Elgar Festival 2025 - Elgar’s Strings in Malvern

7.00pm

30th May 2025

Great Malvern Priory, 6 Church Street, Malvern WR14 2AY

Programme

Edward Elgar – Sospiri
Edward Elgar (arr. Fraser) – Miniatures for Strings
Ian Venables – An American Interlude, (A portrait of Janis )
Ian Venables – Soliloquy for Viola and Strings
Peter Fribbins – Folk Songs for Viola and Chamber Orchestra
William Walton – Sonata for Strings

Artists

English String Orchestra

Conductor: Kenneth Woods

Soloists: Rosalind Ventris (viola)

About this Concert

Perhaps no other orchestra has done so much to champion the incredible tradition of British music for strings as the legendary English String Orchestra, whose recordings carry the music of England from Elgar to today to listeners worldwide. William Walton was perhaps the true heir of Elgar’s legacy, and his Sonata for Strings is one of the highest peaks in the string orchestra literature. The programme opens with a set of short pieces which showcase Elgar’s genius for the miniature and continues with works showcasing two of today’s most engaging and exciting composers, Peter Fribbins and Ian Venables. Rosalind Ventris is the featured soloist.