SATURDAY 4 NOVEMBER 2017 7.30pm

MAHLERSymphony No.9

SIBELIUS Symphony No.1 HOLST The Cloud Messenger

Norwich Philharmonic Orchestra Norwich Philharmonic Chorus

Deborah Miles-Johnson mezzo-sopranoMatthew Andrews, David Dunnett conductors

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PhilN O R W I C H

N O R W I C H P H I L H A R M O N I C

ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS AT ST ANDREW’S HALL NORWICH

SATURDAY 9 DECEMBER 20177.30pm

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November: A rare chance to hear one ofHolst’s most magical early choral works,featuring internationally acclaimed mezzoDeborah Miles-Johnson as guest soloist.Versatile Deborah has sung at the RoyalOpera House, recorded with Gerald Finley,toured with Trevor Pinnock – and featured onthe soundtrack of Pirates of the Caribbean!

December: Following sell-out concerts inprevious seasons, the orchestra continues itsjourney through Mahler’s symphonies with a performance of his symphonic swansong.Herbert von Karajan called the NinthSymphony ‘music coming from anotherworld’ and the Phil’s live performance of this powerful tour de force promises to be a spine-tingling experience.

February: Guest soloist in Rachmaninov’sdemanding Third Piano Concerto is thebrilliant young British pianist AlexanderUllman, one of the rising stars of hisgeneration. International critics have praisedhis ‘dazzling’, ‘majestic’ and ‘communicative’playing along with his ‘technical finesse’ and ‘full-bodied tone’.

March: Ruth Holton made her name as abaroque specialist with John Eliot Gardiner,Ton Koopman and Gustav Leonhardt, whileChristopher Steele’s career includes operaticroles for English National Opera and oratoriowith Sir David Willcocks. They join the PhilChorus in dazzling works by two of thegreatest choral writers of the 19th century.

Holst’s magical setting of a classical Sanskrit poem tells of a spirit inexile who enlists the help of a passing cloud to carry a message oflove across the Himalayas to his lonely wife. This sparkling cantatamarks the high point of Holst’s early fascination with Sanskrit texts

and anticipates his later masterpiece The Planets. The concertopens with Sibelius’ flamboyant First Symphony, composed in the

same year as Finlandia and full of shimmering melodies.

Alban Berg described Mahler’s monumental final symphony as ‘a vision of the hereafter’. As the ailing composer mourned his

daughter’s untimely death and approached his own, thesymphony is a meditation on mortality, transfused with awe at

the beauty and wonder of life. Mahler bids farewell to hisbeloved nature with orchestral writing that stirs the deepest

emotions yet is overwhelmingly life-affirming.

MUSIC AWARD WINNER

Norwich Philharmonic Orchestra Matthew Andrews conductor

BOX OFFICE www.stgeorgesmusic.co.uk • 01603 626414

What the papers said about last season …

‘ravishing sound and eloquent phrasing … brilliant virtuosity’

‘drew a near-capacity audience … a mark of the esteem whichthe orchestra deservedly enjoys’

‘variety and nuance … the chorus made a fine impression’

‘three fine soloists … a thoroughly enjoyable performance’

and what our guest soloists think …

‘music-making of the highest standard’(Catherine May, soprano)

‘if only more local orchestras were as good’(Roderick Earle, baritone)

www.norwichphil.org.uk

Season highlights and guest artists

Deborah Miles-Johnson

Alexander Ullman

Ruth Holton

Christopher Steele

S E A S O N 2 0 1 7/ 1 8

SATURDAY 4 NOVEMBER 2017 SIBELIUS Symphony No.1

HOLST The Cloud Messenger

SATURDAY 9 DECEMBER 2017MAHLER Symphony No.9

TUESDAY 19 DECEMBER 2017 The Phil’s Family Christmas

SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2018 KABALEVSKY Overture ‘Colas Breugnon’RACHMANINOV Piano Concerto No.3

MARTINU Symphony No.3

SATURDAY 17 MARCH 2018 BRAHMS Schicksalslied (‘Song of Destiny’)

MENDELSSOHN Lobgesang (‘Hymn of Praise’)

SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2018 7.30pm

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CHRISTMAS CONCERT 19/12

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Stalls £14

Side Aisles (unnumbered) £12

Students £7

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Side Aisles (unnumbered) £36

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PhilN O R W I C H

N O R W I C H P H I L H A R M O N I C

ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS AT ST ANDREW’S HALL NORWICH

KABALEVSKYOverture ‘Colas Breugnon’

RACHMANINOVPiano Concerto No.3

MARTINU Symphony No.3

SATURDAY 17 MARCH 2018 7.30pm

BRAHMS Schicksalslied (‘Song of Destiny’)

MENDELSSOHN Lobgesang (‘Hymn of Praise’)

Norwich Philharmonic Orchestra Norwich Philharmonic Chorus

Ruth Holton soprano • Christopher Steele tenorDavid Dunnett conductor

S E A S O N 2 0 1 7/ 1 8

PLEASE NOTE: Tickets cannot normally be refunded except in the case of a cancelled performance.Tickets can be offered for resale where similar tickets are otherwise unavailable and on production of the original tickets. The earlier tickets are returned, the more likely they are to be resold. Tickets returned on the night are unlikely to be resold.

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Become a Friend or a Benefactor Benefits include priority booking, discountticket prices and free concert programmes. For more information please contactthe Hon. Friends Secretary, Kate Anetts: friendsec@norwichphil.org.uk Priority booking for Friends and Benefactors (plus orchestra/chorus members)opens Tuesday 4 July. Public booking opens Tuesday 18 July. (Please note St George’sMusic Shop is closed from 27 July to 14 August inclusive, however tickets can bepurchased online through TicketSource during that period.)

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TUESDAY 19 DECEMBER 20177.30pm

The Phil’s

FAMILYCHRISTMAS

Norwich Philharmonic ChorusDavid Dunnett conductor

plus special guests

NORWICH PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY Reg. Charity No. 264425Designed and produced by Media Associates • Printed by Barnwells • Philharmonic photos © Bill SmithAll details correct at time of going to press. The society reserves the right to change any programme or performer without notice.

Brahms’ masterful setting of Hölderlin’s ‘Schicksalslied’ standsalongside the German Requiem as one of his greatest choral triumphs.

The poet’s vision of man’s tragic fall is dramatised through the persona of Hyperion, the Titan god of heavenly light.

Mendelssohn’s joyful Lobgesang – also known as his SecondSymphony – showcases the composer’s genius for melodic invention that was to reach its peak a few years later in Elijah.

Rachmaninov’s majestic Third Piano Concerto is one of the mosttechnically challenging in the repertoire. 2011 Liszt Competitionwinner Alexander Ullman is the latest in a long line of virtuosos

to master the concerto’s thrilling cadenzas. His showstoppingperformance is bookended by Kabalevsky’s evergreen overture and

Martinu’s dramatic symphony, completed in the optimistic glow of the Normandy landings.

Norwich Philharmonic Orchestra Alexander Ullman piano

Matthew Andrews conductor

BOX OFFICE www.stgeorgesmusic.co.uk • 01603 626414