Italian Serenade

Welcome to Trent Chamber Orchestra's inaugural concert. Our first programme is a mixture of exuberance and lyricism. Rossini composed his opera Italian Girl in Algiers in less than a month when he was just 21. His popular overture is known for its mischievous quiet pizzicato then sudden chords similar to Haydn's Surprise Symphony.

Our first soloist Erin Vinter, brought up in West Bridgford, is now in her 2nd year at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Max Bruch's Romance for Viola is not as well-known as his 1st Violin Concerto but there are similarities with the harmonies of the Concerto's slow movement.

In Rimsky Korsakov's Opera Tale of the Tsar Sultan, a Prince is magically turned into an insect so he can fly away to visit his father. A virtuosic piece for the violins and flutes, it's a challenge to spot where the flutes breathe!

The Nocturne from Mendelssohn's Incidental Music to the Midsummer Night's Dream featuring the solo horn and bassoons accompanies the sleeping lovers between Acts 3 and 4. The chattering winds and dancing strings act as an interlude in the Scherzo between Acts 1 and 2.

We complete our programme with Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony composed during a happy holiday in Italy.  The vitality in the music reflects the composer's state of mind.

The programme for the first concert is as follows:

• Overture Italian Girl in Algiers - Rossini
• Romance for Viola - Max  Bruch
• Flight of the Bumble Bee - Rimsky-Korsakov
• Nocturne from A Midsummer Night's Dream - Mendelssohn
• Scherzo from A Midsummer Night's Dream - Mendelssohn

                         ~ Interval ~ (15-20mins)

• Symphony No 4 Italian - Mendelssohn