Open Spaces - The Ulster Orchestra conducted by Jamie Phillips with Claire Hammond (piano).

A rare outing for the chamber arrangement of Copland’s Appalachian Spring presents a very different character and quality to this well-known work – all the vast space of the American Mid-West is still present, but this version also conveys the loneliness of being a frontier settler.
 
The UO are delighted to present the World Première of CMC Composer Piers Hellawell’s Rapprochement, a Concerto written for soloist Clare Hammond. Clare will also perform Orpheus by Samy Moussa and the two pieces form a complementary pair.

The concert closes with more open space, but this time with a distinctly English feel in Vaughan Williams’s Fifth Symphony. Written at the start of World War II, it seems to seek to remind people of the power of peace at a time of war and offers space for serene contemplation amidst the hustle and bustle of life.

Programme

Copland - Appalachian Spring
Piers Hellawell - Rapprochement (world première, UO co-commission)
Samy Moussa - Orpheus
Vaughan Williams - Symphony No. 5