Monday 5 October 2009, 7.45pm
PURCELL ROOM at Queen Elizabeth Hall
DEBUSSY arr. Benno Sachs Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune
PROKOFIEV arr. David Matthews Peter and the Wolf
MAHLER arr. Erwin Stein Symphony No. 4 in G major
Orchestra of St Paul’s
Richard Baker | narrator
Katherine Broderick | soprano
Ben Palmer | conductor
Katherine Broderick (winner of the 2007 Kathleen Ferrier Award) joins OSP for Mahler’s Fourth Symphony in the beautiful chamber version by Erwin Stein, and legendary broadcaster Richard Baker narrates Peter and the Wolf.
The Orchestra of St Paul’s, resident at the Actors’ Church in Covent Garden, brings together some of the finest professional musicians in London under the baton of their conductor Ben Palmer.
Surprisingly, the programme calls for an ensemble of just fourteen players, who will perform these three orchestral works in rarely-heard chamber versions. Rather than just being arrangements, the smaller versions add a chamber-music-like intimacy to the music. Indeed, all three arrangers are composers in their own right – both Benno Sachs and Erwin Stein were pupils of Arnold Schoenberg, and the celebrated David Matthews requires no introduction.
Katherine Broderick is undoubtedly one of the rising stars of the new generation of young singers – her recent engagements include a Proms debut as Woglinde in Götterdämmerung with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Donald Runnicles in 2007, returning to the Proms in 2008 to sing the Young Lover in Il tabarro with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and Gianandrea Noseda, and performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 and Bruckner’s Te Deum as part of the Chester Festival with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under David Hill.
Broadcaster Richard Baker is known to audiences from his 28 years as a presenter on BBC Television News, and 32 years introducing The Last Night of the Proms, amongst his appearances on many other TV and radio programmes. He is celebrated for his performances of all the great musical works including roles for a narrator or speaker, including Peter and the Wolf and Walton’s Facade.
As well as year-round performances in Covent Garden, the Orchestra of St Paul’s is regularly invited to perform all round the UK and at other prestigious venues in London. Future plans include Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 1 at St John’s, Smith Square with acclaimed Scottish pianist Steven Osborne, performances of Messiah in December, and a string orchestra programme at the English Music Festival in May.
OSP was recently appointed Ensemble-in-Residence at the prestigious University College School in Hampstead, a relationship that will involve three performances at the school throughout the coming year, and composition workshops and chamber music coaching for students.
For more information, please visit:
Orchestra of St Paul’s – SouthBank Centre
Orchestra of St Paul’s Official Website