A true tale of companionship as Ulster Orchestra's Kindred Spirits graces the Ulster Hall stage on 23 January 2026.
Britten Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge
Anna Clyne Glasslands for Saxophone and Orchestra
Shostakovich Symphony No.9
JONATHAN BLOXHAM CONDUCTOR
JESS GILLAM SAXOPHONE
Benjamin Britten spoke no Russian and Dmitri Shostakovich spoke no English, but they found in each other a kindred spirit, becoming firm friends, supporters of each other’s work and using a sort of broken German as a shared language. Britten’s tribute to his teacher and mentor Frank Bridge uses each variation to loosely sketch a facet of Bridge’s personality, while Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony was not the grand artistic statement Russia expected and instead is a witty, playful and sarcastic work that inevitably led to political trouble. And we are delighted to welcome Jess Gillam to perform Glasslands by Anna Clyne, inspired by the banshee of Irish mythology.
