Concert: "In a Landscape" (Orchestra of the Swan) - Hellens Manor

Contemplative musical landscapes from France and North America form an intriguing homage to Debussy with music for string quintet, flute, clarinet, harp and piano.

Two of the most well-known works for harp – Debussy’s Danse Sacre at Profane and Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro – form the backbone for this concert.

John Adams’s China Gates and Steve Reich’s Duet reveal a more complex and carefully structured aspect of American Minimalism, whilst John Cage’s In a Landscape hints at ‘Debussyian’ lushness and Javanese textures.

The spirit of Debussy is once again evoked in William Grant Still’s Summerland, a dreamy elegy to a past summer. Erik Satie’s sparse and eccentric style is encapsulated in his first Gnossienne and of course the famous Gynopedie No. 1, echoes of which are present in the cinematic style of French composer and pop musician Yann Tiersen – represented here with Comptine d’un autre été, l’après midi from the soundtrack to the film Amelie.

English composer Kenneth Hesketh’s astonishingly detailed and ingenious arrangements of Debussy’s Two Arabesques are the perfect accompaniment to Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro, a virtuoso showcase for the chromatic harp and a portrait of a composer at the height of his powers.

The enormously influential Jean-Philippe Rameau’s music is presented here in a new arrangement by pianist and composer David Gordon. This Triptych, comprised of music from his operas, is brimming with delightful surprises, gorgeous melodies, and ferocious fiddling.