Photo credit: Tobia Nava

Cambridge University Symphony Orchestra: 'From Source to Mouth'

Mon 28 November 2022

West Road Concert Hall

Streams, fountains, rivers and bathtubs abound in this eclectic programme from Cambridge University’s premiere student-led orchestra. The programme opens with Mendelssohn’s little-known gem, Die Schöne Melusine, inspired by the legend of the eponymous water-nymph, who forbids her husband from seeing her on a Saturday, when she takes the form of a mermaid. Meanwhile, in Maeterlinck’s symbolist play Pelléas and Mélisande, water is a silent foreteller of destiny and a catalyst in the downfall and death of Mélisande. Fauré’s suite from his incidental music to the play anticipates more famous works by Schoenberg and Debussy. John Luther Adams' 'Become River', inspired by John Cage's reaction to the music of Lou Harrison, invites us to drift downstream from source to mouth, until we are engulfed by its flow, our individuality lost in nature. The programme concludes with Schumann's Rhenish Symphony, inspired by his love for the Rhineland and its people, and a famous visit to Cologne Cathedral.

Cost: Adults £12, Concessions £8, Student/Child £5