‘Fate knocks at the door’ for orchestra

The London Philharmonic Orchestra concludes its 2012/13 season at Brighton Dome with a concert of enduring favourites on Saturday, March 16.

The concert opens with Beethoven’s infamous Symphony No. 5, with its instantly recognisable four-note ‘fate’ motif, meant to symbolise fate knocking on the door.

Following is Schumann’s sweeping Cello Concerto, written during a moment of relative calm in the composer’s life.

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The concert ends with Edward Elgar’s rousing Enigma Variations, one of the most important pieces of British orchestral music. The Variations are said to each represent one of Elgar’s friends, including his wife, editor and the composer himself – each variation taking on a characteristic of the person depicted, from a stutter to a more general feeling of energy.

As spokeswoman Libby Northcote-Green says: “The Enigma lies not in who is represented in each variation, but rather in a hidden theme which has kept critics and musicologists guessing, and which Elgar took to his grave.

“The Orchestra is led by award-winning conductor David Parry, who has conducted at opera companies including the English National Opera and Glyndebourne Festival Opera, as well as conducting all the major British orchestras, including the Philharmonia, Royal Philhamonic and Hallé orchestras.

“Rising star Narek Hakhnazaryan takes to the stage to perform Schumann’s Cello Concerto in what will be an exciting debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.”

Tickets 01273 709709 or brightondome.org.

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