Musical journey with Chichester Symphony Orchestra
Chichester Symphony Orchestra promise a musical journey from the very tip of South America to Leipzig in Germany for their Festival of Chichester concert this year – a concert which will remember former orchestra member Mary Hartley.
It takes place at St Paul's Church, Churchside, Chichester, PO19 6FT on July 11 at 19:30, with tickets available on https://chichesterso.co.uk/.
Orchestra chairman Greg Slay said: “Mary left a legacy to the orchestra of £3,000 which was unexpected and came with no instructions and no requirements as to how to use it.
“She had been a member of the orchestra. She grew up immersed in music. She came from a big musical family. She was a cellist and a pianist in her own right and she was also playing the double bass. The family moved to Chidham in 1970 until she died in August 2023. I think she joined the orchestra in the 1970s but I didn't know her. She had not been a member recently at all but actually she joined with her mother and her mother played the flute, and her mother was also in Chidham. I know this because I spoke to Mary’s son and daughter. They were in their early years at the Prebendal when their mother joined the orchestra.”
As for the legacy, the orchestra decided to use it to employ three concerto soloists and to make sure that there was a concerto in their summer concert each year.
The legacy is therefore paying for Aglaia Carvalho-Dubost this year who will be the soloist in the middle work in the concert, a performance of the Cello Concerto by Edward Elgar. The concerto was composed in the aftermath of World War One while Elgar and his wife were staying at Brinkwells, their country cottage in Fittleworth.
Aglaia is at the start of her professional career but has already performed at London’s Barbican, the Royal Albert Hall and Wigmore Hall.
The night will also feature a piece by the orchestra’s conductor Simon Wilkins.
“Simon has conducted Chichester Symphony Orchestra since 2018. He is also an accomplished cellist, music teacher and composer. He invites us to join with him on a musical journey to the very tip of South America and the landscapes of the Tierra del Fuego – literally the land of fire. For this composition, Simon took Latin rhythms and film music as his inspiration. Originally composed some years ago, it has now been revised and updated for 2026.”
As Greg says, this is the first time that Chichester Symphony Orchestra will have performed one of Simon's works: “I have not heard it in rehearsal but I understand that it uses all the forces of the Schumann that we are also playing and also an extended percussion section. Simon is very excited to be doing this now.”
As for the Schumann: “From there we head to Leipzig in Germany where Robert Schumann’s Symphony No 1 was first performed in March 1841, some six months after Schumann had finally managed to marry his childhood sweetheart, Clara Wieck. It was to be a fruitful partnership, even though Clara’s father was bitterly opposed to the marriage. This symphony by Schumann will be the major work in the second half of our concert.”