International Concert Series 2024/25
William T Horton’s fantastic image The Path to the Moon immediately inspired a flurry of ideas for this evening's programme, including works on the subjects of both night and the moon, as well as pieces which invoke the exploratory nature of humankind’s voyage to the moon. Britten wrote his Sonata for Cello and Piano only two years after the first object made by humans had touched the surface of the moon, in 1959. Humans throughout history and from all cultures have been drawn to and taken inspiration from the moon and we have tried to reflect this in our eclectic choice of repertoire: from Tōru Takemitsu to Nina Simone and from Lili Boulanger to Florence Price. As we hope you will hear in this concert, Walker’s Cello Sonata rings with echoes of the sound-worlds of blues and jazz and is infused with a beautiful lyricism.
We welcome one of the leading cellists of her generation, Laura van der Heijden, and pianist Jâms Coleman for this evening of specially curated music for cello and piano.
George Walker (1922-2018): Cello Sonata
Lili Boulanger (1893-1913): Reflets
Howard Skempton (b 1947): Night Song
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): Sonata in C for cello and piano, Op 65
Hale Smith (1925-2009): 'March Moon' from Beyond the Rim of Day
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924): Claire de Lune, Op 46 No 2
Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Cello Sonata in D minor, L 135
Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957): 'Stönste Nacht' from Die stumme Serenade, Op 36
Tōru Takemitsu (1930-1996): Will Tomorrow, I Wonder, Be Cloudy or Clear?
Nina Simone (1933-2003): Everyone's Gone to the Moon
Advanced booking is essential.
Tickets: £12.50, £10 (concession over 60s); £5 for Royal Holloway alumni and non-Royal Holloway students; FREE for Royal Holloway students, Royal Holloway staff and children under the age of 16. Season tickets apply to this event.
