Concierto de Aranjuez

Britten Sinfonia

Plínio Fernandes (guitar)

Tom Fetherstonhaugh (conductor)

A pioneering chamber orchestra and an exceptional young guitarist join forces to perform one of the most popular concertos of all time. Inspired by the gardens at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, the concerto was described by the composer as painting “the fragrance of magnolias, the singing of birds, and the gushing of fountains” – and yet, written in Paris as war closed in in 1939, the music also contains moments of brooding and darkness.

Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll was written as a birthday present to his second wife, Cosima, after the birth of their son Siegfried, and was first performed on Christmas morning 1870, on the stairs of their villa at Tribschen. By contrast, this stunning programme closes with a real celebration of summer, Beethoven’s effervescent First Symphony.

Wagner:      Siegfried Idyll
Rodrigo:     Concierto de Aranjuez
Beethoven:  Symphony No. 1

The concert is a musical tribute to Mark Hatcher, on his retirement as Reader of the Temple. It has been generously sponsored by a group of Benchers of Middle Temple.

_{Approximately 100 minutes in duration (including interval - during which complimentary refreshments are served).}