OSSCS: British Isles
$10-$25 (youth free)
Pete Seeger — The Bells of Rhymney
Traditional — Ar Hyd y nos ("All Through the Night")
Charles Villiers Stanford — Irish Rhapsody No. 1 Op. 78
Ralph Vaughan Williams — Symphony No. 1 "A Sea Symphony"
Alastair Willis, conductor
Arnold – Four Scottish Dances, Op. 59
Seeger – “The Bells of Rhymney”
Traditional – “All Through the Night”
Stanford – Irish Rhapsody No. 1, Op. 78
Vaughan Williams – A Sea Symphony
“Behold, the sea itself!” is the opening line of Vaughan Williams’ epic Symphony No. 1, his first attempt at a work of such duration or for such large forces. Scored for orchestra, chorus, and soprano and baritone soloists, its texts come from Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. In the first half of this program led by guest conductor Alastair Willis, we take a musical peek at the other nations that comprise the British Isles, starting with four charming Scottish Dances by Malcolm Arnold. Wales, a country famous for its choirs, is represented by two classics: “All through the Night” and “The Bells of Rhymney.” And what could be more Irish than “Londonderry Air” (“O Danny Boy”), which forms the breathtaking lyrical sections of Charles Stanford’s Irish Rhapsody No. 1?
Admission: $25 ($20 seniors, $10 students, youth free)