Our Principal Guest Conductor Lucy Hollins leads the orchestra through a programme of Shakespearean adaptations, accompanied by excerpts from some of the Bard’s most beloved plays.
Tchaikovsky’s Hamlet Overture and Shostakovich’s Hamlet Suite paint the twists and turns of Shakespeare’s tragedy in two contrasting musical landscapes. Tchaikovsky’s overture sears with a brooding intensity reminiscent of the Fifth Symphony, whilst Shostakovich’s film score – here in the form of an eight-movement suite – brings a visceral modernity to the drama. Something is indeed rotten in the state of Denmark…
In the second half, Tchaikovsky’s high Romanticism combines with Leonard Bernstein’s jazz-infused Broadway sound-world to create contrasting musical depictions of Romeo and Juliet. Whilst the Russian composer seeks to depict old Verona in the opening chorale, Bernstein transplants the story into 1950s New York, with ground-breaking results.
more about Cambridge Philharmonic
Cambridge Philharmonic, founded in 1887, is one of Britain’s oldest and most distinguished music societies. It comprises both a full symphony orchestra and large chorus. Concerts are held throughout the region, in venues such as West Road Concert Hall, Saffron Hall, King’s College Chapel and Ely Cathedral.
The society’s members are drawn from in and around Cambridge and represent a wide range of ages and backgrounds. Under the direction of Music Director Harry Sever, Cambridge Philharmonic performs a wide range of repertoire as part of its annual concert series, including an opera, family concert, classical and contemporary works. Find out more here