In our last concert of 2014, St George’s Chamber Orchestra will be giving a feast of British music, celebrating the richness and diversity of musical heritage, its styles and influences. Our December 6th programme is a selection of very famous as well as lesser known compositions from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
For a taster of some of the pieces to be performed, check out the videos here. How many of these are you familiar with? Which one is your favourite?
Not included below is Joan Trimble‘s Suite for Strings, an unpublished piece from 1951, kindly loaned to us by the wonderful Ulster Orchestra, which has been struggling for survival due to cuts in government funding.
The programme also includes a “Scottish surprise”, which does not involve bagpipes! Curious? Come to our December 6th concert to find out. Tickets available from: www.sgco.co.
(NB: If you are viewing this on a mobile phone or tablet, and any of the videos do not play smoothly from the blog page, please click the YouTube link in the bottom right hand corner and listen to it on YouTube.)
England
Henry Purcell ‘s Rondeau – is this the most famous piece of British music? Benjamin Britten used it as theme for his Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry – Quintessentially English Parry is best known as the composer of Jerusalem. He was also a great influence on Elgar, the voice of late romantic English Music. This beautiful slow minuet is from Parry’s Lady Radnor’s Suite.
Scotland
Sir Alexander Campbell MacKenzie’s Benedictus is well known in Scotland. The version you will be hearing on December 6th was arranged for violin and string orchestra by Dominic Moore, SGCO’s Musical Director.
Alongside Hubert Parry and Charles Villiers Stanford, MacKenzie was regarded as one of the fathers of British musical renaissance in the late 19th century.
Ireland
Country Gardens arranged by Barry Ould from the Percy Grainger piece as here.
Irish Tune from County Derry (also known as Londonderry Air) arranged by Barry Ould from the Percy Grainger piece as here.
Wales
Suo Gân– the Welsh Lullaby used in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun, arranged by Dominic Moore for the December concert. Sung beautifully in this video by Bryn Terfel.
For Welsh speakers, who feel like singing along, here are the lyrics. You will find an English-language translation at this link in Wikipedia
“Huna blentyn ar fy mynwes
Clyd a chynnes ydyw hon;
Breichiau mam sy’n dynn amdanat,
Cariad mam sy dan fy mron;
Ni chaiff dim amharu’th gyntun,
Ni wna undyn â thi gam;
Huna’n dawel, annwyl blentyn,
Huna’n fwyn ar fron dy fam.
Huna’n dawel, heno, huna,
Huna’n fwyn, y tlws ei lun;
Pam yr wyt yn awr yn gwenu,
Gwenu’n dirion yn dy hun?
Ai angylion fry sy’n gwenu,
Arnat ti yn gwenu’n llon,
Tithau’n gwenu’n ôl dan huno,
Huno’n dawel ar fy mron?
Paid ag ofni, dim ond deilen
Gura, gura ar y ddôr;
Paid ag ofni, ton fach unig
Sua, sua ar lan y môr;
Huna blentyn, nid oes yma
Ddim i roddi iti fGwena’n dawel yn fy mynwes
Ar yr engyl gwynion draw.”