大象传媒

Friday Night is Music Night with the 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra and Ken Bruce live from the Snape Proms.
"I think I have found a good spot to live in - it is an old mill house in a quaint old village called Snape" so wrote Benjamin Britten in 1937.
And for the princely sum of 拢450 Britten bought the old Hudson Mill at Snape and set about its renovation. The composer was to spend most of his life in this idyllic corner of the British Isles. Inspired by the Suffolk sea, sky and countryside he wrote some of his greatest works here including Peter Grimes, Billy Budd, Albert Herring and A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra. The Mill stood close to the sleepy River Alde and from its windows Britten could see the old malting building on the quay. Here the local farmers brought their barley for malting before being shipped to the London brewers.
In 1948 Britten and his partner Peter Pears had founded the Aldeburgh Festival but by the 1960s the festival had outgrown its Aldeburgh venue and Britten was on the lookout for a new space and concert hall. With the malting business in decline the Maltings was purchased by local farmer George Gooderham who wanted the land as a river outlet for his crops. However, he was interested in other ideas and ways to make use of the old Victorian buildings and worked with Britten on his vision to create a fine new venue. Snape Maltings Concert Hall was opened by the Queen in the summer of 1967.
Tonight, Friday Night is Music Night returns to Snape Maltings for a live broadcast of Radio 2's weekly orchestral show. Stephen Bell conducts the 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra and Ken Bruce introduces guests from all worlds of music - operatic bass Jonathan Lemalu, clarinettist Julian Bliss, Harry the piano and West End diva Alison Jiear.
Jonathan Lemalu is a New Zealand born Samoan - who is in great demand as a soloist in opera, concerts and in the recording studio. His roles range from Handel and Mozart to more recently the role of the Sergeant of Police in Mike Leigh's ENO production of The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan . He has appeared with all the major opera companies and music festivals.
Julian Bliss at the age of 26 is one to the world's finest clarinettists. He started to play at the age of 4 and made several television appearances as a young prodigy. Aged 12 he performed at the Queen's Golden Jubilee party at Buckingham Palace and aged 16 performed at the Proms. Tonight he performs music from Mozart's Clarinet Concerto.
Harry the Piano is no stranger to the Friday Night audience ;his improvisations range from Michael Jackson in the style of Mozart and My Old Man Said Follow the Van in the style of Chopin.
Alison Jiear has appeared on the West End stage, sung on tv commercials and on Britain's Got Talent. She was nominated for an Olivier for her performance in Jerry Springer the Opera but as a backing singer and soloist she is regular with the 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra.

The show is broadcast live from Snape Maltings .