The Westmorland Orchestra opens its 74th season on Saturday 1st December with a concert of commemoration and hope.
The programme is linked to the Armistice Centenary with music from the 19th century including Moeran’s “Whythorne’s Shadow” and George Butterworth’s “A Shropshire Lad.” Butterworth’s career ended when he was killed at The Battle of The Somme, aged just 31.
Baritone Christopher Faulkner will be joining the orchestra in a performance of Vaughan Williams’ Songs of Travel. Originally from Barrow in Furness and now based in London, Christopher is a regular soloist in concerts, oratorios and operas and performs with groups including Opera Holland Park, ffourtissimo aswell as folk and ceilidh bands.
The lively Jamaican Rumba by Arthur Benjamin – who survived being shot down over Germany in the first world war – will close the first half of the concert. In the second half the theme of hope is developed through Beethoven’s Symphony Number 6, “Pastoral”, taking us through the peace of the countryside and on to the glorious optimism and joy of the final movement.
The concert will be held at Westmorland Hall (Kendal Leisure Centre) and starts at 7.30 pm on 1st December. Tickets are £12 for adults and FREE for those aged 18 and under, available from The Brewery Arts Centre Tel: 01539 725133 Tickets will also be available on the door on the night.
The Westmorland Orchestra gave its first concert in 1945. The membership is made up of over 60 dedicated amateur musicians who rehearse weekly in Kendal from September to May and give three public concerts a year. In its performances of large-scale works, professional musicians augment the orchestra. More information about the orchestra and the concert is available at www.WestmorlandOrchestra.org.uk
The Westmorland Orchestra’s next concert is on 23rd March 2019.
