Expect an evening of 'beautiful' music at the Haffner Orchestra concert in Lancaster

The orchestra will be performing Stölzel's "City Beautiful", Barber's Violin Concerto and New World Symphony by Dvorak.

Conductor is Alex Robinson, soloist is Sophie Rosa and leader is Julian Cann.

If you are not familiar with Ingrid Stölzel’s music, it has been described as ‘tender and beautiful’ and creating a ‘haunting feeling of lyrical reflection and suspension in time and memory’.

Her inspiration for City Beautiful is a belief that the beautification of our physical surroundings promotes a sense of community.

She very much feels that music has a similar power to influence and shape a community.

The Haffner Orchestra will then perform Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto with soloist Sophie Rosa.

Sophie is currently Leader of Sinfonia Viva and appears as guest leader with many orchestras across the UK.

The story and history of Barber’s Violin Concerto reads like a soap opera—literally. Its commission came from the laundry soap manufacturer, Samuel Fels, whose son, Iso Briselli,

was an accomplished violinist.

What happened next is still shrouded in mystery (was it ‘unplayable’, ‘too modern’ or ‘too light weight’) but it is now a piece of music that has become one the most frequently

performed of all 20th Century concertos.

The evening will end with the New World Symphony by Dvorak.

The concert starts at 7.30pm at the Ashton Hall in Lancaster (pre-concert talk at 6.30pm).

Tickets adults £17, 18yrs and under free, students and benefits claimants £6, essential carers of the disabled free, are available at https://www.haffnerorchestra.org/.