PRE-CONCERT TALK
“A glory that shines upon our tears”: music and art in the First World War
ANDREW NEILL
DRINKS RECEPTION
for EMF Friends and Vice-Presidents
PARRY: Jerusalem
BOUGHTON: Overure to Troilus and Cressida
WORLD PREMIÈRE PERFORMANCE
MOERAN: Violin Concerto
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Burley Heath
WORLD PREMIÈRE PERFORMANCE
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Harnham Down
WORLD PREMIÈRE PERFORMANCE
BAX: Variations for Orchestra
WORLD PREMIÈRE PERFORMANCE
BBC CONCERT ORCHESTRA
MARTIN YATES | conductor
RUPERT MARSHALL-LUCK | violin
COOKE: Cormorant Crag
COOKE: High Marley Rest
COOKE: Whispering Willows
BRIDGE: Sonata
ROSENTHAL: Three Irish Pastels
COOKE: Gothic Prelude
FARRAR: Miniature Suite
COOKE: Reef’s End
GURNEY: Five Western Watercolours
ROSENTHAL: Variations on the Nursery-Rhyme Hush-a-bye, Baby
DUNCAN HONEYBOURNE | piano
“A LIFE ON THE OCEAN WAVE”: SONGS BY CHARLES DIBDEN
Programme to include:
The Bells of Aberdovey; The Lass that loves a Sailor; Peggy Perkins; Tom Bowling
ALEX KNOX | baritone
TOM HIGGINS | piano
RICHARD FAWKES | narrator
PRE-CONCERT TALK
Exploring Norman O’Neill
STEPHEN LLOYD
KATHERINE HUDSON
ELGAR: Give unto the Lord
O’NEILL: Pastorale
BUTTERWORTH: Loveliest of Trees
BUTTERWORTH: The lads in their hundreds
BUTTERWORTH: Is my team ploughing?
GURNEY: Since I believe
COLES: Behind the lines
PARRY: My soul, there is a country
HOLST: How mighty are the Sabbaths
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Five Variants on Dives and Lazarus
FINZI: Requiem da Camera
CITY OF LONDON CHOIR
THE HOLST ORCHESTRA
HILARY DAVAN WETTON | conductor
MUSIC FOR STAGE AND SCREEN
PAUL GUINERY | piano
BAX: Sonata movement in F major
WORLD PREMIÈRE PERFORMANCE
BAX: Romance
HOWELLS: Clarinet Sonata
IRELAND: Fantasy Sonata
HOWELLS: A Near Minuet
ARMSTRONG GIBBS: Three Pieces for Clarinet and Piano
HOLBROOKE: Cyrene and Butterfly of the Ballet (from Mezzotints)
ROBERT PLANE | clarinet
SOPHIA RAHMAN | piano
EMF LUNCH
Wine and non-alcoholic drink included
PICKARD: String Quartet no.5
ELGAR: Salut d’Amour
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: String Quartet no.1 in G minor
BRODOWSKI QUARTET
PRE-CONCERT TALK
Armstrong Gibbs: a countryman born and bred
ANGELA ARIES
LEWIS FOREMAN
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Toccata Marziale
ARNOLD: English Dances (Set 1)
ARMSTRONG GIBBS: Dusk
COATES: London Suite
RICHARDS: Doyen
BLISS: Things to Come
VIVIAN ELLIS: Coronation Scot
WALTON: Battle of Britain
BBC ELSTREE CONCERT BAND
“KEEP THE HOME FIRES BURNING”
To include music by:
NOËL COWARD; HUBERT GREGG; SANDY WILSON; FLANAGAN & ALLAN; and many others
NEW FOXTROT SERENADERS
A SOLDIER’S TALE
SOMERVELL: Loveliest of Trees
BUTTERWORTH: The lads in their hundreds
SOMERVELL: White in the moon the long road lies
BUTTERWORTH: On the idle hill of summer
SOMERVELL: Into my heart an air that kills
IRELAND: The Soldier
ARMSTRONG GIBBS: Old wine in new bottles
BRIDGE: Where she lies asleep
GURNEY: In Flanders Fields
BRITTEN: Bugles sang
FINZI: Channel Firing
HOWELLS: Where there is peace
ORR: Soldiers from the wars returning
CHRISTOPHER FOSTER | bass-baritone
AUDREY HYLAND | piano
HOWELLS: Rhapsodic Quintet
ALWYN: String Trio
IRELAND: Trio no.2
O’NEILL: Piano Trio
BLISS: Clarinet Quintet
RUBBRA: Piano Trio in one movement, op.68
GOLDFIELD ENSEMBLE
PRE-CONCERT TALK
Things to Come
DR WILLIAM SNEDDEN
RAWSTHORNE: Light music for Strings
BAINTON: Pavan, Idyll and Bacchanal
LLOYD WEBBER: Waltz in E minor
ARMSTRONG GIBBS: Suite for Strings
DYSON: Concerto da Camera for string orchestra
DELIUS: Air and Dance
BLISS: Music for Strings
ORCHESTRA OF ST PAUL’S
BEN PALMER | conductor
We are delighted to announce the programme for the 2025 English Music Festival, which can be viewed in full on this page. This year, all our events will once again be held in Dorchester-on-Thames, with the concerts taking place in the glorious surroundings of Dorchester Abbey and the talks in the historic Village Hall. EMF Friends’ booking will open on 1 March, general booking opening two weeks later, on 15 March.
We have recently introduced a new tier to our Friends’ Scheme for Corporate Friends — so, if you own, or help to run, a company or a similar organisation, and would like to enjoy the special benefits that this tier offers, please do consider joining at this level. For more details about our Friends’ Scheme, please follow this link for a description of the tiers and their benefits, together with information about how to join.