Proms 2023 Prom 26: Sibelius’s First Symphony - BBC Proms

3 Aug 2023, Royal Albert Hall

19:30 Thu 3 Aug 2023 Next Event

Prom 26: Sibelius’s First Symphony

19:30 Thu 3 Aug 2023 Royal Albert Hall

The BBC Philharmonic and its Chief Conductor John Storgårds present Sibelius’s Symphony No. 1 alongside Walton’s Violin Concerto and the world premiere of a new work by Irish composer Gerald Barry.

Programme

- - Gerald Barry
  - Kafka’s Earplugs(12 mins)BBC commission: world premiere
- - William Walton
  - Violin Concerto(31 mins)
- - interval
- - Jean Sibelius
  - Symphony No. 1 in E minor(38 mins)

Performers

James Ehnes
violin
violin
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
John Storgårds
conductor
conductor

Composers

About This Event

The BBC Philharmonic and Chief Conductor John Storgårds present Sibelius’s Symphony No. 1 – a thrilling glimpse of a composer emerging from the shadow of Tchaikovsky and his fellow Romantics. Canadian violinist James Ehnes is the soloist in Walton’s fiercely direct Violin Concerto – a work full of song, dance and drama. The concert opens with a world premiere from heartily irreverent Irish composer Gerald Barry, focusing on Franz Kafka’s obsession with wearing earplugs to silence the noise around him. ‘In the music,’ Barry says, ‘you are Kafka, hearing the world’s sounds as he heard them. You are inside his head.’