7.30 pm, Saturday 20th March 2027
Delius Summer Evening
BrahmsPiano Concerto no 1
SibeliusSymphony no 2
Leon Gee conductor
Gamal Khamis piano
Delius perfectly captures the warm tranquillity of dusk in his orchestral tone poem Summer Evening. Listen for the gentle opening suggesting the fading light, solo lines from woodwind and brass describing rolling landscapes and a gentle climax before night quietly falls.
In sharp contrast, Brahms Piano Concerto No 1 is a monumentally powerful, tempestuous work that redefined the relationship between solo piano and full orchestra in Romantic music. Widely considered a masterpiece and one of the greatest piano concertos ever written, the work grew out of Brahms’ personal distress at the breakdown of his friend, Robert Schumann. Thunderous turmoil gives way to serene prayer and finally glorious resolution.
Often nicknamed the "Symphony of Independence", Sibelius’ Symphony No 2 holds a central place in Finnish national identity for its triumphant tone during a period of Russian oppression. Quiet, pastoral beginnings evoke the beauty of the Finnish landscape, before tension builds to dramatic struggles before erupting into a victorious, emotionally charged climax.