Summer Solstice Concert
In our final concert of the season, the de Havilland Philharmonic Orchestra mark the Summer Solstice and the official start of summer with these beautiful summery tunes!
- Smetana – Vysehrad from Má Vlast (200th Anniversary)
- Mendelssohn – A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Incidental Music
- Sibelius – Symphonies 6 and 7
The concert begins with a performance of Vysehrad from Ma Vlast. This is one of the six symphonic poems composed by Czech composer Bedrich Smetana which always open the Prague Spring Festival.
German composer Felix Mendelssohn wrote the ever-popular overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which includes striking instrumental effects such as the wonderful braying of Bottom, some 16 years before the rest of the incidental music. The Orchestra plays a selection of the suite to complete the summery mood of the first half of the concert.
The concert closes with two relatively short symphonies, often paired together, by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The 6th Symphony is lighter in nature than many of the previous symphonies, described by Sibelius himself as ‘cold spring water’ i.e. pure, and lasts about 25 minutes. The 7th Symphony, completed and premiered 100 years ago in 1924, is in just one continuous movement of about 22 minutes and completely original in its form. Apart from two shorter pieces, Sibelius did not compose any other works for the next 30 years and left Symphony No.7 to stand as his final statement on symphonic form.
We hope that you come away from this summery closing concert of the season with new insights and enjoyment!
For events taking place at the Weston Auditorium, Bar Ambition is the place to go for food and drink. We strongly advise pre-ordering any refreshments to avoid a delay in the interval. Click here to find out more.
Please note that all UH Student tickets will be allocated within the upper circle of the auditorium.
Following University guidelines, our Box Office will be cashless from 1 January 2024.