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2011 - 2012 Concert Season

Saturday 14th July 2012

7.30 pm at the United Reformed Church, Southernhay, Exeter

Co-incident with the Flower Festival In Exeter Cathedral

FLOWERS & MUSIC

TCHAIKOVSKY: Valse des Fleurs
HONEGGER: Pacific 231
STRAUSS: Horn Concerto No1 (soloist: Jonathan Harris)
RUTTER: Suite Antique
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No.5
 

The pattern for our summer concert is becoming a collection of small and large works with the accent on variety, colour, varied orchestral groupings and above all – exciting and immediately appealing music – known and not so known. The west of England has always had great railway traditions and The Great Western, as it was called before all the changes, is celebrated tonight with Honegger’s short but stunning picture of a Pacific 4-6-2 steam loco in music.

One of our orchestral members is going to take the solo role in a piece by that master of melody, John Rutter – an intriguing little concertino called Suite Antique, while our visiting soloist Jon Harris, (who I first met while conducting the Memorial concert in Mumbai for the victims of the 2008 bombings) will be playing one of the very famous and loved horn concerti by Richard Strauss.

The concert will open with a piece in support of the Cathedral’s flower festival – Valse des Fleurs – by Tschaikovski and ends with one of Shostakovich’s most well known and thrilling symphonies – the 5th. This is full of those driving rhythms, long searching melodies and great orchestral sounds of the 20th century, including a resident piano added to the percussion dept. Come and have a great start to the summer holiday season. See you there! — Brian Northcott

Jonathan Harris

Jonathan began playing the horn aged 9. Two years later he was a member of the Children’s National Orchestra. In 2004 he began studies with Lindsey Stoker at the Royal Northern College of Music. He was principal horn in the Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra and Baroque Orchestra. He is a member of the young professional wind quintet Souza Winds.  As a freelance horn player, Jonathan has played with the Hallé Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Opera North, Northern Chamber Orchestra, Manchester Concerts Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra. He has played horn with the touring shows The Secret Garden and Jekyll and Hyde, the latter staring Marti Pellow. As a soloist Jonathan has performed concertos with the City of Carlisle Orchestra and the Solway Sinfonia.