From Mozart and Beethoven to ‘England and Empire’, there’s something for everyone to enjoy as The Orchestra Of St John’s spring concert series gets underway, and with a new season ticket available for all seven concerts at Dorchester Abbey from January to June, you can catch them all.
Don’t miss Ryan Wang, BBC Young Musician of the Year 2024, playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 1 on February 14 at Dorchester Abbey. What better way to see in Valentine’s Day than experiencing The Overture of 1807 vividly showing Coriolanus’s conflicted inner state or the Piano Concerto No 1 of 1798 – a work of youthful energy and classical poise, followed by Symphony No 7, composed in 1812 at the peak of the composer’s powers – an energetic, rhythmically driven masterpiece. BOOK HERE
Another huge draw is the Music from Auschwitz concert with Raphael Wallfisch on Good Friday (April 3). The first half features music composed in Auschwitz from songs and strings to solos and accordion. The second half is balanced by Träumerei (Dreaming) from the 1838 piano cycle Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood), Metamorphosen (1845) an elegiac, extended-movement work for 23 solo strings, and then three pieces for cello and piano by Ernest Bloch, a Swiss-American composer whose work was deeply influenced by his Jewish heritage. BOOK HERE
To mark 80 years of twinning between Oxford and Leiden, the OSJ Voices, directed by John Lubbock, will be joined by musicians from Leiden and soloists Dominic Bevan and Hannah Davey for a celebratory evening of classical music in this Gala Concert at Oxford Town Hall on Feb 21. The programme features highlights from much loved operas including La Traviata, Madame Butterfly, Carmen, La Bohème, Otello and Nabucco, alongside orchestral works by Wagner, Tchaikovsky, and Elgar. This concert will also be performed in Leiden on March 6 BOOK HERE
Rosalind Ventris Plays Walton and Rachmaninov at Dorchester Abbey on March 21. Walton’s Viola Concerto is a 20th-century masterpiece for the ‘Cinderella instrument’ of the viola, known for its melancholic opening, brisk scherzo, and eloquent epilogue.
‘Rach 2’ is a long, glorious, and deeply melodic Romantic symphony with soaring melodies, rich orchestral sound, and passionate, brooding atmosphere. BOOK HERE
It’s MOZART‘s turn next as Nicholas Korth (horn), Jan Schmolck (violin) and Roger Chase (viola) bring a vibrant selection of the composer’s most celebrated works to Dorchester Abbey on May 16. Alma Dei Creatoris is a sacred motet that serves as an offertory to the Virgin Mary. The Horn Concerto No 4 is a cheerful, virtuosic work composed for Mozart’s friend and horn player Joseph Leutgeb, while Veni, Sancte Spiritus is a medieval Latin hymn and prayer, and the evening concludes with the rich and complex The Sinfonia Concertante for strings. BOOK HERE
Famous cellist Raphael Wallfisch stars in England And Empire at Dorchester Abbey on June 13. Expect Vaughan Williams’ Symphony No 5 – a serene and contemplative work often called the ‘Celestial City’, William Walton’s Crown Imperial, a grand orchestral march from the 1937 coronation of King George VI, and Elgar’s Cello Concerto written after WW1, in stark contrast to his earlier, more bombastic style. BOOK HERE
And don’t miss the return of the annual Concert Of Classical And Jazz Music By Autistic Performers –(at Dorchester Abbey on Feb 7) following its great success last year. OSJ Music for Autism presents another inclusive concert, featuring amazing pianists Derek Paravicini, Ashleigh Turley and other young musicians across the spectrum of neurodiversity, including five autistic choristers from Litchfield Cathedral, with Poppy McGhee on violin and Hannah Davey soprano. BOOK HERE
Tickets are now on sale for OSJ’s spring season at Dorchester Abbey, with its new season ticket offering a significant discount for all seven concerts between January and June. Further details on the concerts and season tickets here https://www.osj.org.uk/forthcoming-concerts/
