A Sea Symphony
Hear two great masterpieces of twentieth century music.
Performed by over 300 passionate choral and orchestral musicians, outstanding soloists including Antoinette Halloran (soprano), Simon Meadows (baritone) and dynamic conductor Andrew Wailes, widely acknowledged as one of the country’s leading symphonic choral interpreters.
Benjamin Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes will be performed alongside Ralph Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony by the Melbourne University Choral Society, Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir and Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra.
A Sea Symphony, composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams between 1903 and 1909 was that composer’s first and longest symphony, and helped set the stage for a new era of symphonic and choral music in Britain during the first half of the 20th century. The text of A Sea Symphony comes from the great American poet Walt Whitman. Vaughan Williams was attracted to Whitman’s verses for their ability to transcend both metaphysical and humanist perspectives. Vaughan Williams’ masterly handling of the massive orchestral and choral forces, the boldness, energy and stunning orchestration of A Sea Symphony vividly evokes the immensity and primal force of the sea. The work hailed the triumphant arrival of a new and powerful voice in English music.
Benjamin Britten’s orchestral tour de force Four Sea Interludes come from his operatic masterpiece Peter Grimes, about a fisherman on England’s eastern coast, a misanthropic loner who is hounded to self-destruction by the townspeople after the mysterious, but accidental, deaths of two of his apprentices. The opera’s premiere was immediately recognized as a landmark for English opera. In the opera, the Four Sea Interludes not only take the listener from one physical location to another, but also go inside the characters’ minds, which throughout the opera are full of turmoil and doubt. This relentless tragedy evoked from Britten music of overwhelming power with a score that is full of tension, surging with dramatic force and orchestral violence, but also includes passages of sublime beauty and tenderness.
Feedback/Comments
A great performance
Lovely
Wonderful performances!
Wonderful
OMG it was fabulous
A wonderful performance by all.
Pretty good!!!
An epic oceanic voyage of hauntingly beautiful voices, orchestral music and exceptional talent all round
Very enjoyable, I felt like I was at sea with the waves crashing around me!
A delightful Sunday afternoon to sit back and listen to so many talented musicians play so beautifully. They were brilliant!
THANK YOU. MASTERPIECE!
A wave of 185 choristers sang out, with 70 musicians raising and quelling the tide of the sea music. The Sea Symphony is a great work and was given a wonderf performance by the conductor, soloists and all the musicians. Bravo!
Brilliant performance
A fabulous concert and well appreciated by the all those there. What a pity there were empty seats!
Fantastic event. Thanks !
Wonderful performance by all. Thoroughly enjoyed every second!
Great show - talented musicians, extremely enjoyable.
Beautiful experience. I took a friend who said it had her in goosebumps at times and at others left her breathless.
I went along with my teenage son, his first visit and we were both delighted and entertained. We both found the Soprano Antoinette Halloran to really shine out in the performance and were amazed at the emotion and pitch of her voice, exquisite.
Amazing to see so many people on stage, all combining their talents and skill for a great performance!
Good to see such a large number masterful young performers!
A wonderful performance by both choir, orchestra and soloists with great conducting by Andrew Wailes! A mammoth task for all performers of this rarely performed work! Big congratulations to you all!
Wow! Fabulous evening... My mother and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Very talented Orchestra backed by 300 incredible voices!
A massive undertaking, masterfully executed. The power of 300 performers on stage together is certainly not your average experience and the soloists were also impressive. Thanks OTH
Enjoyable overall
Definitely for the music lover
The soloists were mechanical and totally devoid of emotion for most of the performance. They thawed out almost at the end possibly because it was almost the end. The chorus was great and the orchestra was very good. Over all it was a pleasant outing.
I agree with the other member comments - just beautiful.. sublime!!!
one word - sublime. thank you.
How can so many musicians, singers play in unison as one instrument? They don't shout, they confidently play their parts. An overwhelming number of performers on stage who produced complete, wholesome sounds throughout the night. I just floated away.
A brilliant performance, the choir and the orchestra were stunning and the music was captivating. Thank you On The House for the tickets!
Fabulous! A wonderful afternoon of entertainment.
Overwhelming
I enjoyed it. It was a 90-minute show without interval. There were some 50+ musicians playing mostly stringed instruments. There was about 150-strong choir and two vocal musicians. The vocalists were quite impressive.
Beautiful and sublime. Beyond words!
The orchestra and the choir were great
Very enjoyable
I had a friend in this performance which allowed me to gain insight into the ideas in it. I thought the performance itself was moving and was well suited for the space.