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Experience an evening of music influenced by the past but wholly original.Brahms had, among other foibles, a wicked sense of humour. And so, when a university bestowed upon him the title of ‘Honorary Doctor of Philosophy’, he responded with a blazing concert overture based on drinking songs, one of which was traditionally sung during student initiations. Not quite the dignified, intellectual affair the title suggests…
Thomas Adès and Sergei Rachmaninov also look to the past in the next two works. In his Three Studies from Couperin, Adès pieces together shattered fragments of music by a French Baroque master. Violinist-composer Paganini was suspected of having done a deal with the devil, so dazzling was his playing – Rachmaninov takes his music and explores it across 24 variations for piano. Mercurial moods, wild sonorities and a devilish solo piano parts collide in this intoxicating showpiece, written by one virtuoso about another.
We finish with one of the great pillars of the symphonic repertoire. Unsettling, ambiguous, spikey and fierce, Brahms’ Fourth Symphony was a clear departure from the sunlit intimacy of his previous symphony. But beneath the wash of fury you’ll find determination, too. This was a composer at the top of his game, staring old age defiantly in the face.
Join us for a free pre-concert talk in the main concert hall – a relaxed insight into the programme, the artists and the Orchestra of Opera North. You will have a chance to ask questions to the artists involved and hear about their interpretations of the pieces and their lives as musicians.
Part of the Kirklees Concert Season 2025–26
Programme
Brahms Academic Festival Overture
Thomas Adés Three Studies from Couperin
Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Brahms Symphony No. 4
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Huddersfield Town Hall, Corporation Street,Huddersfield, United Kingdom
Tickets
