Thomas Adès conducts the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra in a programme of Elgar, his own 'Dawn' and Kurtág's Movement for Viola and Orchestra, with Sascha Bota on viola.
Thomas Adès conducts the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra at The Sheldonian Theatre on Thursday 22 October, with Sascha Bota on viola. The programme frames Elgar, the composer who captured the essence of England in music more resonantly than any other: Sospiri, Op. 70, is described as a love-sick Adagio, while his Symphony No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 55, carries the hopes of a troubled nation in music of deep longing and optimism.
Between them, Adès conducts his own Dawn, an intense meditation on cycles of time, light and renewal, and a masterpiece in miniature. The programme positions it as the missing link before Kurtág's Movement for Viola and Orchestra, a grippingly physical opening to a full concerto whose rest was scrapped. Adès himself is an award-winning British composer among the most prolific of the 21st century, having written for the full range of classical instrumentation, and best known for his operatic and orchestral works.
His first compositions date from the late 1980s at King's College, Cambridge, and he later studied piano and chamber music with György Kurtág — a relationship that has led to performances, recordings and a celebration of Kurtág's centenary at the Budapest Music Centre. That connection sits at the heart of the evening, with Adès conducting both his own work and that of his former teacher.
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Doors open at 6:30pm, and the concert runs about two hours with an interval halfway. General admission is £50, £40, £30 or £15; concessions are £5 for students and under-18s in the Upper Galleries and £5 off any other price band, with 50% off for Disabled/Carer tickets by phone.
