7.45pm
Worcester Three Choirs Festival & Worcester Festival presents
"Classic British Film Music"
Philharmonia Orchestra
Conducted and presented by John Wilson
Lucy Parham - Piano Worcester Cathedral
Walton - Battle in the Air - Battle of Britain Lambert - Anna Karenina Benjamin - Galop & Waltz - An Ideal Husband
R Vaughan Williams - Prelude - The 49th Parallel
Walton - 2 piecesfrom Henry V Addinsel - Warsaw Concerto - Dangerous Moonlight
Ireland - March - The Overlanders Arnold - Suite - Hobson's Choice Hess - Theme - Ladies in Lavender Rogers - Suite - Carry on up the Khyber R Rodney Bennett - Love Theme - Yanks
R Rodney Bennett - Suite - Murder on the Orient Express
Williams - Harry's Wondrous World - Harry Potter
Coates - The Dam Busters As the Worcester Three Choirs Festival draws to a close, we celebrate its partnership with the Worcester Festival, with a concert that celebrates the very best of classic British cinema. The Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by John Wilson, presents a diverse programme that includes the glory of the Dambusters Theme and the comic fun of the Carry On theme! What better way to celebrate the culmination of this fantastic festival partnership than with a fun celebration of all that is great about British film.
The British film industry came of age during the Second World War. When hostilities commenced, the studios were given the task of providing propaganda to help the war effort; but far from being a creatively stifling brief, the challenge channeled their artistic efforts, giving British directors a new stimulus and a clear sense of purpose. Some of our most celebrated filmmakers emerged at this time. Unsurprisingly in this fervid environment, British film music thrived, despite the fact that many British composers had no experience in the curious art of fitting music to a piece of film. The situation was different in Britain, partly because the British film industry was small enough to manage with moonlighting concert-hall types rather than Hollywood style full-timers, and partly because many distinguished British composers were attracted to the form by a patriotic desire to aid the war effort. And as the postwar British film industry thrived on retelling heroic stories from the conflict, it found it was still able to attract the services of prestigious musical figures. This tradition has continued to the present day and the final concert of the festival celebrates these achievements.
The British film industry came of age during the Second World War. When hostilities commenced, the studios were given the task of providing propaganda to help the war effort; but far from being a creatively stifling brief, the challenge channeled their artistic efforts, giving British directors a new stimulus and a clear sense of purpose. Some of our most celebrated filmmakers emerged at this time. Unsurprisingly in this fervid environment, British film music thrived, despite the fact that many British composers had no experience in the curious art of fitting music to a piece of film. The situation was different in Britain, partly because the British film industry was small enough to manage with moonlighting concert-hall types rather than Hollywood style full-timers, and partly because many distinguished British composers were attracted to the form by a patriotic desire to aid the war effort. And as the postwar British film industry thrived on retelling heroic stories from the conflict, it found it was still able to attract the services of prestigious musical figures. This tradition has continued to the present day and the final concert of the festival celebrates these achievements.