Lamb & Hayward Masterworks
Fantasia
Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis — Rodrigo Concierto de Aranjuez — Anthony Ritchie Symphony No. 5 ‘Childhood’
Kenneth Young Conductor — Steve Cowan Guitar
A pre-concert talk is available to all ticketholders on the night of the concert at 6.40pm in the Ron Ball Centre, Christchurch Town Hall.
Vaughan Williams borrowed a theme from his great 16th-century English forebear, Thomas Tallis, and expanded it into a sumptuous, richly-textured fantasia for double string orchestra and solo string quartet.
The piece is noted for the resonant shimmering tone of its multi-voiced string ensemble and its fluid, interwoven themes.
Probably the most famous concerto for guitar, this neoclassical evocation of courtly life is also an evocation of the happy days of Rodrigo’s honeymoon (particularly the slow movement’s haunting tune) - reminiscent of when the newlywed couple walked together in the park at Aranjuez. Steve Cowan, described as “one of Canada’s top contemporary classical guitarists”, will feature as the soloist in this nostalgic work.
Symphony No. 5 “Childhood” was recorded by Kenneth Young and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra in the Christchurch Town Hall in June 2020. Anthony Ritchie describes his composition as “an optimistic work that uses childhood as a metaphor for renewed hope and optimism for the future”.
We’re keen to keep our musicians safe and the music playing in 2022, so we strongly encourage mask wearing at all concerts.
For each concert in our Lamb & Hayward Masterworks series, we have a pre-concert talk available to all ticket holders at 6.40pm in the Ron Ball Studio on the night of the performance.
