Lamb & Hayward Curator's: Richter, Britten, Shostakovich

Benjamin Northey – Chief Conductor
Jordan Fonoti-Fuimaono – Tenor
Emma Eden – Horn

Max Richter – On the Nature of Daylight
Britten – Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings Op. 31
Shostakovich – Chamber Symphony in C minor Op. 110a

This unique programme pulls together three works written by composers working under the shadow of three different wars.

Max Richter’s heartbreakingly beautiful On the Nature of Daylight features our string section in a poignant, minimalist work that has been used on numerous soundtracks in film and television, where music expresses what words cannot. It features on Richter’s 2004 album The Blue Notebooks, which he describes as “a protest piece that magnifies that feeling of hopelessness,” set against the backdrop of the Iraq War.

Benjamin Britten wrote his Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings during World War Two, setting a selection of English poems to music, including works by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, William Blake, and William Shakespeare. Night, nature and introspection are all explored. We welcome our Principal Horn Emma Eden, and up-and-coming Aotearoa tenor Jordan Fonoti Fuimaono to our string section for this work.

The compelling Chamber Symphony of Shostakovich features a dedication in the manuscript from the composer: “in memory of the victims of fascism and war.” Originally presented as a string quartet, this full string orchestra version brings a full palette of emotion to the forefront, from intense darkness through to Shostakovich’s trademark satire and wit.