The Chineke! Orchestra honours women composers whose powerful music resonates through the ages, ending with a UK premiere of a rediscovered Florence Price work.
The Chineke! Orchestra and conductor Tatiana Pérez guide us through Eleanor Alberga’s extraordinary, cosmic Jupiter’s Fairground, then to bask in the pastoral beauty of Avril Coleridge-Taylor's Sussex Landscape.
The centrepiece is Valerie Coleman's Concerto for Wind Quintet and Orchestra, Phenomenal Women. The piece is a profound tribute to women who have stepped into treacherous spaces, inspired the world, and moved the course of history; shining a bright light and opening doors, especially for women of colour.
Following the interval, the Chineke! Orchestra breaks new ground with the UK premiere of Florence Price's fourth and final symphony; she never heard it performed during her lifetime.
The work was thought to be lost but was rediscovered in 2009 among a stash of manuscripts in Price’s former summer home. The piece weaves a rich narrative of cultural depth and emotional nuance, celebrating her historic contribution to American music.
It is a privilege for the Chineke! Orchestra to give the floor to these incredible women.
Programme:
Eleanor Alberga: Overture, Jupiter's fairground
A Coleridge-Taylor: Sussex Landscape, Op.27
Valerie Coleman: Phenomenal Women
Interval
Florence Price: Symphony No.4 in D minor
Performers:
Meera Maharaj flute
Myfanwy Price oboe
Stephanie Yim clarinet
Daria Phillips bassoon
Nivanthi Karunaratne horn
Tatiana Pérez conductor