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Tuesday 15th June7pm
Evening Concert, Ian Farrington, Elgar’s 2nd Symphony transcribed for piano
Iain Farrington, piano: A Transcription of Elgar's 2nd Symphony
One of the first opportunities to hear Elgar’s 2nd Symphony op. 63 in E Flat Major, transcribed for piano by Iain Farrington. Described by Elgar himself as "the passionate pilgrimage of the soul" this work was first premiered in 1911 in honour of the late King Edward VII. Elgar linked the third movement, a rondo, to a work of Alfred Lord Tennyson and intended it to represent “the madness that attends the excess or abuse of passion.” Elgar connected the work as a whole to a poem entitled 'Song' by Percy Bysshe Shelley and to his visits to both Venice and Tintagel (Cornwall).
Enthusiasts have compared the work to Brahms' Third Symphony and his Requiem; others hear links to Wagner. The last movement is truly quintessentially Elgar. At its 1911 London premiere the symphony did not receive its proper due, but in 1924 it was warmly praised by The Times as noble and beautiful funeral music. We now have the opportunity to appreciate this work by Worcestershire's native son.
There will be no interval.
Tickets: £15.00
Venue: St. Michael and all Angels Church
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Iain Farrington, piano: A Transcription of Elgar's 2nd Symphony
One of the first opportunities to hear Elgar’s 2nd Symphony op. 63 in E Flat Major, transcribed for piano by Iain Farrington. Described by Elgar himself as "the passionate pilgrimage of the soul" this work was first premiered in 1911 in honour of the late King Edward VII. Elgar linked the third movement, a rondo, to a work of Alfred Lord Tennyson and intended it to represent “the madness that attends the excess or abuse of passion.” Elgar connected the work as a whole to a poem entitled 'Song' by Percy Bysshe Shelley and to his visits to both Venice and Tintagel (Cornwall).
Enthusiasts have compared the work to Brahms' Third Symphony and his Requiem; others hear links to Wagner. The last movement is truly quintessentially Elgar. At its 1911 London premiere the symphony did not receive its proper due, but in 1924 it was warmly praised by The Times as noble and beautiful funeral music. We now have the opportunity to appreciate this work by Worcestershire's native son.
Iain Farrington
Iain Farrington has an exceptionally busy and diverse career as an organist, pianist, composer and arranger. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music, London and at Cambridge University. He has also participated in masterclasses with Malcolm Martineau at the Britten-Pears School in Aldeburgh.
As a pianist, Iain has performed at the Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Purcell Room, the Royal Opera House, St David's Hall, Cardiff, and in Japan, South Africa, and Jordan. He works with many of the country's leading singers and conductors, including Bryn Terfel, Lesley Garrett, John Mark Ainsley, the Royal Ballet, Sir Simon Rattle and Sir Colin Davis. In 2001, he won the Megan Foster Accompanist Prize in the Maggie Teyte Competition. Iain is the accompanist for the London Philharmonic Choir, working regularly with Kurt Masur and Mark Elder. He regularly gives solo piano recitals all across the UK, with his repertoire embracing contemporary, British and light music. His own Farrington Ensemble has performed in festivals in Windsor, Banstead and Halifax.
As an organist, Iain regularly gives recitals and concert performances around the world. He has given solo recitals in Reykjavik Iceland, the Bridgewater Hall Manchester, Birmingham Town Hall, Westminster, Peterborough and Gloucester Cathedrals and has accompanied choirs in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Latvia, Sweden, France, Hungary, the Czech Republic, St Paul's Cathedral and Birmingham Symphony Hall. He performed two solo works in the BBC Proms 2007 in the Royal Albert Hall, which the Independent described: “under his hands the Royal Albert Hall instrument was a family-size box of sonic tricks…This was his Proms debut, and an exciting one. He's an authentic star, and deserves to have a Prom all to himself.” He regularly broadcasts on BBC Radio Three with the BBC Singers. He was Organ Scholar at St John's College, Cambridge University, and with the College Choir he toured extensively and recorded four CD's on the Naxos and Nimbus labels. He was previously Organ Scholar at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle where he played for numerous Royal occasions.
As a creative musician, Iain is a prolific composer and arranger. He has arranged and performed over one hundred diverse works, from Mozart to Gershwin. His solo piano arrangement of Elgar/Payne Symphony No.3 is published by Boosey and Hawkes, and his transcription of Elgar’s Piano Improvisations are published by Novello. He has an extensive catalogue of arrangements from solo piano to a chamber orchestral version of Dvorak's opera Rusalka. As a composer, Iain has written works for piano, organ, chorus and ensembles. His organ suite Fiesta! has been performed in the USA, New Zealand, Sweden, France, Germany, in cathedrals across the UK, and recorded on the Hyperion label. Iain's website is www.iainfarrington.com.
