RNCM Wind Orchestra with Steven Mead (euphonium) at RNCM

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Mikhail Nemtsov is unable to perform Luis Serrano Alarcon’s Cello Concerto as previously advertised. The RNCM are grateful to soloist Steven Mead for stepping in at short notice to perform Joseph Horovitz’s Euphonium Concerto.

The RNCM’s eclectic Spring Season continues with a concert featuring Steven Mead, who joins RNCM students for an exhilarating programme of contemporary works for euphonium and wind orchestra.

This evening features two works by Anna Thorvaldsdottir, a composer whose music calls to mind the mighty natural forces of her native Iceland. Described by the New York Times as possessing a “seemingly boundless textural imagination”, Thorvaldsdottir is regarded as one of the most interesting musical voices to emerge from the Nordic country since Sigur Rós or Björk (who, naturally, is a fan). Into – Second Self and Sequences are two shining examples of the composer’s esoteric and beguiling writing style, and they’ll get us in the mood for a more in-depth focus on Thorvaldsdottir’s music at the College in May.

Kenneth Hesketh’s Diaghilev Dances, meanwhile, is a fitting tribute to the great Russian impresario and his musical legend. After a glowing impressionistic Introduction, its succession of Ent’ractes and Dances weaves an enchanting spell, the allusions to Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé and Stravinsky’s The Firebird brilliantly orchestrated, as befits a pupil of Henri Dutilleux. We also look forward to Nelson Jesus’ folk-tinged rhapsodic suite, Porto de Saudades, dedicated to the city of Porto, and Luis Serrano Alarcon’s Cello Concerto, a beautifully lyrical work in which the wind orchestra is as important as the soloist.

This concert will not only be a showcase of Steven Mead’s instrumental prowess, but also of the incredible talent being nurtured at the College.

RNCM Wind Orchestra with Steven Mead (euphonium) at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester.