Seeking to define and embody the indomitable human soul, John Storgårds leads the BBC Philharmonic in a soaring evening of uplifting orchestral music at The Bridgewater Hall on Sat 25 November.

The programme begins with Copland’s triumphantly hopeful Fanfare for the Common Man, a majestic horn arrangement born of conflict which celebrates the unshakeable optimism of ordinary people. There’s also a rare opportunity to hear not one, but two UK premieres. James Lee III’s contemplative piano concerto, Shades of Unbroken Dreams, marks the 60th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech. This famous address was delivered during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963 marking one of the most important moments in the history of the USA.

The second national debut, Helena’s Song, is taken from Sebastian Fagerlund’s eerie operatic family drama, Autumn Sonata, while Nielsen’s Fourth Symphony The Inextinguishable concludes the programme in a rousing expression of ‘the spirit of life or manifestations of life, that is: everything that moves, that wants to live … just life and motion…”.

Click here to book tickets to BBC Philharmonic: The Spirit of Life.

A Manchester Wire Partnership post
Sat 25 Nov, 7.30pm, The Bridgewater Hall,
Lower Mosley St, Manchester, M2 3WS
, Tel: 0161 907 9000, £14.50-£29
www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk
Words:
Wolf McFarlane
Published on:
Tue 17 Oct 2023