Concert Overture – In the South (Alassio)
Sea Pictures - soloist: Jess Dandy
Symphony No. 1 in A flat major
Conducted by Neil Mantle
“The stunning young contralto Jess Dandy offered sumptuous tone and beautiful legato. She’s a name to watch!” [The Times—Neil Fisher]. Jess has performed in New York’s Carnegie Hall ,The Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Salzburg Festspielhaus and London’s Royal Albert Hall, amongst other international venues. We have the greatest pleasure in welcoming her to sing Elgar’s beautiful “Sea Pictures” in the opening concert of our 2023–2024 season. When he visited Italy in 1903, it rained for much of the time, but you will look in vain for any trace of the dismal weather he and his wife Alice encountered, for Mediterranean sunshine is never far away!
The closing and most substantial work in the programme is Elgar’s magnificent first symphony, which received over one hundred performances during its first year of existence: come and hear why!