English Symphony Orchestra:

Sibelius & Rachmaninoff

Sep 19 @ 7:30 pm

Sibelius Symphony No.4 in A minor, Op.64

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor, Op.18

Conductor: Kenneth Woods

Piano: Freddy Kempf

These two iconic masterpieces were both written in response to moments of intense personal adversity. The Fourth Symphony reflects Sibelius’s ultimately successful battle against cancer, while the Second Piano Concerto see’s Rachmaninoff regaining his confidence and inspiration following

a period of profound creative crisis, resulting in what is quite possibly the most popular piece in the entire classical repertoire and a constant, beloved audience favourite. Don’t miss this chance to hear

it live as it kicks off our season in style!

Please note, a £2 ticket commission fee is included in the price of the ticket.

If you require a carer ticket, or have any accessibility requirements please book your tickets over the phone by calling 01242 528 764. The lines are open 9.00am – 5.00pm, Monday – Friday.

English Symphony Orchestra:

Strauss & Mahler

Dec 2 @ 7:30 pm

Richard Strauss Four Last Songs (chamber version by James Ledger)

Mahler Symphony No.9 (chamber version by Klaus Simon)

Conductor: Kenneth Woods

Soprano: April Fredrick

Composed in the difficult years just after WW2, Strauss’s final masterpiece could well have

been a despairing, angry work. Instead, the Four Last Songs stand as one of music’s most

inspiring expressions of gratitude – for long life, for long love and for a world abundant in music and nature.

The Ninth Symphony of Strauss’s friend & contemporary, Gustav Mahler – his last completed work – sees the composer working through deep despair and resignation (shaken to the core by the sudden death of his daughter in 1907) towards a resolution which abounds in gratitude and love.

Please note, a £2 ticket commission fee is included in the price of the ticket.

If you require a carer ticket, or have any accessibility requirements please book your tickets over the phone by calling 01242 528 764. The lines are open 9.00am – 5.00pm, Monday – Friday.

English Symphony Orchestra: Elgar, Williams & Sawyers

1 Feb 2026 @ 3:00 pm

Vaughan Williams Overture to The Wasps

Philip Sawyers Symphony No. 6, A Pastoral

Elgar Violin Concerto, Op.61

Conductor: Kenneth Woods

Violin: Zoe Byers

Many consider Elgar’s Violin Concerto to be his most personal & confessional piece. Despite its titanic virtuosic demands, it is not a showpiece, but an expression of the inner world of a great man at one of life’s turning points. Philip Sawyers also found himself at a turning point when he gave up his career as a violinist to pursue composition full time. His courage has been validated many times over as he has been repeatedly hailed as one of Britain’s greatest modern symphonists. His Sixth Symphony is a touching homage to another great Sixth Symphony, Beethoven’s Pastoral.

English Symphony Orchestra:

Spring Equinox

22 Mar 2026

@ 3:00 pm

David Matthews Early Spring (world premiere)

Mozart Sinfonia Concertante for Violin & Viola, K364

Beethoven Symphony No.7 in A major, Op.92

Conductor: Kenneth Woods

Violin: Zoe Byers

Viola: Kate Musker

A celebration of the spring equinox, this matinee offers a generous portion of musical sunshine, hope and warmth. Beethoven’s Seventh is his most exuberant and energetic work, with several hugely popular melodies and themes, while Mozart’s evergreen Sinfonia Concertante has an unmatched abundance of lyricism, good humour and playful happiness. One of Britain’s greatest living composers, David Matthews, also contributes a new work, written in celebration of Spring and dedicated to the ESO.

English Symphony Orchestra: Mahler, Elgar, Taylor, Schoenberg, & Copland

22 May 2026 @ 7:30 pm

Elgar Serenade for Strings

Matthew Taylor Romance for Strings

Copland Clarinet Concerto

Mahler Adagettio from Symphony No.5

Schoenberg Verklarte Nacht (Transfigured Night)

Conductor: Kenneth Woods

Clarinet: Julian Bliss

Schoenberg & Webern were two of music’s most revolutionary & challenging composers, but their early works are among the most lyrical & romantic pieces ever written. Mahler’s heart-rending Adagietto needs little introduction, and is regularly in the Top 40 of Classic FM’s annual Hall of Fame, while Schoenberg’s impassioned Transfigured Night is a musical realisation of a Richard Dehmel poem, in which a young woman confesses to her betrothed that she bears another man’s child, conceived before they met. His acceptance of her, and resolve to raise the baby as theirs, is one of the most touching moments in classical music.

ESO RECORDS

Jean Sibelius - The Symphonies Vol. 1

Now available!