Britten's Serenade

Following its sold-out Beethoven concert in May, the orchestra will now take audiences on a journey through the complex and beautiful works of Benjamin Britten and Dimitri Shostakovich.

The concert comes to Wyong direct from its opening at Sydney City Recital Hall, with The Art House the only other venue to host it, delivering an exclusive offering to classical music lovers on the Central Coast.

One of the most influential British composers of last century, Britten's music is lyrical, heartfelt, and highly charged.

With an extensive repertoire of film, opera and choral music, Britten is perhaps most celebrated for his chamber music, with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra set to take on two of these remarkable works, Prelude and Fugue for 18 Solo Strings and Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings.

Like Britten, Shostakovich is one of the most significant composers of the 20th century, revered for his chamber music.

The orchestra will perform his Tenth String Quartet, transcribed by Rudolf Barshai.

This immensely personal and powerful composition will combine the directness of the quartet with the richness of a larger ensemble and is revered for capturing the soulfulness of the Russian's lyrical string quartet.

Concertmaster Andrew Haveron helms the production and in a rare treat the orchestra will be joined by Principal Horn of the Berlin Philharmonic Stefan Dohr and internationally acclaimed Australian tenor Andrew Goodwin.

Together they will reveal Britten's compelling genius.

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra is Australia's flagship orchestra and performs up to 150 concerts a year to a combined annual audience of more than 350,000.

This year also marks 85 years of regional touring by the orchestra.

PROGRAM

Benjamin BRITTEN Prelude and Fugue for 18 Solo Strings, Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings
Dimitri SHOSTAKOVICH arr. BARSHAI Chamber Symphony (after the String Quartet No.10).