ADVENTURES on the silver screen is the focus for a new concert taking place next month – and the orchestra behind it is so sure of demand it will perform the show twice on the same day.
The Aldworth Philharmonic is to hold its first concert of 2024 on Saturday, February 10.
Returning to the Great Hall on the University of Reading’s London Road campus, the theme is Cinematic Landscapes.
But don’t go in expecting the Dambusters march, the Superman theme or even sound effects from Star Wars.
True to form, the orchestra will host a world premiere, just of the musical kind, not from Hollywood.
The closest this show will get to the big screen is John William’s Adventures on Earth, which features in the conclusion to the much-love 1982 movie ET: The Extra Terrestrial.
The other works on the programme weren’t written for films, but all sound like they could have been, with sweeping melodies and vivid evocations of cinematic landscapes.
They include Bedrich Smetana’s Vltava, a musical representation of the Moldau river from its source, through the Czech countryside to the great city of Prague.
Earthly bounds are left behind with the world premiere of Daisy Ashworth’s Apollo – a dramatic portrayal of the famous NASA rocket’s launch into space.
The young composer’s commission will be heard for the first time, while the APO’s very first young composer commission, by Reading-based composer Roger May also features in the programme.
His Concerto for Euphonium premiered twenty years ago.
For this performance, the orchestra will be joined by young euphonium soloist, James Blackford, whose appearance is supported by Making Music’s Philip and Dorothy Green Young Artists scheme.
There will be two concerts, a 4pm family performance lasting around 50 minutes with plenty of fun and interaction, and a full evening concert at 7.30pm.
APO runs a Concert Virgin scheme, which offers free tickets to anyone who has never heard a live orchestra perform. These can be reserved from the APO website.
For more details, or to book, log on to: www.aldworthphilharmonic.org.uk/next-event
