Britten-Shostakovich Festival Orchestra

The Britten-Shostakovich Festival Orchestra is a unique bi-national ensemble bringing together young musicians from conservatoires in a shared cultural experience. In the ‘Year of Music’ – a celebration of the musical cultures of Britain and Russia in 2019 – the BSFO performs a programme of British and Russian classics with narration from two members of a famous acting family, Edward and Freddie Fox.

Leading British Violinist Jennifer Pike performs Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, which has repeatedly topped the Classic FM Hall of Fame, and other classic works include Tchaikovsky’s rousing 1812 Overture and Prokofiev’s timeless ballet score to Romeo and Juliet. The Shakespearean theme continues with selections from Shostakovich’s incidental music to Hamlet, its famous monologues spoken by Freddie Fox. His father Edward will also set the scene for other works in the programme, reciting selections from the poetry of George Meredith that inspired Vaughan Williams and also from George Crabbe’s The Borough, which inspired Britten’s opera Peter Grimes, whose atmospheric Four Sea Interludes open the concert.

The orchestra is proud to acknowledge the support and agreement of both the Britten-Pears Foundation and Mme Irina Shostakovich to use their names.

Programme:
Britten - Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes
Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending
Prokofiev - Romeo and Juliet (highlights)
Shostakovich - Hamlet (highlights)
Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture

Jan Latham-Koenig - conductor
Jennifer Pike - violin
Edward Fox - narrator
Freddie Fox - narrator