IT’S BEEN a long time coming, but live music is back.
Aldworth Philharmonic Orchestra has announced its first concert for 2022.
Taking place next month, it has been two years since it has hosted a regular concert featuring its members. Last year, it held a special performance aimed at supporting professional musicians who had seen their incomes hit by lockdowns closing concert venues.
On Saturday, February 5, the orchestra will return to The Great Hall at the University of Reading for three performances of the same programme.
The first, at 2pm, will be a relaxed performance lasting up to 45 minutes, with tickets costing £5.
Then there are two performances, at 4.30pm and 8pm, both lasting an hour. Tickets for these performances cost £10, or £8 for under 18s and £5 for APO Young Members.
And, true to form, the amateur orchestra will be premiering a brand-new piece of music.
Derri Lewis composed JOY, which he describes as a celebration of community music making.
“Coming together to create, rehearse and listen to great music is such a joyful activity – it is this feeling that I hope to have captured in my piece,” he said.
The commission from the orchestra includes both a full orchestral version and a special chamber version designed for small groups to perform, without having to find specific combinations of instruments.
The programme also features a special arrangement of Emile Mayer’s Faust Overture. This has been created by Samara Ginsberg, who went viral during lockdowns for her videos featuring her recreating famous children’s television programme theme tunes using her cello.
She scored the overture so it could be played by a sextet, making it easier for musicians to play in smaller groups.
The final piece of the programme will be Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8.
A series of covid-safe measures will be in place in the Great Hall to help protect both orchestra and the audiences. This includes opening windows for ventilation, so those attending are encouraged to wear warm clothing.
Proof of negative lateral flow test will be required, and there will be reduced capacity meaning tickets are limited.
