July 29, 2019
KENNETH WOODS AND ENGLISH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ANNOUNCE 2019-2020 SEASON

Kenneth Woods and the English Symphony Orchestra (ESO) announce their 2019-20 season that celebrates the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s birth, welcomes some of Britain’s brightest soloists, and features a diverse array of composers including numerous women, voices that were supressed during the ravages of 20th century war, and an exploration of African-American musical traditions. The orchestra’s new “John McCabe Composer-in-Association” is Adrian Williams, and soprano April Fredrick returns as Affiliate Artist. Woods and the ESO, the “International Orchestra of Elgar Country,” continue to expand their concert series throughout England’s “Three Counties” – Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire – and spread their wings further afield in venues new to the ensemble including Routh Hall in Bromsgrove.

Kenneth Woods’ and the English Symphony Orchestra’s 2019-20 season opens on Saturday, 7 September 2019 with a return to the Assembly Hall Theatre in Tunbridge Wells. For the first half of the concert, esteemed violinist Nicola Benedetti takes to the stage to perform Edward Elgar’s Violin Concerto, a work popularised by the recording by Yehudi Menuhin, the ESO’s former conductor. In the concert’s second half, Woods conducts Symphony No. 2 by Johannes Brahms, a composer whose music Elgar greatly admired.

The English String Orchestra at Bromsgrove’s Routh Hall
The English String Orchestra inaugurates its new series at the acoustically superb Routh Hall in Bromsgrove on Sunday, 6 October 2019, with a programme that includes Antonín Dvořák’s Nocturne, Gerald Finzi’s Romance and Elgar’s Serenade for Strings. “Side-by-side” performances with members of the ESO Youth orchestra will be directed by ESO leader Zoë Beyers, who also solos in Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.

On Friday, 31 January 2020, charismatic pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason makes her debut with the ESO. Embracing the orchestra’s season-long Beethoven 250 celebration, Isata will perform the composer’s Piano Concerto No. 3. The concert opens with music by Ruth Gipps, until recently a relatively unsung 20th-century British composer. Her orchestral miniature Cringlemire Garden is an evocative impression of the natural world. The concert closes with Beethoven’s rousing Symphony No. 7. Concurrently, Isata will lead a masterclass for young regional pianists.

In addition to his compositional legacy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is immortalised in his immense body of correspondence. ESO’s strings cede to the orchestra’s winds and brass for a performance on Sunday, 17 May 2020, featuring a selection of the composer’s works complemented by readings about them as expressed in his letters. The programme includes the E-flat Serenade and arrangements by ESO horn players Mike Revell and James Topp of excerpts from the operas The Magic Flute and The Marriage of Figaro.

Concerts in Hereford’s Shirehall
Woods and the ESO return to one of their home venues, Hereford’s Shirehall for three concerts, each featuring a stellar guest soloist. On Sunday, 13 October 2019, Sarah Beth Briggs reunites with Woods for a performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-Flat, K482, a work she recorded to great acclaim for AVIE Records. The programme opens with Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 96, "The Miracle", and closes with the Suite from Pélleas and Mélisande by Jean Sibelius.

On Saturday, 1 February 2020, Isata Kanneh-Mason is back with the ESO performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in a programme that also includes the composer’s Symphony No. 8. The concert open’s with Felix Mendelssohn’s tone poem Die Schöne Melusine, a musical setting of the myth of the mermaid in the work’s title.

Alexander Sitkovetsky, whose world-premiere recording of Philip Sawyers’ Violin Concerto with the ESO has drawn international acclaim, returns on Sunday, 5 April 2020, to perform Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61. The Concerto is flanked by the orchestra’s popular “side-by-side” performances with the Hereford Youth Orchestra joining the ESO in Three Gifts by “John McCabe Composer-in-Association” Adrian Williams – a work originally written for the National Children’s Orchestra – and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”.

Concerts in the Great Malvern Priory
The ESO’s extensive series of concerts at the Great Malvern Priory begins on Wednesday, 16 October 2019, with an evening of Romantic works in striking arrangements for chamber orchestra: Arnold Schoenberg’s take on the Emperor Waltz by Johann Strauss, Jr.; a new arrangement of Richard Strauss’ Four Last Songs by James Ledger, featuring ESO Affiliate Artist soprano April Fredrick; and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 as pared down by three of Schoenberg’s students, Hanns Eisler, Erwin Stein and Karl Rankl.

Several themes that run throughout the ESO’s 2019-20 season intermingle on Wednesday, 13 November 2019. ESO leader Zoë Byers is soloist in the Concertino for Violin and Strings by Mieczysław Weinberg whose music was banned for a time in his adopted home of the Soviet Union. Kenneth Woods turns a deft hand to arranging for string orchestra, in the Lento from the First String Quartet by 20th-century English composer Doreen Carwithen, and Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky’s String Quartet No. 3 in E-flat minor, Op. 30. The concert opens with Mozart’s evergreen Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.

On Tuesday, 17 December 2019, Woods conducts the ESO’s highly-anticipated annual performance of George Frederic Handel’s Messiah. They are joined by the Academia Musica Choir; among the soloists is soprano April Fredrick. Woods and the ESO will also perform Messiah at St. Mary’s Church in Abergavenny on Wednesday, 18 December 2019.

Love is in the air with the ESO’s pre-Valentine’s Day concert on Wednesday, 12 February 2020, when the orchestra performs two Serenades – Joseph Suk’s early Serenade for Strings in E-flat major, Op. 6, and Malcolm Arnold’s Serenade for Guitar and Strings featuring virtuoso guitarist Craig Ogdon who also performs Vivaldi’s Concerto in G minor. The concert opens with the introduction to one of the greatest operatic love stories, Richard Wagner’s Prelude to Tristan und Isolde, arranged for string orchestra by Adrian Williams.

Woods and the ESO continue their Beethoven 250 homage on Saturday, 14 March 2020 with a performance of the composer’s ground-breaking Symphony No. 1, which is preceded by Adrian Williams’ Russells’ Elegy, an “in-memoriam” to two friends, and Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major, Hob VIIb:1, featuring soloist Maja Bogdanović.

The ESO’s 2019-20 series at the Great Malvern Priory concludes on Wednesday, 29 April 2020, with a programme of great English works for string orchestra. Adrian Williams offers Migrations, a significant new addition to the genre. Violinist Zoë Beyers is the soloist in Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending. Another avian-inspired work, falling still, by Canadian-born, Glasgow-based Emily Doolittle depicts a blackbird singing on the cusp of dawn. The concert ends with David Matthews’ masterful arrangement of Elgar’s String Quartet.

Concerts in Worcester
In the ESO’s home base of Worcester, the orchestra returns to three popular venues.

On Saturday, 14 December 2019, Huntingdon Hall hosts the orchestra for a festive concert directed by Zoë Beyers that includes Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Greensleeves and Arcangelo Corelli’s “Christmas Concerto”. The orchestra’s popular “side-by-side” initiative brings Worcester Youth Strings and ESO Youth Strings to the stage to perform alongside the ESO’s principals.

The exceptional dancers of Worcester’s Academy Theatre Arts collaborate with the ESO on Saturday, 2 May 2020, in a display at the Swan Theatre that showcases music of the 20th century African-American tradition, from the emergence of Scott Joplin’s revolutionary ragtime to the next generation of composers whom he influenced, including Eubie Blake, James Reese Europe and George Gershwin.

Woods and the ESO conclude their Worcester series in grand style on Elgar’s home turf, performing the composer’s Dream of Gerontius at Worcester Cathedral on Saturday, 30 May 2020.

Supplementing the ESO’s season are performances in Cheltenham and Stafford. On Sunday, 24 November 2019, Woods and the orchestra return to Cheltenham Town Hall, with Tamsin Waley-Cohen the soloist in Hans Gál’s rarely-performed Concertino for Violin & Strings. Also on the programme are Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Elgar’s Introduction & Allegro, and Woods’ arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s String Quartet No. 3 in E-flat minor, Op. 30. On Friday, 29 November 2019, the ESO performs at the Stafford Gatehouse Theatre for the first time in a programme that includes popular English works: Elgar’s Serenade for Strings, Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending featuring violinist Zoë Beyers, and Songs for Strings – a selection of works by Elgar as re-imagined for string orchestra by Donald Fraser. The concert concludes with Tchaikovsky’s colourful Souvenir de Florence.

* * * * *

For further information about Kenneth Woods please visit https://kennethwoods.net/blog1

For further information about the English Symphony Orchestra please visit https://www.eso.co.uk

For further information, image, interview or ticket requests please contact Melanne Mueller, MusicCo International, +44 (0) 7788 662 461, melanne@musiccointernational.com

ENGLISH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
KENNETH WOODS, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
2019-2020 SEASON

Saturday, 7 September 2019 – 7:30 pm
Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61
     Nicola Benedetti violin
Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897) Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73
Assembly Hall Theatre
Crescent Road
Tunbridge Wells TN1 2LU

Sunday, 6 October 2019 – 3:30 pm
Antonín Dvořák (1841 – 1904) Nocturne in B major for strings, Op. 40
Gerald Finzi (1901 – 1956) Romance, Op. 11
Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) Serenade for Strings, Op. 20
Antonio Vivaldi (1678 – 1741) The Four Seasons
     Zoë Beyers violin / director
Includes “side-by-side” with ESO Youth strings
Routh Hall
Bromsgrove School
Worcester Road
Bromsgrove B61 7DU

Sunday, 13 October 2019 – 3:30 pm
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 – 1809) Symphony No. 96 in D major, Hob. I/96,"The Miracle"
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791) Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat major, K482
Sarah Beth Briggs piano
Jean Sibelius (1865 – 1957) Suite from Pélleas and Mélisande
Hereford Shirehall
St. Peter’s Square
Hereford HR1 2JB

Wednesday, 16 October 2019 – 7:30 pm
Johann Strauss, Jr. (1825 – 1899) arr. Arnold Schoenberg (1874 – 1951) Emperor Waltz
Richard Strauss (1864 – 1949) arr. James Ledger (b. 1966) Four Last Songs (world premiere performance)
     April Fredrick soprano
Anton Bruckner (1824 – 1896) arr. Hanna Eisler (1898 – 1962), Erwin Stein (1885 – 1958), Karl Rankl
(1898 – 1968) Symphony No. 7 in E major
Great Malvern Priory
Church Street
Malvern WR14 2AY

Wednesday, 13 November 2019 – 7:30 pm
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791) Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K525
Mieczysław Weinberg (1919 – 1996) Concertino for Violin and Strings, Op. 42
     Zoë Beyers violin
Doreen Carwithen (1922 – 2003) arr. Kenneth Woods (b. 1968) Lento for Strings
Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky (1840 – 1893) arr. Kenneth Woods (b. 1968) String Quartet No. 3 in E-flat minor
Great Malvern Priory
Church Street
Malvern WR14 2AY

Sunday, 24 November 2019 – 7:30 pm
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791) Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K525
Hans Gál (1890 – 1987) Concertino for Violin and Strings, Op. 52
     Tamsin Waley-Cohen violin
Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) Introduction & Allegro, Op. 47
Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky (1840 – 1893) arr. Kenneth Woods (b. 1968) String Quartet No. 3 in E-flat minor
Cheltenham Town Hall
Imperial Square
Cheltenham GL50 1QA

Friday, 29 November 2019 – 7:30 pm
Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) Serenade for Strings, Op. 20
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 – 1958) The Lark Ascending
     Zoë Beyers violin
Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) arr. Donald Fraser Songs for Strings
Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky (1840 – 1893) Souvenir de Florence, Op. 70
Stafford Gatehouse Theatre
Eastgate Street
Stafford ST16 2LT

Saturday, 14 December 2019 – 7:30 pm
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 – 1958) Fantasia on Greensleeves
Arcangelo Corelli (1653 – 1713) Concerto grosso in G minor, Op. 6, No. 8, “Christmas Concerto”
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750) Concerto for Violin and Oboe, BWV1060
     Zoe Beyers violin / director
     James Turnbull oboe
Peter Warlock (1894 – 1930) Capriol Suite
Includes “side-by-side” with Worcester Youth Strings and ESO Youth Strings
Huntingdon Hall
Crown Gate
Worcester WR1 3LD

Tuesday, 17 December 2019 – 7:30 pm
George Frideric Handel (1685 – 1759) Messiah
Academia Musica Choir
April Fredrick soprano
alto, tenor, bass TBC
Great Malvern Priory
Church Street
Malvern WR14 2AY

Wednesday, 18 December 2019 – 7:30 pm
George Frideric Handel (1685 – 1759) Messiah
Academia Musica Choir
April Fredrick soprano
alto, tenor, bass TBC
Priory Church of St Mary
5 Monk Street
Abergavenny NP7 5ND

Friday, 31 January 2020 – 7:30 pm
Ruth Gipps (1921 – 1999) Cringlemire Garden, Impression for String Orchestra, Op. 39
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37
     Isata Kanneh-Mason piano
Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92
Routh Hall
Bromsgrove School
Worcester Road
Bromsgrove B61 7DU

Saturday, 1 February 2020 – 7:30 pm
Felix Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847) Die Schöne Melusine, Op. 32
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37
     Isata Kanneh-Mason piano
Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93
Hereford Shirehall
St. Peter’s Square
Hereford HR1 2JB

Wednesday, 12 February 2020 – 7:30 pm
Richard Wagner (1813 – 1883) arr. Adrian Williams (b. 1956) Prelude to Tristan und Isolde (UK premiere performance)
Antonio Vivaldi (1678 – 1741) Concerto in G minor
Malcolm Arnold (1921 – 2006) Serenade for Guitar and Strings, Op. 50
     Craig Ogden guitar
Joseph Suk (1874 – 1935) Serenade for Strings in E-flat major, Op. 6
Great Malvern Priory
Church Street
Malvern WR14 2AY

Saturday, 14 March 2020 – 7:30 pm
Adrian Williams (b. 1956) Russells’ Elegy
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 – 1809) Cello Concerto in C major, HobVII/1
     Maja Bogdanovic cello
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21
Great Malvern Priory
Church Street
Malvern WR14 2AY

Sunday, 5 April 2020 – 3:30 pm
Adrian Williams (b. 1956) Three Gifts
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61
     Alexander Sitkovetsky violin
Antonín Dvořák (1841 – 1904) Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, “From the New World”
Includes “side-by-side” with the Hereford Youth Orchestra
Hereford Shirehall
St. Peter’s Square
Hereford HR1 2JB

Wednesday, 29 April 2020 – 7:30 pm
Adrian Williams (b. 1956) Migrations
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 – 1958) The Lark Ascending
     Zoë Beyers violin
Emily Doolittle (b. 1972) falling still
Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) arr. David Matthews (b. 1943) String Quartet
Great Malvern Priory
Church Street
Malvern WR14 2AY

Saturday, 2 May 2020 – 7:30 pm
Scott Joplin (1868 – 1917)
The Maple Leaf Rag
The Chrysanthemum
Sunflower Slow Drag
The Entertainer
James Reese Europe (1880 – 1919)
Castle House Rag
Castle Walk
Eubie Blake (1887 – 1983) Charleston Rag
George Gershwin (1898 – 1937) An American in Paris
with dancers of Academy Theatre Arts
Swan Theatre
The Moors
Worcester WR1 3ED

Sunday, 17 May 2020 – 3:30 pm
The Mozart Letters
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791)
Serenade No.11 in E flat major, K375
Divertimento No.1, K439b
from The Marriage of Figaro (arr. James Topp)
Non più andrai
Hai già vinta la causa
Divertimento in F major, K213
Symphony No. 40, K550: Finale. Allegro assai (arr. James Topp)
from The Magic Flute
Overture (arr. Mike Revell)
Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja (arr. James Topp)
Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen (arr. James Topp)
Finale—Heil sei euch Geweihten (arr. Mike Revell)
Routh Hall
Bromsgrove School
Worcester Road
Bromsgrove B61 7DU

Saturday, 30 May 2020 – 7:30 pm
Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) The Dream of Gerontius
Worcester Cathedral
8 College Yard
Worcester WR1 2LA

Related Link
Back to List
Back to Top