Martyn Brabbins conducts a gentle and refreshing programme of works from composers known for, and inspired by, the pastoral tradition.
If you joined us at our studio concert on 13 December you'll have encountered the work of Pamela Harrison, a hugely gifted and often overlooked English composer whose work is enjoying a revival after being championed by the likes of clarinettist Robert Plane. Today, the 大象传媒 Philharmonic perform Harrison's The Dark Forest with tenor John Findon.
Before that, a piece by Ernest John Moeran, an English composer who greatly inspired Harrison. In 1943, music producer Walter Legge commissioned a short, light overture for ENSA, the Allied forces鈥� entertainment body, and Moeran delivered his lively Overture for a Masque. He wrote to his friend and later wife, the cellist Peers Coetmore, 鈥淚 think it turns out to be quite a good little work 鈥� what you might call 鈥榓thletic鈥� in style鈥�.
Interspersed throughout the programme, we鈥檙e easing into the new year with a triple helping of Vaughan Williams. We journey down the Solent and through Norfolk, carried on lush and gentle strings, and we finish with the touching Serenade, a tribute to conductor Sir Henry Wood.
