The Ulster Orchestra present Open Spaces at the iconic Ulster Hall in Belfast on Friday 24 March 2023.
A rare outing for the chamber arrangement of Copland’s Appalachian Spring presents a very different character and quality to this well-known work – all the vast space of the American Mid-West is still present, but this version also conveys the loneliness of being a frontier settler.
We are delighted to present the World Première of Piers Hellawell’s Rapprochement, a Concerto written for our soloist Clare Hammond. Clare will also perform Orpheus by Samy Moussa and the two pieces form a complementary pair.
Where Hellawell’s work is extrovert, Moussa’s is meditative; the two works explore the same chamber ensemble in very different ways to create their own sound worlds.
Our concert closes with more open space, but this time with a distinctly English feel in Vaughan Williams’s Fifth Symphony. Written at the start of World War II, it seems to seek to remind people of the power of peace at a time of war and offers space for serene contemplation amidst the hustle and bustle of life.
Copland Appalachian Spring
Piers Hellawell Rapprochement (world première, UO co-commission)
Samy Moussa Orpheus
Vaughan Williams Symphony No. 5
JAMIE PHILLIPS CONDUCTOR
CLARE HAMMOND PIANO
