The Bells

Please note: this event has been CANCELLED

Sat 23 May 2020

West Road Concert Hall

Bartók Dance Suite Sz.77
Rachmaninov Three Russian Songs Op.41
Mussorgsky arr. Shostakovich Songs & Dances of Death
Rachmaninov The Bells Op.35

Conductor Timothy Redmond
Soprano Anna Gorbachyova
Tenor Alexander James Edwards
Bass-baritone Vassily Savenko
Cambridge Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus

“I worked on this composition with feverish ardour,” Rachmaninov wrote, “and it remains, of all my work, the one I like best.” Inspired by the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe, Rachmaninov described The Bells as a ‘choral symphony’. Sleigh bells, wedding bells, alarm bells and funeral bells ring out throughout this stunning symphonic picture, marking birth, marriage, terror and death. For Mussorgsky,
only 36 when he began his four Songs and Dances of Death, the spectre of death was a constant presence. Brooding, dark and irresistible, the Songs remain some of the most important works of Russian musical literature. Bartók’s Dance Suite and Rachmaninov’s Russian Songs both have at their core the unmistakable sound of folk music and they overflow with everything from infectious, toe-tapping
rhythms to soulful, melancholic melodies.

Cost: £12, £16, £20, £25 (Students and under-18s £10 on the door)