Chromatica Orchestra – Echoes of Albion

Echoes of Albion
Finzi Clarinet Concert with Julian Bliss

Edward Elgar Serende for Strings
Gerald Finzi Clarinet Concerto
Freya Waley Cohen Talisman
Benjamin Britten Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge

Tess Jackson Conductor
Julian Bliss Clarinet

Chromatica Orchestra is a brilliant new ensemble of outstanding early-career professional musicians working with the best emerging conductors. They bring a richly expressive and lyrically radiant evening of English music that will soothe, stir and surprise, shifting in mood from pastoral calm to magically mysterious.

Edward Elgar Serenade for Strings
Written in his later years, Elgar’s Serenade for Strings is tender and luminous, and a testament to the composer’s gift for melody. It is the sound of a soft dusk settling over England, as evening light fades through the trees. The music is full of warmth and grace, suffused with a gentle nostalgia that lingers long after the final note.

Gerald Finzi Clarinet Concerto
Finzi’s Clarinet Concerto emerged in the post‑World War II blossoming of his music. At times ardent and dramatic at others plaintive and playful, the clarinet sings with a clear, unguarded voice while the orchestra responds with pastoral warmth and shimmering radiance. Evoking the English countryside in sound, this music finds a perfect soloist in Julian Bliss whose exceptional technical finesse and thoughtful interpretation will illuminate every phrase

Freya Waley-Cohen Talisman
Talisman conjures the magic and meaning we imbue in everyday objects — the stories they carry and the rituals they shape. Textures shimmer and harmonies glow, while rhythms pulse with a subtle energy, creating a spell of sound that is both mysterious and enchanting.

Benjamin Britten Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge
Britten’s Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge is an affectionate musical portrait of a much-admired teacher; full of wit and creative ingenuity. The theme arrives serenely, then is re-imagined, at first robust then introspective, quirky and exultant until the variations coalesce into an energetic and jovial finale.