A celebration of the Summer Solstice will bring the de Havilland Philharmonic Orchestra (dHPO) concert season to a close.
Hosted by UH Arts + Culture, this month's Hatfield concert on June 23 features a bright and beautiful repertoire of summery tunes to welcome in the warmer months.
A resident orchestra at the University of Hertfordshire, dHPO has enjoyed more than 50 years of success and brings together over 80 classical musicians who perform a wide musical repertoire under the leadership of their dynamic conductor, Robin Browning.
Inna Allen, head of UH Arts + Culture, said: “Our last concert of the season sees the dHPO mark the official start of summer with music by Smetana, Mendelsshon and Sibelius.
"We hope that our audiences leave this final performance with new insights and enjoyment, and a renewed sense of delight for the summer ahead.”
The concert begins with a performance of Vysehrad from Má Vlast.
This is one of the six symphonic poems composed by Czech composer Bedrich Smetana which always open the prestigious Prague Spring International Music Festival.
German composer Felix Mendelssohn wrote the ever-popular overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which includes striking instrumental effects such as the wonderful braying of Bottom, some 16 years before the rest of the incidental music.
The orchestra plays a selection of the suite to complete the summery mood of the first half of the concert.
The concert closes with two relatively short symphonies, often paired together, by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.
The 6th Symphony is lighter in nature than many of the previous symphonies, described by Sibelius himself as ‘cold spring water’.
The 7th Symphony, completed and premiered 100 years ago in 1924, is in just one continuous movement and completely original in its form.
Apart from two shorter pieces, Sibelius did not compose any other works for the next 30 years and left Symphony No.7 to stand as his final statement on symphonic form.
The concert will take place on Sunday, June 23 at 4pm in the 450-seater Weston Auditorium on the de Havilland Campus at the University of Hertfordshire.
Tickets are available between £6 and £15. They are free for carers and UH students.
Tickets are available from the website www.uharts.co.uk or by calling the box office on 01707 281127, open Monday to Friday, 10am to noon. Parking is free on Sundays.
UH Arts + Culture provides a rich programme of art, culture, and music for everyone to experience and enjoy. Find out more at www.uharts.co.uk or @UniHertsArts on social media.
Concert details
Sunday 23 June 2024, 16:00
Summer Solstice
• Smetana – Vysehrad from Má Vlast (200th Anniversary)
• Mendelssohn – A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Incidental Music
• Sibelius – Symphonies 6 and 7
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