Title: BRAHMS’ FIRST SYMPHONY
Elfrida Andrée Concert Overture (11 mins)
Alexander Glazunov Saxophone Concerto (15 mins)
Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 1 (45 mins)
Chloé van Soeterstède conductor
Jess Gillam saxophone (pictured)
Royal Northern Sinfonia
Concert lasts around 2 hours including a 20 minute interval
Pounding timpani, inexorably rising violins and musical tension ratcheting up with unyielding momentum: the opening of Brahms’ first symphony must have been quite the shock for the audience attending its 1876 premiere. Drama is everywhere in this powerful piece that provides emotional stress and release right through to the galloping energy of its exhilarating, visionary, conclusion.
Earlier, superstar Saxophonist Jess Gillam solos in Glazunov’s concerto, a piece that’s full of twists and turns and which showcases the gentle and soulful side of the instrument. Elfrida Andrée's majestic overture starts the concert.
Find out more about the music in our free pre-concert talks which take place one hour before the performance starts.
