Et Exspecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum - Messiaen, Stravinsky and Richard Strauss

South London Chamber Concerts presents Olivier Messiaen's great work Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum, and Richard Strauss’s Sonata No 2 in Eflat (Die Fröhliche Werkstatte). The concert will also feature Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments (1947 version).

Commissioned by André Malraux to commemorate the dead of the two World Wars, Et exspecto was written and orchestrated in 1964 and was intended to be performed in large spaces like churches, cathedrals and the open air. Messiaen was inspired by the Hautes-Alpes, by Gothic and Romanesque churches, and the ancient monuments of Mexico and Ancient Egypt, and as a result the work evokes a sense of grandeur and also a sense of space.

Strauss composed his Sonata No 2 in the aftermath of the Second World War and after suffering from a severe bout of flu. Mourning for the destruction of Germany during the war and recovering his health, Strauss created a work that portrayed a sense of positivity for the future.

South London Chamber Concerts is a series of concerts featuring amateur chamber groups and soloists who come together several times a year to perform at venues across South London and beyond. Set up in 2009, SLCC aims to provide the wealth of amateur talent in South London with the opportunity to perform in smaller groups whilst networking with like-minded musicians; and to provide the audiences with programmes that are varied and entertaining.