Kew Sinfonia is delighted to announce our autumn concert, marking the start of our 2025/26 season and our 40th anniversary year. This concert showcases Romantic and Classical works by three of the greatest German composers – Richard Strauss, Beethoven and Schubert.
Richard Strauss's Serenade in E-flat major is a charming, youthful piece for 13 wind instruments. Written at the age of only 17, the work displays an accomplished and mature mastery of ensemble and warm lyricism which already hints at the composer's later operatic style and sophisticated use of instrumental colours.
Kew Sinfonia’s very own Giles Kennedy features as soloist in Beethoven’s 3rd piano concerto. In contrast to the Strauss, this concerto is darkly brooding, stormy and turbulent. Described by Giles as “a profound emotional journey”, the work is reminiscent of Beethoven’s similarly powerful and dramatic 5th symphony, both written in the key of C Minor, and shows his transition from the lyrical music of his Viennese youth to the style of the more mature composer he was becoming.
Our final piece is Schubert’s Symphony No 4, composed when he was just 17. The only one of Schubert’s completed symphonies written in a minor key, he himself subtitled it “Tragic”. Serious and melancholy in nature, it displays a stormy drama and emotional intensity typical of music that bridged the transition between the classical and romantic eras, and stands as a significant work in Schubert’s formative period.
We look forward to welcoming you for this evening of youthful, dramatic music!