On 29 February 2012, Kenneth Woods, Principal Guest Conductor of Orchestra of the Swan, will inaugurate the Stratford-upon-Avon-based orchestra's new spring residency at Cadogan Hall in London. The first of four concerts between February and May is an all-English programme with Vaughan Williams at its core, including the Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis and The Lark Ascending featuring rising star violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen, who will be Orchestra of the Swan's Artist in Association during the 2012-13 season. Also on the programme are Elgar's Serenade for Strings and Britten's Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge.

Innovative programming, enterprising relationships and outstanding performances are hallmarks of Orchestra of the Swan, which maintains residencies at Stratford's Civic Hall and Birmingham's Town Hall. In 2011, the Orchestra received the Royal Philharmonic Society's Composer in the House award supporting a two year-long residency with Huw Watkins, encompassing commissions and community projects. One of the most active commissioners of new music in the UK, the Orchestra has garnered widespread acclaim for its Spring Sounds Festival which emphasises rare repertoire and world-premieres. The new Cadogan residency significantly raises the orchestra's London profile and increases important outreach to new audiences.

On the same night Woods and OOTS will launch their latest recording, the world-premiere recording of Hans Gál's Symphony No. 4 coupled with Schumann's Second, on AVIE Records. Written in his ninth decade and premiered in 1975, Gál's Fourth and final Symphony is scored for chamber orchestra and is effectively a sinfonia concertante. The music exhibits Gál's trademark pastoral and lyrical style, yet inwardly this is music of intense rigor and deep concentration. While Gál's compositional pedigree is strongly linked to the Austro-German tradition of the Viennese classical masters, Schumann's Second looks to an earlier era, taking much inspiration from the spirit of J.S. Bach with its contrapuntal textures and chorale themes. Woods also finds a link between the two in Josef Haydn, with Gál exploring a genre famously associated with the composer, and Schumann weaving a famous theme from Haydn's final symphony, No. 104, throughout his entire work, like an idée fixe. "It's a privilege to bring the music of Gál to light," says Woods, "but also a joy to record Schumann with Orchestra of the Swan. They've got the virtuosity, fire and creativity to bring this incredibly vibrant music to life."

This will be the second release in a cycle pairing the symphonies of these two composers. The first in the series was one of last year's most lauded classical releases. The world-premiere recording of Gál's Symphony No. 3, "a committed performance of a work that grows on me with each hearing" (Gramophone), was coupled with the equally well-received Third Symphony by Schumann, praised by ClassicalSource.com for Woods' "obviously excellent and considerate account" which "holds [its] own against such wonders as Sawallisch (Dresden rather than Philadelphia), Celibidache (Munich), Giulini (Chicago) and immediately becomes a favourite for this delectable work."

Woods has quickly established himself as perhaps today's most committed champion of the music of Hans Gál. He received praise conducting Northern Sinfonia on the 2010 release of three Gál premieres - the Violin Concerto, Concertino for violin and string orchestra (with Annette-Barbara Vogel), and Triptych - a "superb new disc ... Woods directs a highly polished account ... the orchestral playing throughout is most assured ... Strongly recommended." (Gramophone)

Laying down his baton and picking up his cello, Woods recently joined his Ensemble Epomeo for the world-premiere recordings of Gál's Serenade for String Trio, Op. 41 and Trio, Op. 104, paired with works by Gál's contemporary Hans Krása, Tanec and Passacaglia and Fugue. The Austrian-born Gál and Czech-born Krása shared a Jewish heritage, but whereas Gál escaped Nazi oppression in the 1930s, emigrating to Britain and eventually settling in Edinburgh where he remained active until his death in 1987, Krása was interred in Theresienstadt where he was instrumental in organising the cultural life of the concentration camp, then sent to Auschwitz where he perished in 1944. Tanec and Passacaglia and Fugue were written in the last year of his life. The recording, for AVIE, is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2012.

Woods has also received high praise for his recording of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde and Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen with Orchestra of the Swan, on the SOMM label, "an absolutely astonishing recording in many respects," according to International Record Review. "Woods is consistently impressive ... This is a most important issue". A forthcoming release of contemporary works on the MSR label finds Woods conducting the world-premiere recording of Haru No Umi Redux, a re-imagining for string orchestra of Haru No Umi ("The Sea in Spring"), a Japanese classic traditionally heard on New Year's, by James Nyoraku Schlefer. The release also features Concerto for Shakuhachi, Strings, Harp and Percussion by Mr. Schlefer - a Grand Master shakuhachi player. The three-movement work ranges from the calm of Zen to the high energy of rock and roll. Introduced at Orchestra of the Swan's Spring Sounds Festival 2011, this project is a collaboration with New York-based Kyo-Shin An Arts, an innovative organisation dedicated to the integration of Japanese instruments into Western classical music.

Kenneth Woods is an unusually diverse artist with wide-ranging talents. In addition to his activities with Orchestra of the Swan, Woods has guest conducted the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Northern Sinfonia, among others. His work has been broadcast on National Public Radio's All Things Considered and Performance Today. As a commentator on music, Woods has been heard on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, NPR's Morning Edition, and, most recently, BBC Radio 3's feature "The Cellists That Time Forgot", with Julian Lloyd Webber. A prolific writer, Woods is widely read online, particularly on his engaging blog A View from the Podium, one of the 25 most read classical music blogs. With a reputation for combining astute performances and insights with frank opinions about modern musical life, Woods continues to make an indelible impression on musical life in the UK and beyond.

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For further information, image and interview requests, please contact Melanne Mueller, melanne@musiccointernational.com, 020 8542 4866

CONCERT INFORMATION
Venue : Cadogan Hall, London
Date : Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Time : 7:30 pm
Vaughan Williams : Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis
Elgar : Serenade for Strings
Vaughan Williams : The Lark Ascending
Tamsin Waley-Cohen, violin
Britten : Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge
Kenneth Woods
Orchestra of the Swan

RECORDING INFORMATION
Hans Gál : Symphony No. 4 *
Robert Schumann : Symphony No. 2
Kenneth Woods
Orchestra of the Swan
AVIE Records
Scheduled for release March 2012

Trad. arr. Schlefer : Haru No Umi Redux *
Schlefer : Concerto for Shakuhachi, Strings, Harp and Percussion *
James Nyoraku Schlefer, shakuhachi
Yumi Kurosawa, koto
Orchestra of the Swan
MSR Classics
Scheduled for release June 2012

Hans Gál : Serenade for String Trio, Op. 41 and Trio, Op. 104 *
Hans Krása : Tanec, Passacaglia and Fugue
Ensemble Epomeo
AVIE Records
Scheduled for release July 2012

* world-premiere recordings