2nd Symphony Concert

Ethel Smyth- Composer, conductor, author and female rights activist: Born in Sidcup in 1858 and educated in Germany, Ethel Smyth is still considered one of the most influential composers of her time, building a bridge between the 19th and 20th century. However, as it was the case with many female composers, her music—although highly regarded by Gustav Mahler and Peter Tchaikovsky—received only little attention during her lifetime and was quickly forgotten after her death. Her first great orchestral work, Serenade in D, was not premiered until four years after its completion. Just another reason to bring this sonorous work this season on stage. Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s 3rd symphony will take us in the middle of legendary Scotland, giving musical insights in his impressions of this mystic country. Inspired by the unique Scottish atmosphere, the young Mendelssohn painted impressive pictures of ruined walls, harsh weather, and gloomy stories, prompting Richard Wagner to remark that Mendelssohn was a “first-class landscape painter.”

A hundred years ago, on the 27th of November 1925, German composer Bertold Hummel was born. Since 1963, he educated composers-to-be and he was professor as well as president of Hochschule für Musik Würzburg (which was called Bayerisches Staatskonservatorium der Musik Würzburg to Hummel’s time). He composed over 200 works; the Philharmonic Orchestra dedicates itself to his youthful, carefree, whimsical, and grotesque concert overture.