| sábado 24 octubre 2026 | 19:30 |
| Shostakovich, Dmitri (1906-1975) | Obertura festiva, op. 96 | |
| Arnold, Malcolm (1921-2006) | Philharmonic Concerto, Op.120 | |
| Arnold, Malcolm (1921-2006) | A Manx Suite for orchestra (Little Suite No.3) Op.142 | |
| Gipps, Ruth (1921-1999) | Oboe Concerto in D minor, Op.20 | |
| Arnold, Malcolm (1921-2006) | Sound Barrier, Op.38 (Rhapsody for orchestra (1952)) | |
| Shostakovich, Dmitri (1906-1975) | Sinfonía núm. 9 en mi bemol mayor, op. 70 |
| Northampton Symphony Orchestra | |
| John Gibbons | Dirección |
| Emmet Byrne | Oboe |
The Malcolm Arnold Festival is a community-focused annual celebration showcasing the composer’s sparkling chamber, brass and orchestral music. This year, Julian Lloyd Webber launches a day of live performances honouring his music at Cripps Hall and St Matthew’s Church in the composer's hometown of Northampton.
St Matthew’s Church provides the venue for the evening's Gala Concert when the Northampton Symphony Orchestra present a rousing celebration of orchestral music by Malcolm Arnold alongside two of his fellow-composers and performed under the baton of the orchestra’s musical director and life-long Arnold champion John Gibbons.
Following a day of concerts at Cripps Hall, an evening of high-octane performances is promised when the festival moves to St Matthew's Church for Malcolm Arnold’s characteristically tuneful themes from the film soundtrack to ‘The Sound Barrier’; alongside his final work, Little Suite No.3, entitled ‘Manx’, which incorporates traditional tunes from the Isle of Man. The Philharmonic Concerto – a three-movement orchestral showpiece featuring a wealth of percussion including bongos, tam-tam, side drum and tambourine – is to be performed to mark the 250th anniversary this year of the American Declaration of Independence.
Alongside these works will be the spirited Oboe Concerto by Ruth Gipps, written when the composer was just 20 years old and studying under the legendary Léon Goossens at the Royal College of Music, where Malcolm Arnold was a fellow student. As a fine oboist herself, the work demonstrates Gipps’ deep understanding and technical mastery of the instrument and reflects the expressive, lyrical style inspired by her teacher. For this performance, the oboe soloist will be the CBSO’s Principal Second Oboe, Emmet Byrne.
Two contrasting works by Dmitri Shostakovich bookend the programme: his exuberant Festive Overture and the satirical Symphony No. 9 - a piece famously banned in Soviet Russia until 1955. Arnold viewed the symphony as a masterclass in artistic defiance, declaring “we’re kindred souls in a very rough barbaric world.”
Tickets are available via the website or on the door. Enjoy all the daytime concerts with an affordable Day Ticket, or free admission for students and those under the age of 18. The Gala Concert ticket is priced separately.
Find full details of the entire day's events on Bachtrack.
