Press Releases
Autumn concerts sure to hit the right note!
Release Date : 28 November 2007
This December, the public are in for a musical treat as the University of Reading's Autumn concerts get the festive season underway in symphony style.
The University's Great Hall, a fantastic concert venue, will be packed to the rafters as audiences gather for a celebration of the lives of two of the best loved composers on Saturday 1 December, and then for a fabulous Christmas Concert on Saturday 8 December.
2007 marks the centenary of the death of Edvard Grieg and the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Edward Elgar, so the first concert will showcase the work that marked the breakthrough for each of them as a composer.
Grieg's Piano Concerto will be played by the terrific young pianist Warren Mailley-Smith. Elgar's Enigma Variations remain as fresh as they seemed at their triumphant premiere in 1899, and as great an expression of the composer's sheer force of personality as any of the later works.
The University's Symphony Orchestra will be joined for the first time by the Concert Band, who will get the evening off to a flyer with selections from Chicago and The Great Escape, so there will be music for many tastes in this exciting and varied programme.
The week after, get into gear for Christmas when the University's Chamber Choir and Chamber Orchestra will perform Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Messe de Minuit, a piece built around folk carols for Christmas.
After Gospel Choir get the second half underway, the audience will be gently encouraged into the Christmas spirit with some special carols, including Jonathan Dove's sparkling Run Shepherds, Run, before Chorus closes proceedings with John Rutter's Gloria.
"These concerts are a real must for classical music lovers," said University of Reading Director of Music Stuart Dunlop. "The combination of high-quality musicians, delightful music and the wonderful atmosphere the Great Hall generates, means both evenings are bound to be entertaining and uplifting."
Both concerts begin at 7.30pm. Tickets are £8 (£5 concessions) and are available in advance from Alex Richardson, Music@Reading.ac.uk, 0118 378 5256 or on the door.
Ends
For University of Reading media enquiries, please contact James Barr, Press Assistant, on 0118 3787115 or email j.w.barr@reading.ac.ukConcert information:
Saturday 1 December 2007, 7:30 pm
University of Reading Symphony Orchestra and Concert Band
Great Hall, University of Reading, London Road Campus, RG1 5AQ
Grieg: Piano Concerto
Elgar: Enigma Variations
Music from Chicago, The Great Escape and a Beatles selection
Soloist - Warren Mailley-Smith
Conductors – Tina Suckling, Rachael Willcox, Stuart Dunlop
Tickets: £8/£5
Saturday 8 December 2007, 7:30 pm
Christmas Concert
University of Reading Chorus, Chamber Choir, Chamber Orchestra, Gospel Choir, and Audience!
Organist: Christopher Cipkin
Conductor: Stuart Dunlop
Great Hall, University of Reading, London Road Campus, RG1 5AQ
Rutter: Gloria
Charpentier: Messe de Minuit
Daquin: Noël
Carols for all
Tickets: £8/£5