Fulham Symphony Orchestra
Musicians from Fulham Symphony Orchestra are kicking off a year of 60th anniversary celebrations with two distinctive concerts this spring.
The orchestra – which was launched in 1958 – is set to start its season of concerts with a prestigious event marking composer Stephen Montague’s 75th birthday.
As part of the Americana ’18 festival at St John’s Smith Square in Westminster, the Fulham Symphony Orchestra will perform two concertos created by Montague on Friday 9 March. In the European premiere of Disparate Dances, the orchestra will join harpist Oliver Wass and flautist Nancy Ruffer, while the second concerto features pianist Rolf Hind.
“This is a very prestigious event for us,” explained FSO chair Sharon Robinson. “As well as our performance of Montague’s piano concerto, the day includes London and world premieres, and a sound installation in St John’s Smith Square’s crypt.”
Meanwhile, the orchestra is rehearsing hard for its spring concert at Hammersmith Town Hall a week later. Featuring performances of work by Edvard Grieg, Jean Sibelius and Sergei Rachmaninov, the concert on 17 March is set to be an evocative and emotional evening.
The orchestra will play Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite, described by Sharon as one of the composer’s ‘most popular works’, as well as Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony.
“The Rachmaninov symphony is the epitome of the Romantic symphony, with big, bold melodies, sumptuous harmonies, and brimming with emotional power,” she added. “It was written when Rachmaninov was at the pinnacle of his career.”
Also on the programme is Tapiola, the final orchestral work by Sibelius, inspires by the legends and atmosphere of the Finnish forests.
The concert will start at 7.30pm and tickets (£12 or £8 concs) are available online at WeGotTickets or find out more at FSO.org.uk
