BRISTOL ORCHESTRAL PLAYERS

​Notes from our Music Director, Nicola Ashton, about our 2025/26 Programme

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As always, most of this year's programme is made up of pieces requested by members of the orchestra.

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Dvorak Symphony No.6

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Dvorak’s sixth symphony marks his arrival as the composer we know and love today, with all the hallmarks of his later, better-known symphonies: a lively Bohemian spirit, sunny and melodic writing, and a lovely blend of classical-romantic writing with Czech influences.

 

Dvorak’s symphonies are all wonderful to play (check out the earlier ones for a birds-eye view of his development as a composer) and number 6 is no exception. Expect rich, lyrical melodies, lively rhythmic writing and a full orchestral sound. This symphony secured Dvorak his international fame, and it’s going to be a treat to explore together.

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Reinecke Symphony No.2

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Our second symphony of the season comes from a composer who was hugely successful in his own lifetime – yet has been overlooked since his death. In large part this was due to his traditionalist stance at a time when music was changing rapidly – perhaps unfair to a man whose music is beautiful and deserves exploration.

 

Reinecke (1824-1910) was a pianist, violinist, composer, arranger and teacher, and was hugely influential in the musical world. He studied with Mendelssohn, performed with Liszt, conducted the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra for 35 years, and was teacher to Grieg, Sullivan and Bruch among many others.

 

In November and December, we will explore his second symphony, subtitled ‘Hakon Jarl’, inspired by a poem by the Danish poet Adam Oehlenschlager. The poem tells the story of legendary Norwegian leader Hakon Sigurdsson and his battles for the throne of Norway. The symphony, inspired by scenes from the poem, gives us epic and dramatic music. Over the course of the four movements, we meet our brooding hero and the woman he loves, take a visit to Odin’s grave and finally live through a battle scene that ultimately leads to Hakon Jarl’s defeat. It’s stirring, beautiful and at times melancholy music.

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Mendelssohn Overture 'Ruy Blas'

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We pair Reinecke’s symphony with a more well-known work – but one inspired by an equally dark story. Victor Hugo’s play tells a dark and at times violent story of a servant tricked into wooing and deceiving the queen. Mendelssohn was by all accounts not a fan of the play (he called it ‘detestable’!) but was convinced to write the overture when the organisers suggested he might not be able to pull it off in time. He wrote it in a mere three days, and it’s been loved ever since. Despite its dark inspiration, the overture is interspersed with lightness, dramatic flair, and Mendelssohn’s trademark energy.

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Sibelius Karelia Suite

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Sibelius was fascinated by the legends and folk music of his native country and particularly loved the Karelia region. When the students at a local university commissioned him to write music for a historical tableau, he initially wrote a larger collection of movements, but these were eventually boiled down to the three that make up the Karelia Suite. One of his most enduringly popular works, it includes:

• Intermezzo – an energetic, shimmering opener

• Ballade – expressive and heartfelt

• Alla Marcia – an infectious and lively final movement

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Wagner Overture 'Meistersingers'

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The Meistersingers was Wagner’s only comic opera. It tells the story of an annual song competition and an inexperienced singer who enters to try to win the hand of the woman he loves. The overture includes the ceremonial music that accompanies the prelude of the Master Singers and a theme based on the prize song. There is a triumphant finish.

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Bruch Symphony No.3

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For our final symphony of the year, we’ll discover why there is much more to Max Bruch than simply his beautiful first violin concerto. In fact, Bruch composed more than 300 works, characterised by beautiful melodic writing and emotional depth. We’ll explore Bruch’s third symphony, a work inspired by his native Rhineland, full of soaring melodies, rich textures, and sweeping grandeur.

 

Bruch was living in Liverpool when he wrote the symphony, and there’s a sense of longing for his homeland. It wasn’t the first time he had written explicitly about the river of his native country – his opera ‘Die Loreley’ had already been well received and tells the story of the legendary Rhine maiden. Perhaps we should let Bruch himself sum up his third symphony, since we have his own words: ‘This symphony is a work of life, of joy … and it should have the title On the Rhine – Am Rhein’. 

 

This will be a great way to finish our season of symphony workshops.

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Fanny Mendelssohn Overture in C (with added trombone parts)

 

​We’ve paired the warmth of Bruch’s symphony with the sparkle of an overture that has only been rediscovered in recent years. Fanny Mendelssohn, older sister to Felix, was a talented pianist and composer. She was extremely close to her famous brother, acting as a sounding board. They shared musical ideas and spurred each other on in their musical endeavours. Sadly, Fanny’s opportunities were limited by the attitudes of society and indeed her family towards the role of women as musicians. Despite this, she wrote a significant body of music, mainly Lieder and piano works, and played an integral role in her brother’s success until her death at the age of 42.

 

Her Overture in C is her only surviving work written solely for orchestra. A gentle Andante start leads us into a lively piece which fizzes with excitement and intensity. With lyrical wind moments and fabulous string writing, it shows us that Fanny had a superb grasp of orchestration to go with her other talents. It’s a joyful piece that is now beginning to gain the exposure it richly deserves.

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Holst Somerset Rhapsody​

 

‘Into a quiet country scene comes the sound of approaching soldiers. A youth who is courting a girl is persuaded to enlist and go to war. The soldiers march into the distance and the pastoral quietness returns. The girl is left alone.’ These are Holst’s words describing his Somerset Rhapsody. It’s built around three folk songs from rural Somerset and, thanks to its catchy melodies and pastoral atmosphere, is one of his most popular works for orchestra.

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Coleridge-Taylor Petite Suite de Concert

 

​Coleridge-Taylor’s story is one of triumph of talent against the odds, cut tragically short by his death at the age of just 37. As a mixed-race child in nineteenth-century London, he overcame prejudice and challenge on his route to becoming an international sensation, touring the US three times and meeting Roosevelt at the White House. Described as a musical genius, he struggled against poverty, selling the rights to his most successful early work (Hiawatha) for a pittance and never living to see the fruits of his successes.

 

His Petite Suite de Concert is one of Coleridge-Taylor's lighter works, showcasing his melodic writing and, in places, his sense of fun.

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Alice Mary Smith Andante for Clarinet and Orchestra

 

​Alice Mary Smith was a pioneering female composer of the nineteenth century. Her body of music includes two symphonies, six concert overtures and many choral works. She was elected both Female Professional Associate of the Royal Philharmonic Society and an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music. She is also the first British woman known to have written a symphony.

 

Her beautiful Andante is taken from the slow movement of her Sonata in A for clarinet, orchestrated by the composer and showcasing her melodic song-like writing.

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Brahms (arr. Julian Dale) Geistliches Lied

 

​This 1856 work by Brahms was originally written for four-part chorus and piano/organ. It comprises three verses of text by the seventeenth-century German poet Paul Fleming, separated by organ interludes, and is cleverly written in the form of a double canon. Julian Dale has made a beautiful orchestration of this work, and we are very lucky to be able to perform it.  

 

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Tchaikovsky Overture 'Romeo and Juliet'

 

This epic work manages to boil Shakespeare’s tragedy down to its very essence over the course of twenty minutes, on a musical journey both dramatic and achingly beautiful. Tchaikovsky focuses on two main themes: the brutal conflict between the Montagues and Capulets, and the recurring love theme which so beautifully portrays the youthful love between Romeo and Juliet.

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The drama and intensity of this work are a perfect ending to our year of contrasted, highly emotional and stunningly beautiful music.

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