St Mary’s Church, Hay-on-Wye HR3 5EB. Doors open at 2.30pm. Refreshments.
Tickets: £20 (under 25s £10). Weekend Saver: £110.
‘Music that brings joy’
The young players of Sinfonia Cymru are becoming well known to Hay audiences. Mendelssohn’s Octet was chosen because it is bursting with youthful joy that matches their performances. Ollie Mustonen is not well known in the UK but his Nonet 2 is as joyful as the Mendelssohn in its own, accessible way. This is Sinfonia Cymru’s Chamber Music ‘Supersized’ - Octet, Nonet, Dectet and bigger! Their leader, Haim Choi, steps into the spotlight to direct a thrilling programme bursting with joy, spontaneity and electric energy. At the heart of the concert is Mendelssohn’s iconic Octet, a firecracker of youthful imagination, shaped and performed with Haim’s trademark vibrancy. Alongside it sits Louise Farrenc’s Nonet, an elegant and powerful composition long overdue for time in the spotlight. The programme also features Françaix’s Dectet and Mustonen’s Nonet, each playfully blending the modern with the nostalgic, like musical postcards from another time. There is also a special treat: a brand-new arrangement by David John Roche of Lili Boulanger’s D’un matin de printemps for fourteen musicians, a shimmering celebration of spring. David says: “It’s a real privilege to be working with Sinfonia Cymru’s fantastic musicians, and with this amazing piece of music. You’ll hear it in a way it’s never been heard before. We’ve taken this chamber music and exploded it with a larger ensemble and with different instrumentation. It’s exciting and it’s gorgeous. I hope you’ll love it as much as we do!”
Programme
Felix Mendelssohn: Octet
Ollie Mustonen: Nonet 2
Jean Francaix: Dixtuor - movements 3 and 4
Lili Boulanger arr. David John Roche: D’un matin de Printemps (a new arrangement for strings nonet and wind quintet)
If you’ve experienced Sinfonia Cymru’s live concerts in the past, you’ll know that this dynamic and spirited Welsh orchestra is fun, and they like to do things differently! The orchestra is home to some of the best under 30’s musicians in the UK today, and their mission is to make high quality orchestral concerts accessible to everyone in Wales and beyond.
Its leader, Haim Choi, has mesmerised audiences across Wales. Raised in South Korea, Haim is a well known and respected violinist having studied at the famous Yeudhi Menhuin School and the Royal College of Music. She was awarded UNESCO’s Cultural Ambassador for Korea, won the prestigious Tagore Gold Medal in 2022 and has performed in amazing spaces including Buckingham Palace.
Welsh composer David John Roche hails from Tredegar in Wales. His music is direct, determined - and loud. Strongly influenced by heavy metal, lush orchestral music and his working-class Welsh background, he has been marked out as a “clear-minded and class-conscious artist” (Culture Matters) and “one of the most energetic, driven and successful of Wales’s millennial generation of composers” (Tŷ Cerdd). He has been nominated for over 50 academic and professional awards and his compositions have been broadcast, televised and written about internationally to millions of people.