Ripon’s St Cecilia Orchestra opens its 2023/24 season on Saturday (November 11) with a programme, featuring the work of three major composers.
Beginning with Grieg’s ever-popular Holberg Suite and culminating in Tchaikovsky’s virtuosic tour-de-force for strings: Souvenir de Florence, the concert at Holy Trinity Church will also include Benjamin Britten’s atmospheric song cycle exploring the calm and sinister aspects of night: Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings.
The Holberg Suite harks back to the music of the 1700s but with a distinctly Romantic twist. It is one of most readily recognisable pieces of the string orchestra repertoire, with its rhythmic and driving opening Prelude, lyrical Sarabande and boisterous Rigaudon (featuring sparkling solos from the first violin and viola).
Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings was composed for his partner, Peter Pears and horn player Dennis Brain, who premiered the work together in 1943.
The 6 sung movements draw on poetry from across the ages, from an anonymous writer in the 1400s through to Blake, Keats and Tennyson, framed at the opening and close by two movements played by the horn alone.
St Cecilia Orchestra will accompany soloist performances from Yorkshire tenor, Nicholas Watts, known to local audiences for his work with Opera North and French horn player, Catherine Hewitt, who enjoys a busy freelance career across the north of England.
After the interval the orchestra will perform Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence. Originally composed for string sextet, but often played by full string orchestra, this is a hugely challenging work, which reflects the composer’s delight in writing for string instruments.
A real virtuosic tour-de-force, promises to send the audience away musically fulfilled and uplifted
Tickets for the concert priced at £20 for adults and free for under 18s can be obtained online from Ticket Source (www.ticketsource.co.uk/st-cecilia), They can also be purchased in person from Harrogate Theatre and the Little Ripon Bookshop, or can be bought on the door from 7pm on Saturday.
The choice of music signals a busy Saturday evening for the string section of the orchestra (pictured above) Picture: St Cecelia Orchestra
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Harrogate Town to kick-off season with Yorkshire derby
Harrogate Town will begin the 2023/24 English Football League Division Two season with a Yorkshire derby at Doncaster Rovers on August 5.
Town, who today announced Motherwell midfielder Dean Cornelius, 22, as their sixth summer signing, will then entertain Forest Green Rovers in the first home league fixture of the season on August 12.
Today’s fixture list also revealed the other all-Yorkshire clashes will see Simon Weaver’s men visit Bradford City on Saturday, September 16, before Doncaster Rovers visit the EnviroVent Stadium on Saturday, January 6. The home fixture against Bradford City is scheduled for March 23.
Wrexham, co-owned by Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds, are due in town in November 28 — a Tuesday night.
Christmas in Grimsby
The festive fixture list starts with a trip to Grimsby on Saturday, December 23, before a home match against Accrington Stanley on Boxing Day.
Three days later Harrogate, who finished 19th last season, host Tranmere Rovers, before a New Year’s Day trip to face Morecambe.
Today’s new signing Dean Cornelius
Good Friday sees the side travel to AFC Wimbledon, before an Easter Monday home clash with Gillingham.
The final home fixture of the season takes place on Saturday, April 20 when MK Dons visit Harrogate for the first time.
The final away fixture is at Salford City on Saturday, April 27.
Town’s 2023/24 EFL Trophy Group has also been confirmed, with the club drawn in Group C along with Carlisle United, Accrington Stanley and Nottingham Forest under-21s.
The draw for the first round of the Carabao Cup was also made, with Town set to host Carlisle the week commencing August 7.
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Harrogate Town set for Christmas cracker against Bradford
Harrogate Town will travel to Bradford for a Christmas Yorkshire derby.
Today’s fixture list revealed that Town will start with a home match against Swindon Town on August 30.
They will also end the season with a home game, against Rochdale on May 6.
But most Harrogate fans will have looked first for the matches against Yorkshire rivals Bradford City, against whom Town did the double last season.
Valley Parade holds up to 25,000 fans.
Simon Weaver’s men will entertain the Bantams on October 1. The return fixture will take place at Valley Parade on December 29, when a bumper festive crowd is likely.
The two teams played twice in 16 days last season. After defeating Bradford 2-0 at the EnviroVent Stadium, Harrogate then came from behind to win 3-1 in a thrilling encounter in Bradford.
Former Manchester United striker Mark Hughes was named as Bradford’s new manager shortly after that game.
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The only other Yorkshire team in League Two of the English Football League is relegated Doncaster Rovers.
Town will travel to the Eco-Power Stadium on December 17 then Doncaster will come to Harrogate on April 15.
The dates of fixtures are liable to change.