Epic Landscapes: CSO / FOAG Concert at Pershore Abbey on 28th June 2025
Once again, Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra will be supporting FOAG with its
annual fundraising concert, this year featuring the music of both
Sibelius and Tchaikovsky.
For such a concert, it would seem
natural to start with a huge favourite from Sibelius, the Karelia Suite.
Its music is inspired by the rough-hewn folk music of the Karelia
region, a vast swathe of territory that straddles what is now the border
between Finland and Russia.
Within relatively few kilometres of the southernmost points of the Karelia region lies the city of St. Petersburg, home to the St. Petersburg Conservatory from which Tchaikovsky graduated in 1865. Whilst his Violin Concerto was composed some 13 years later in Switzerland, it’s a romantic thought that he might have taken some inspiration from the landscapes to the north. It is one of the most popular in the canon, and we are delighted that we have Gloucestershire Young Musician 2023, Isaac Williams to perform it.
To complete the trio of works for such an epic concert, Sibelius’ 5th Symphony is an obvious fit. This monumental symphony is vast in its scope and Sibelius himself felt that he was taking direction from heaven during its composition. Nevertheless, he was intent on keeping it down-to-earth and vivid. In particular, its last movement is a huge piece of work that it’s easy to feel the evocation of a vast, Epic Landscape.
If you are interested in booking tickets for the 2025 Concert, please email us at [email protected], or call 01886 853295, or purchase via Eventbrite here (note: Eventbrite charge an additional handling fee on top of the ticket price)
