This afternoon, a selection of music that showcases and exemplifies the exciting breadth of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra's work, Chief Conductor John Storgårds takes to the podium at MediaCityUK.
The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and Storgårds have recorded many of Shostakovich’s works together and today, a rare opportunity to hear one of Shostakovich’s earliest pieces, written when he was a teenager - his delightful Scherzo Op.1.
We also journey to Storgårds’ native Finland. Outi Tarkiainen’s Midnight Sun Variations had its world premiere in 2019 when Storgårds conducted the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra at the BBC Proms, and Sebastian Fagerlund's essay for violin and orchestra, Helena's Song, was a co-commission for the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Lotta Wennäkoski pays tribute to fellow Finnish composer Sibelius in Verdigris, a highly original work. Today’s performance of Verdigris is the second of two for the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra this spring, following one in April at The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester.
Also on the programme are two British composers, Grace-Evangeline Mason and Piers Hellawell.
Mason earned the prestigious BBC Young Composer of the Year award in 2013. Just ten years later, her lush, painterly work ABLAZE THE MOON, premiered at the 2023 Proms with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.
Critics have described Hellawell as an ‘original and thought-provoking musical mind.’ A Professor of Composition for many years at Queen's University in Belfast, Hellawell composed his Symphonies in Chains in 2019. It’s a reflection on the historical symphonic tradition, and an accomplished showcase for the orchestra.
Fagerlund - Helena's Song
Shostakovich - Scherzo Op. 1
Hellawell - Symphonies in Chains
Mason - ABLAZE THE MOON
Tarkiainen - Midnight Sun Variations
Wennäkoski - Verdigris
John Storgårds - conductor
