Ulster HallBelfast, Northern Ireland, BT2 7FF, United Kingdom
Dates/times in London time zone
| Friday 23 January 2026 | 19:45 |
Programme
| Britten, Benjamin (1913-1976) | Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge for string orchestra, Op.10 | |
| Clyne, Anna (b. 1980) | Glasslands | |
| Shostakovich, Dmitri (1906-1975) | Symphony no. 9 in E flat major, Op.70 |
Performers
| Jonathan Bloxham | Conductor |
| Jess Gillam | Saxophone |
| Ulster Orchestra |
Benjamin Britten spoke no Russian and Dmitri Shostakovich spoke no English, but they found in each other a kindred spirit, becoming firm friends, supporters of each other’s work and using a sort of broken German as a shared language. Britten’s tribute to his teacher and mentor Frank Bridge uses each variation to loosely sketch a facet of Bridge’s personality, while Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony was not the grand artistic statement Russia expected and instead is a witty, playful and sarcastic work that inevitably led to political trouble. And we are delighted to welcome Jess Gillam to perform Glasslands by Anna Clyne, inspired by the banshee of Irish mythology.
© Robin Clewley