14/10/2008

Listen:

Synopsis

Tom Service presents a concert given at Belfast's Waterfront Hall.

The Ulster Orchestra and its chief conductor Kenneth Montgomery perform a concert of two masterworks by Edward Elgar, alongside a seminal film score by Arthur Bliss and one of Brahms's most popular works.

Elgar's Cello Concerto was composed in 1919 in the wake of World War I and it represented for the composer the angst and disillusionment he felt about the war. It has become one of the most popular pieces in the cello repertoire. War is also central to the film Things to Come, for which Arthur Bliss wrote the score to HG Wells's screenplay. Wells originally wanted the music to be recorded in advance and have the film constructed around the music, but this was considered too radical, so the score was fitted to the film afterwards in a more conventional way.

Elgar's famous sketches of his friends and Brahms's lively overture complete the programme.

Brahms: Academic Festival Overture
Elgar: Cello Concerto
Bliss: Suite (Things to Come)
Elgar: Enigma Variations

Natalie Clein (cello)
Ulster Orchestra
Kenneth Montgomery (conductor)

Followed by Play to the Nation, Radio 3's celebration of amateur orchestras across the UK:

Maurice Blower: Symphony in C
Havant Symphony Orchestra
Peter Craddock (conductor)

...and Pianothon, showcasing amateur pianists across the country:

Kabalevsky: Rondo Op.59
Jessica Leong

Somervell: Birds and Bees
David Paterson

Broadcast

1. Tue 14 Oct 2008
   19:00
   BBC Radio 3