Dumfries and Galloway’s celebrated orchestra brings its 60 musicians to the Easterbrook Hall this month.
Solway Sinfonia’s annual full-orchestra concert will be held on Sunday, 29 November and will feature London-based mezzo-soprano Freya Jacklin, who is impressing audiences of the big opera stages with her “beautiful line and tone.”
Freya, who will be singing Berlioz’ Les Nuits d’été on the evening, has enjoyed a number of career highlights, including solos with Birmingham Opera Company in Stockhausen’s Mittwoch aus Licht directed by Graham Vick, title role in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas for Opera Up Close at the King’s Head Islington, sang on a number of film soundtracks and has performed solo twice at the Wigmore Hall.
Her opera credits include Amastris in Handel’s Xerxes for Hampstead Garden Opera, Dido/sorceress/2nd Witch in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, The Mother in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, Annio in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, Julia Bertram in Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park, Annina/Flora in Verdi’s La Traviata.
Conducted by Geoff Keating and led by violinist Susan Berker, Solway Sinfonia’s November programme includes Bizet’s L’arlesienne” Suite No. 1; Berlioz’s song cycle Les nuits d’été and Symphony in D minor by Franck.
Geoff said: “We are bringing our usual, fairly ambitious programme to the Easterbrook Hall this year.
“We have a very approachable and lively first piece which will not tax our audience too heavily.
“The highlight of the evening will be Belioz’s song cycle to which Freya will sing. Two cheerful love songs frame four which are about loss and death; all very serious but very beautiful.
“The orchestration is magnificent and the audience will be able to follow it via the full text in the programme.”
As a conductor, Geoff likes to push the boundaries of the musicians.
“My job is to challenge them with difficult music,” he said. “And the music has been quite a challenge for us but I am very pleased with the way in which the orchestra has handled it.”
The remainder of the evening is devoted to the music of César Franck.
“This is arguably the greatest French symphony of the late 19th century,” Geoff explained. “Its language, though, is Germanic, hugely influenced by Wagner, and this makes the work a fascinating hybrid.”
Solway Sinfonia is celebrating 18 years of success this year as southern Scotland’s orchestra.
Each year, it has put on a trio of concerts: the major one taking place in November, with a spring concert in March and a smaller charity concert during the Summer.
“We exist for the pleasure of playing together,” said Geoff, “and I am always amazed that we draw players, from Jedburgh to the Machars and Cumbria to Moffat, who are willing to drive the 80 or so miles for rehearsals.
“We continue to attract new players and our standards continue to rise as a result.
“We are very proud to be able to play music that we love and convey that to our audiences.”
The November concert takes place at 7.30pm. Tickets are available from the Midsteeple Box Office, High Street, Dumfries. Tel: 01387 253383 or any orchestra member.
Further details from www.solwaysinfonia.org.uk
