About

Spring Sounds International
Music Festival

This Green and Pleasant Land

18 May, 2nd June & 15 June 2012
Civic hall, Stratford-upon-Avon

“An excellent orchestra and conductor”
BBC Music Magazine

“You won’t hear much better than this anywhere”
Classic FM Magazine

“Curtis’s conducting, if close to Boult’s, is more intimate, and slightly more perceptive”
American Record Guide

This season Orchestra of the Swan has been celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Frederik Delius (1862-1935), and the 50th anniversary of the death of John Ireland (1879-1962). Their work has been featured in our core series concerts in Stratford, Birmingham and Cadogan Hall, London.

I have been a champion of Ireland’s work since OOTS made its highly successful recording of the Piano Concerto with Mark Bebbington in 2009, and there can be no finer advocate of Delius’ sonorous Cello Concerto than Julian Lloyd Webber. Julian and I have already performed the Delius concerto this season and we are both greatly looking forward to sharing this magical music with you.

Spring Sounds provides a platform for new music too. This year we feature 3 composers with a fascinating lineage; John McCabe, Robert Saxton and Deborah Pritchard. Robert is a former pupil of John and Deborah in turn studied with Robert at Oxford University. John McCabe also acknowledges Tippett’s influence on his own work, so with Byrd’s influence on Tippett we have a musical line running from the 16th to the 21st century. Our final concert promises to be a fascinating voyage through 500 years of music.

Spring Sounds 2012 brings you world class soloists, world premiéres and of course, Orchestra of the Swan.

We look forward to discovering and sharing great music with you.

David Curtis
Artistic Director

Download the Spring Sounds 2012 brochure

Click here to see full information about all the concerts including Box Office and Ticket details