English Symphony Orchestra brings transparency to Strauss and Mahler

By Simon Cummings, 03 December 2025

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“a proto-modernist peroration, laden with harmonic twists and crunches”

Reviewed at Cheltenham Town Hall: Main Stage, Cheltenham on 2 December 2025

Strauss R., Four Last Songs (chamber version by James Ledger)

Mahler, Symphony no. 9 in D major (chamber version by Klaus Simon)

English Symphony Orchestra

Kenneth Woods, Conductor

April Fredrick, Soprano

Philip Sawyers' powerful new symphony at SJSS

Gavin Dixon, 28th February

Philip Sawyers’ Third Symphony imposing but tightly argued, and given a compelling first performance by Kenneth Woods and the English Symphony Orchestra.

****1

World première of Joubert's Jane Eyre

Pamela Nash, 25th October

John Joubert's opera setting of Charlotte Brontë's masterpiece received its long-awaited world premiere by the English Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Kenneth Woods, with a luminous central performance by soprano April Fredrick.

*****

Peace concert in Coventry with the English Symphony Orchestra

Arthur Keegan-Bole, 12th November

If only Mozart could’ve been there! Had he only one concert to attend from beyond the grave, Wolfgang could have done worse than head to Coventry Cathedral and its sumptuous acoustic on Saturday night. Here he would have been treated to a performance of his final symphony, no.41 ‘Jupiter’ – never heard in his lifetime – alongside his 'Great' Mass in C minor – which he never completed.

***11

Philip Sawyers' powerful new symphony at SJSS

Gavin Dixon, 28th February

Philip Sawyers’ Third Symphony imposing but tightly argued, and given a compelling first performance by Kenneth Woods and the English Symphony Orchestra.

****1

World première of Joubert's Jane Eyre

Pamela Nash, 25th October

*****

Evocative contemporary string music from the ESO

Katy Wright, 18th October

The English String Orchestra present works inspired by nature, colour and life by four contemporary composers.

***11

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Simon Cummings

Simon Cummings is a composer, writer and researcher based in the Cotswolds. He composes instrumental and electronic music, exploring aspects of algorithmic composition, and has recently completed a Ph.D. in composition at the Birmingham Conservatoire under the supervision of Richard Causton and Howard Skempton. His musical tastes are ludicrously broad but are focused most on contemporary/avant-garde classical and electronic music. When not composing, he writes regularly about new music; Simon is the author of the contemporary music blog 5:4 (5against4.com), and regularly contributes articles for a variety of books, journals and websites. Follow him on Twitter @5against4.

English Symphony Orchestra brings total transparency to Strauss and Mahler