St David’s Hall
Saturday 15 July, 7.30pm
CARDIFF PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA celebrates its 35th birthday with a performance of Strauss’ mighty and magnificent An Alpine Symphony at St David’s Hall on Saturday 15 July.
Since its inaugural concert at St David’s Cathedral on Saturday 19 June 1982, CPO has entertained thousands of concert-goers and established itself as one of Wales’ foremost non-professional orchestras with a loyal and talented membership.
Now well into its fourth decade, the orchestra continues to go from strength to strength in delivering a diverse and exciting repertoire to their devoted following. In addition to performing four times per season at the National Concert Hall of Wales, CPO have also performed the ever-popular A Night at the Movies concert every year since 1994, and become a firm favourite at the Welsh Proms with their Family Prom concerts since 2000.
Furthermore, they have played at other prestigious Welsh venues including the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Coal Exchange, Theatr Brycheiniog, Blackwood Miners’ Institute, Folly Farm and Llandaff Cathedral. Along the way they have rubbed shoulders with a string of celebs too including Sir Bryn Terfel, Charlotte Church, Bonnie Tyler, Sir Geraint Evans, Aled Jones and even the likes of Neil Kinnock, Brian Blessed and Sebastian Coe.
Plus, in October 2016 they were joined by Hollywood A-lister Michael Sheen who narrated the World Premiere of Bernard Kane Jr’s Mr Dahl at the Concert of the Unexpected: A Celebration of Roald Dahl. The 2016/17 was a record-breaking one for CPO too as A Night at the Movies concert last December was a complete sell-out and was the highest attendance at an orchestral concert for almost twelve years at St David’s Hall!
The orchestra are now returning to close the season in style with The Glory of Strauss & Elgar. Both composers were contemporaries and huge admirers of each other’s music, and this captivating concert presents unforgettable works by each composer.
Strauss’s Festival Prelude was written in 1913 for the inauguration of the organ in the Great Hall of Vienna’s Konzerthaus. Scored for organ and large orchestra, it provides a sensational opening work especially as the orchestra are joined by acclaimed organist, Jeffrey Howard.
Elgar’s deeply introspective, but supremely lyrical Cello Concerto, was composed in the aftermath of World War I in 1919. It is simply one of the greatest of all cello concertos and will be performed in this concert by the gifted Neath-born soloist, Steffan Morris.
An unforgettable finale is provided by one of the most majestic of all orchestral works, Richard Strauss’s An Alpine Symphony, which takes us on a journey to the peaks of the beautiful Bavarian Alps. CPO will number over 100 players for this epic, exciting and moving piece
Conductor Michael Bell formed Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra fresh from completing his degree at university, and was keen to continue performing the music he had studied. Thirty-five years later he remains as dedicated and passionate as ever about the orchestra.
He said: “When I formed the orchestra in 1982 I assumed it was for a one-off concert but here we are 35 years and well over 300 concerts later, still going strong. This orchestra has been my life for 35 years and I’m very proud of whatever we’ve achieved together.”
PLEASE NOTE: Saturday 15 July is the rescheduled date for this concert (Friday 30 June was the original date when initially advertised).
Richard Strauss & Edward Elgar
| Standard Price | £5 | £8 | £10 | £16 | £22 |
| Under 16s | £5 |
| Aged 16 – 25 | £7 |
| Friends of St David’s Hall | Students | Over 60s | Claimants | £2 off top two prices |
| Wheelchair users plus one companion | £5 each (available on single tickets only, not on Series offer) |
| Groups of 10 or more | £1 off each ticket |
Plus a Ticket Service Charge of £3.95 per transaction and an optional £1 postage fee.
To book your seats, please visit www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk
or call the Box Office on 029 2087 8444.
