Join Ulster Orchestra Chief Conductor Daniele Rustioni for what can only be described as a celebration of the symphony on 05 March 2021!
The concert opens with one of Haydn’s set of ‘London’ symphonies, which showcase most clearly how Haydn developed and expanded the symphonic form, earning him that famous title of ‘Father of the Symphony’.
These days, we understand the word ‘symphony’ to mean the musical form, but Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Winds goes back to the original meaning of the word, a ‘sounding together’ of instruments. It’s one of Stravinsky’s most striking and personal compositions and embodies both memorial and ritualistic aspects, as it was developed from a short piano piece written to mark the death of Debussy.
Prokofiev’s First Symphony, known as the Classical, was written specifically to combine 18th century compositional style with his own musical language; his attempt to imagine what he would have written if he had been around in Haydn and Mozart’s time. The result is impishly humorous and full of melodic charm.
Mozart’s Symphony No.35 Haffner is full of festive spirit and the composer declared it should be played “as fast as possible.” – who knows just how fast “fast” was in Mozart’s day, but it promises a flourishing end to this concert!
