Bedfordshire Orchestral Society

Beethoven & Sibelius
2027-02-27 19:30 - 21:30 UTC | Bedford Corn Exchange, Corn Exchange, 13 St Paul's Square, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 1SL, United Kingdom
This is it, folks! Bedfordshire Symphony Orchestra takes on one of the most defining pieces of the classical music canon – the almighty ‘Beethoven’s Fifth’!
But before that, we first turn to Finland for Sibelius’ ‘Karelia Suite’, a homage to the titular region’s landscape and Finland’s national pride. These depictions of nature continue in Beethoven’s sixth symphony, nicknamed the ‘Pastoral’ due to it musically representing, in part, birdsong, a babbling brook, and even a thunderstorm.
But perhaps the true thunder exists within Beethoven’s most famous symphony, and within the first four notes that define it. Though the word is, these days, perhaps a little overused, Beethoven’s Fifth is truly iconic, having inspired countless musicians from multiple genres – it was even adapted into the disco instrumental ‘A Fifth of Beethoven’ in 1976 by Walter Murphy.
As we enter the second half of our 60th Anniversary Beethoven Symphonic Cycle, we’re also replicating how the fifth and sixth symphonies were premiered – in exactly the same concert!
Programme:

Sibelius: Karelia Suite
Beethoven: Symphony No.6 ‘Pastoral’
Beethoven: Symphony No.5

Conductor: Bjorn Bantock

Beethoven & Cimarosa
2027-05-08 19:30 - 21:30 | St Paul’s Church, St Paul's Square, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 1SQ, United Kingdom
The penultimate concert in our 60th Anniversary Season sees Bedford Sinfonia tackle a smorgasbord of scintillating song!
Our ‘overture’ to the concert is, in itself, an overture – to Beethoven’s composition for Heinrich Joseph von Collin’s 1804 tragedy Coriolan.
Beethoven’s eighth symphony is next, and is the shortest of the nine, with the composer himself calling it his ‘little Symphony in F.’
A work by Cimarosa – his overture to Il Matrimonio Segreto – is next, and continues the light and playful themes established by Beethoven’s eighth.
We end with Beethoven’s seventh symphony, which, like his third, is apparently another musical dig at Napoleon. It proved so popular upon premiere that the audience demanded an encore of its second movement, ‘Allegretto.’
We hope to see you there!
Programme:

Beethoven: Overture to Coriolan
Beethoven: Symphony No.8
Cimarosa: Overture to Il Matrimonio Segreto
Beethoven: Symphony No.7

Conductor: Ian Smith

Beethoven: Symphony No.9 'Choral'
2027-05-22 19:30 - 21:30 | Bedford Corn Exchange, Corn Exchange, 13 St Paul's Square, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 1SL, United Kingdom
What better way to commemorate our 60th Anniversary celebrations than with a truly astounding concert featuring two pieces of power and pomp!
Shostakovich’s grandiose and triumphant ‘Festive Overture’ leads the way, a celebratory piece commissioned for the 37th anniversary of the October Revolution.
2027 marks the 200th anniversary of the death of the composer around whom this whole season is structured – Ludwig van Beethoven. We thus see the season off in spectacular fashion with his ninth symphony. Regarded along with the fifth as a masterpiece of the classical genre, it contains many treasures – among them the 4th movement, more commonly known as the bombastic ‘Ode to Joy’. We are incredibly grateful to be joined in this by our friends in Bedford Choral Society.
So join us for our very own ‘Ode to Joy’ as we commemorate the Bedfordshire Orchestral Society’s 60th Anniversary, and the 200th anniversary of the death of a truly monumental composer. We hope to see you there!
Programme:

Shostakovich: Festive Overture
Beethoven: Symphony No.9 ‘Choral’

Conductor: Bjorn Bantock
Featuring Bedford Choral Society
