This concert will also feature the first performance of a piece devised by the pupils of Thaxted Primary School as part of our 2023 education project, arranged by our composer-in-residence Noah Max. We are grateful to Essex Community Foundation, and also Yardleys and Hunts Charities, for financial support for this project.

The string section from our orchestra in residence, the London Mozart Players, returns to Thaxted to delight us with a programme of well-loved favourites for string orchestra, including Vaughan Williams’ ethereal work inspired by a poem of the same name by George Meredith, which tells the tale of a skylark singing an impossibly beautiful, almost heavenly, song.

Starburst, by the contemporary American female composer Jessie Montgomery, was written in 2012. The composer describes it: ‘This brief one-movement work for string orchestra is a play on imagery of rapidly changing colors. Exploding gestures are juxtaposed with gentle fleeting melodies in an attempt to create a multi-dimensional soundscape.’ Written for the Sphynx Virtuosi, a professional touring group of young African-American string players in the Detroit area, the piece sits well with the LMP, with their long tradition of promoting young talent.

Britten’s tuneful and upbeat Simple Symphony was written when he was a young teenager, and continues to delight. Grieg’s Holberg Suite of 1884 looks back to the dance forms of the previous century for its inspiration, while Tchaikovsky’s sumptuous Serenade for Strings is a perennial favourite among concert-goers and on the airwaves.

‘LMP possess an unfailing professionalism, artistry, and commitment to music.’ John Suchet

‘Polished and meticulous playing from the London Mozart Players… every note a rediscovered treasure.’ Oxford Times

This concert is produced in association with Orchestras Live.

Tickets: £36, £28, £20, £14
£10 special offer: best available seats for those aged 30 and under.