English Chamber Orchestra

featuring the University of Warwick Chamber Choir

Thu 14 Mar 8pm

Butterworth Hall: £11.50 - £36, Under 26s £12 (+ booking fee)

Conductor: Paul McGrath

Musicians: Soprano – Tinuke Olafimihan, Mezzo Soprano – Gaynor Keeble, Tenor – Nicholas Sharratt, Baritone – Nicholas Lester

Composer: Britten, Bartok, Mozart

Britten – Simple Symphony
Bartók – Divertimento
Interval
Mozart – Requiem

The masked stranger, the mysterious commission, the dying Mozart frantically composing as his life ebbed away… if you’ve seen the play or film Amadeus, you’ll know the legend behind Mozart’s Requiem.

But the reality is even more incredible – music’s greatest genius comes to terms with the ultimate mystery of human existence, and finds sorrow, courage and deep compassion, then pours it all out in music of unforgettable beauty and power.

The University of Warwick’s own Chamber Choir, under Director of Music Paul McGrath, join the English Chamber Orchestra for one of the high points of our season.

First, though, McGrath and ECO celebrate the work of two of Mozart’s greatest 20th century fans. On the eve of the Second World War, Béla Bartók wrote a Divertimento that channelled the spirit of Mozart for an age of anxiety. Britten’s Simple Symphony reworks the tunes he hummed at school into a mini-masterpiece of irresistible freshness – tongue firmly in cheek.

Pre-concert Talk
Conference Room 6.45pm. Tickets £2, Subscribers £1
Paul McGrath and Lucy Griffiths of the University of Warwick Music Centre talk about tonight’s programme.

Join as a subscriber for benefits such as discounts, early choice of the best seats and exclusive ticket discounts on non-concert series events.

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Butterworth Hall

With a maximum capacity of 2000 standing or 1500 seated this concert hall has an outstanding natural acoustic and is the home of our International Concert Series, as well as the majority of our music gigs and big name comedians. Butterworth Hall has recently had a £6.9 million redevelopment and reopened in autumn 2009 .