Cambridge University Orchestra Season Launch Concert

Sat 23 October 2021

West Road Concert Hall

Errollyn Wallen Mighty River
Stravinsky Pulcinella – Suite
Mozart Symphony 40 in G minor, K.550

Cambridge University Orchestra
Jonathan Bloxham conductor

The Cambridge University Orchestra (CUO), the university’s flagship orchestra, returns to West Road Concert Hall for its first performance since February 2020. The orchestra is joined by British conductor, Jonathan Bloxham, who makes his second appearance with CUO, having last performed with the orchestra in October 2019.

Mighty River, written by Belize-born British composer Errollyn Wallen, explores the history of the British slave trade, with spirituals and gospel music forming the core of this composition. Errollyn has recently been appointed Wort Lecturer at the Faculty of Music, Cambridge, and we are delighted to be working with her on this piece.

Stravinsky’s Pulcinella was originally a one-act ballet based upon an 18th century Italian play. Stravinsky based the music upon what he believed were sketches from Giovanni Pergolesi, though this attribution has since proven to be spurious. In this performance, the orchestra will perform the suite from the original ballet score in its revised version from 1949.

The concert concluded with Mozart’s ‘Great’ G minor Symphony No.40. This symphony, one that epitomises Mozart’s later style, contains the full spectrum of drama and emotion that one might expect from an entire opera, condensed into a four movement masterpiece.

Cost: £12-22, concs £10-20, students and under 18s £5