Beethoven's Symphony of Fate

Da-da-da-daaam. The opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is possibly the most iconic and instantly recognisable theme ever created, and the little motif is the driving force throughout the symphony. It is a symphonic journey from darkness to light - from minor to major - which came to form the frame of reference for virtually all classical music written in the following 100 years. It is the whole idea of a work that describes in music the journey from struggle to reconciliation, and it is very much a work that deserves to be heard in the Concert Hall. Before this classic, the first half of the concert offers two contemporary composers, both of whom have previously been played by the orchestra. It opens with María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir’s sensuous work Aequora - a euphonious, atmospheric aperitif. In her work Glasslands, Anna Clyne conjures up an imaginary world of three realms ruled by the banshee - a female spirit who in Irish folklore foretells the death of a family member, usually by wailing, screaming or lamenting in the silence of the night.

• Dirigent: Nil Venditti
• Jess Gillamsaxofon

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