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This afternoon, a selection of music that showcases and exemplifies the exciting breadth of the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Philharmonic Orchestra's work, Chief Conductor John StorgaÌŠrds takes to the podium at MediaCityUK.

The Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Philharmonic Orchestra and StorgaÌŠrds have recorded many of Shostakovich’s works together and today, a rare opportunity to hear one of Shostakovich’s earliest pieces, written when he was a teenager - his delightful Scherzo Op.1.

We also journey to StorgaÌŠrds’ native Finland. Outi Tarkiainen’s Midnight Sun Variations had its world premiere in 2019 when StorgaÌŠrds conducted the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Philharmonic Orchestra at the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Proms, and Sebastian Fagerlund's essay for violin and orchestra, Helena's Song, was a co-commission for the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Philharmonic Orchestra and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Lotta Wennäkoski pays tribute to fellow Finnish composer Sibelius in Verdigris, a highly original work. Today’s performance of Verdigris is the second of two for the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Philharmonic Orchestra this spring, following one in April at The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester.

Also on the programme are two British composers, Grace-Evangeline Mason and Piers Hellawell.

Mason earned the prestigious Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Young Composer of the Year award in 2013. Just ten years later, her lush, painterly work ABLAZE THE MOON, premiered at the 2023 Proms with the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Philharmonic Orchestra.

Critics have described Hellawell as an ‘original and thought-provoking musical mind.’ A Professor of Composition for many years at Queen's University in Belfast, Hellawell composed his Symphonies in Chains in 2019. It’s a reflection on the historical symphonic tradition, and an accomplished showcase for the orchestra.

Programme

Fagerlund - Helena's Song
Shostakovich - Scherzo Op. 1
Hellawell - Symphonies in Chains
Mason - ABLAZE THE MOON
Tarkiainen - Midnight Sun Variations
Wennäkoski - Verdigris

John Storgårds - conductor