{"id":124,"date":"2013-01-01T14:01:11","date_gmt":"2013-01-01T14:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rosecityworkshop.org\/englishsymphonyorchestra\/?p=124"},"modified":"2013-01-01T14:01:11","modified_gmt":"2013-01-01T14:01:11","slug":"kenneth-woods-appointed-artistic-director-of-new-eso-malvern-concert-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/festivalmontpeyroux.com\/eso\/kenneth-woods-appointed-artistic-director-of-new-eso-malvern-concert-series\/","title":{"rendered":"Kenneth Woods appointed Artistic Director of ESO Malvern concert series"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Kenneth Woods<\/a>\u00a0has been appointed Artistic Director of the English Symphony Orchestra\u2019s new subscription concert series for 2013.\u00a0 His first concert in the new role will take place on 22 March 2013, in Christ Church Malvern.<\/p>\n

The English Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1978, has not had an artistic director since the 2008 passing of Vernon Handley, who was appointed Principal Conductor in 2007. Woods joins an orchestra with an illustrious history which includes associations with Sir Yehudi Menuhin, notable soloists such as Stephen Isserlis and Nigel Kennedy, and renowned composers including Sir Michael Tippett and Nicholas Maw. The ESO has made dozens of acclaimed recordings, a notable discography which Woods is expected to augment.<\/p>\n

Woods remarks, \u201cThe ESO is a world-class group of musicians, with an august history of recording and touring at the highest level. Their administrative team has worked incredibly hard to put the orchestra\u2019s finances back on a very strong footing, while developing an enterprising, innovative and wide-ranging education and outreach portfolio. It\u2019s an exciting moment for the orchestra to be returning to their historic home of Malvern with their first new subscription series in some time, and I\u2019m very excited they\u2019ve asked me to partner with them in this new venture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peter Sheeran, Chief Executive of the English Symphony Orchestra adds, \u201cI first met Ken Woods a few months ago, together with the ESO\u2019s leader Michael Bochmann, to explore how we might work together.\u00a0We discussed plans, ethics and motivation, and we found that Ken was unusually well-attuned to what we are trying to achieve and that very little had to be spelt out. An opportunity came to put on a concert series at a new venue for us, with very exciting possibilities both on the platform and in its community, and Ken was the obvious person to ask to curate this project during its first year, with other possibilities leading out from that.\u00a0We cannot wait to get down to work with him in January; his approach came at just the right time for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Woods\u2019 programming for his first season with the ESO ranges from 18th-century England to 20th-century Russia, with the repertoire united by a common thread. \u201cMy colleagues in the orchestra and I wanted this series to make a statement, to articulate a theme,\u201d says Woods. \u201cWe\u2019ve picked the Granddaddy of all themes \u2013 resiliency. We\u2019re going to be looking at the way in which music and art seeks light in dark times, though defiance, humour, struggle, meditation, perseverance or heroic striving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Woods\u2019 first concert with the ESO includes his own arrangement of Victor Ullman\u2019s Chamber Symphony (originally composed as his third and final string quartet), written in Terezin just prior to his execution in Auschwitz; Mozart\u2019s Clarinet Concerto, which was the composer\u2019s last completed instrumental work, responding to illness and crisis with search for tranquillity; and Beethoven\u2019s Symphony No. 2, perhaps his most light-hearted symphony, but written concurrently with his Heiligenstadt Testament, when he was seriously contemplating suicide because of his deafness.Future programmes feature works by Arne, Malcolm Arnold, Boyce, Britten, Finzi, G\u00e1l, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich.<\/p>\n

Woods\u2019 appointment as Artistic Director of the English Symphony Orchestra caps a climatic year for the fast-rising conductor. As Principal Guest Conductor of Stratford-upon-Avon-based Orchestra of the Swan, he has captured international recognition for his ongoing series of performances and recordings pairing the symphonies of Hans G\u00e1l and Robert Schumann. His world-premiere recordings of the G\u00e1l symphonies have been cited by National Public Radio, The New York Times, The Washington Post, the BBC and The Guardian\u2019s international edition, among\u00a0others. Also with Orchestra of the Swan, Woods conducted an acclaimed all-British programme at London\u2019s Cadogan Hall, and recorded the world-premieres of two fusion concertos for the release\u00a0Spring Sounds, Spring Seas<\/a>, recently selected as one of MusicWeb International\u2019s Records of the Year. Other recording highlights in 2012 included his first disc for Signum and two recordings for Somm Recordings with Orchestra of the Swan and the Royal Philharmonic, following on from his highly successful Somm recording of Schoenberg\u2019s arrangements of the songs of Gustav Mahler.<\/p>\n

As Artistic Director of the English Symphony Orchestra, Woods can be expected to lend the many strings of his bow to the organisation. In addition to his prowess on the podium and in the recording studio, Woods is a cellist of significant stature. This past year, with his Ensemble Epomeo, he recorded the\u00a0complete string trios of Gal and Krasa<\/a>, a Critic\u2019s Choice in the December issue of Gramophone Magazine, and was soloist in Brahms\u2019 Double Concerto with the Surrey Mozart Players alongside violinist Suzanne Casey.<\/p>\n

A prolific writer, Woods is widely-read on his blog,\u00a0A View from the Podium<\/a>, one of today\u2019s top 20 classical music blogs. He has contributed liner notes to a number of releases including EMI\u2019s ICON reissue, a 20-CD box set devoted to German conductor\u00a0Eugen Jochum<\/a>. And he has guest-blogged for Gramophone magazine. As an arranger, Woods\u2019 orchestral version of Ullman\u2019s String Quartet No. 3 has been recorded by David Parry and the English Chamber Orchestra for the\u00a0Gramola<\/a>\u00a0label. As a broadcaster, Woods was heard on BBC Radio 3\u2032s The Cellists that Time Forgot, hosted by Julian Lloyd Webber.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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To learn more about Kenneth Woods visit\u00a0http:\/\/kennethwoods.net<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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CONCERT INFORMATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

22 March 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ullmann\u00a0<\/strong>Chamber Symphony, Op. 43a<\/p>\n

Mozart<\/strong>\u00a0Clarinet Concerto<\/p>\n

Beethoven<\/strong>\u00a0Symphony No. 2<\/p>\n

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24 May 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

English Music Festival<\/p>\n

Arne<\/strong>\u00a0Symphony No. 1<\/p>\n

Britten<\/strong>\u00a0Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings<\/p>\n

Boyce<\/strong>\u00a0Symphony No. 8<\/p>\n

Finzi<\/strong>\u00a0Dies Natalis<\/p>\n

Arnold<\/strong>\u00a0Sinfonietta No. 2<\/p>\n

John Andrews\u00a0guest conductor<\/em><\/p>\n

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27 September 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mendelssohn<\/strong>\u00a0\u201dHebrides\u201d Overture<\/p>\n

Gal<\/strong>\u00a0Concertino for Cello and Strings<\/p>\n

Matthew Sharp\u00a0cello<\/em><\/p>\n

Mendelssohn<\/strong>\u00a0Symphony No. 3, \u201cScottish\u201d<\/p>\n

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22 November 2013<\/strong><\/div>\n

Tchaikovsky<\/strong>\u00a0Andante Cantabile\u00a0 (arr. from String Quartet No. 1)<\/p>\n

Shostakovich<\/strong>\u00a0Chamber Symphony Op. 83a (arr. from String Quartet No. 4)<\/p>\n

Tchaikovsky<\/strong>\u00a0Violin Concerto<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
All media inquiries, image and interview requests please contact Melanne Mueller, melanne@musiccointernational.com<\/a>, +44 (0) 20 8542 4866 or +1\u00a0917 907 2785<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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  Kenneth Woods\u00a0has been appointed Artistic Director of the English Symphony Orchestra\u2019s new subscription concert series for 2013.\u00a0 His first concert in the new role will take place on 22 March 2013, in Christ Church Malvern. The English Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1978, has not had an artistic director since the 2008 passing of Vernon … <\/p>\n

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