First performed in 1828, Mendelssohn ‘Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage is an orchestral concert overture inspired by Beethoven's 1815 cantata of the same name, set to 2 poems by Goethe. In the days before steam, a totally calm sea was cause for alarm; it is only when the wind at last rises that the ship can continue on its journey.However, Mendelssohn goes a little further and conjures up a triumphant homecoming, exemplified by the fanfares from the three trumpets held in reserve throughout the score, and the piece finally resolves into a short prayer of thanksgiving.
Joseph Phibbs, Rivers to the Sea - This large scale-orchestral work will get prior performances in Basingstoke on 22 June and in the Festival Hall on 28 June, 2012 conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. Joseph Phibbs was born in London and studied at The Purcell School with the support of a Suffolk County Council scholarship, before continuing his education at King's College, London and Cornell University. His teachers have included Param Vir, Sir Harrison Birtwistle and Steven Stucky and his works have received widespread performances in the UK and beyond, including at the Last Night of the Proms (Lumina, BBC Symphony Orchestra/Leonard Slatkin). www.josephphibbs.com
A Sea Symphony is Vaughan Williams' first and longest symphony, and is one of the first symphonies to use a choir as an integral part of the work. First performed at the Leeds Festival in 1910, this four-movement work, together with the Tallis Fantasia, first performed at the Three Choirs Festival only weeks before, confirmed the arrival of Vaughan Williams on the national stage. Vaughan Williams began work on it when he was 31, and conducted the premiere on his 38th birthday. Such was its success that Vaughan Williams, on the strength of this piece, was hailed as the leading figure of the post-Elgar generation.
A pre-concert talk by Rolf Jordan promoted by the RVW Society will take place at 5pm in the Festival Marquee, behind No.1 Castle Street, Hereford. Rolf is an artist and designer whose work includes an exhibition entitled 'Inspired by English Music'. He edited the Finzi anthology 'The Clock of the Years' and is currently Editor of the Finzi Journal. The talk will be entitled A Bigger Splash: Ralph Vaughan Williams and his Sea Symphony'. Ticket price £10. Please see http://www.3choirs.org/2012-hereford/programme/monday-23-july/19-talk-rolf-jordan-guests.html