect of Bohemia’s countryside, history, or legends: Vltava is the name of the river that runs through Prague. Šárka is the name of a lover cheated on by her betrothed, who swears vengeance on men in general.

The exhilarating opening to Elgar’s Second Symphony leads to a passionate emotional introspective ending in a sunset of heart-breaking beauty.

Chris Voss, Chair of WSO and violin-player said: "This is an exciting but challenging programme that we know will lift the roof of All Saints Church. The works we are playing are all masterpieces with fabulous melodies that are very distinctively reminiscent of the countries where they were composed, and I would encourage all music lovers to attend."

Tickets (£18/£15, half price for children or students) are available from www.wso.org.uk or by emailing [email protected].