Saturday 16 January 2027 7.30pm
Princes Hall, Aldershot, GU11 1NX – Venue Information
Guest Conductor: Sofia Grigoriadou
Soloist: Alexei Watkins (Horn)
Fanny Mendelssohn: Overture in C
Strauss: Horn Concerto No.1
Bizet: Symphony in C
For its opening concert of 2027, the FSO is delighted to welcome Sofia Grigoriadou as guest conductor for a concert featuring the work of some supremely talented musical prodigies. Sofia is a Greek musician and emerging conductor who is a recent graduate of King’s College London, for whose symphony orchestra she is Assistant Conductor. For this concert we are also delighted that our soloist will be Alexei Watkins, a French Horn player who graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 2018, having been awarded the Dennis Brain Prize. He has guested as Principal Horn for prestigious orchestras such as the Hallé and Royal Scottish National Orchestra and we are excited to be performing the Strauss Horn Concerto No. 1 with him. Written when the composer was 18, the concerto was his first orchestral piece for solo horn and showed not only the romantic influence of Liszt and Wagner but also his familiarity with the instrument through his father, who was one of the leading horn players of his day.
Our concert opens with another romantic work, this time written by Fanny Mendelssohn, sister of the more famous Felix. Like her brother, Fanny was a musical prodigy but, in common with other 19th century female musicians, she was denied the opportunities enjoyed by her male counterparts. In 1820, her father wrote to her: “Music will perhaps become a profession for your brother, Felix, but for you it can and must be only an ornament.” In spite of her family’s disapproval, Fanny composed more than 400 works, of which her Overture in C Major is one of a very few orchestral works. From lyrical wind solos to lush string writing, the Overture shows off Fanny’s ability to blend harmonic language and rhythm.
The concert concludes with Georges Bizet’s Symphony in C, which he wrote when he was 17. According to Grove’s Dictionary, the symphony “reveals an extraordinarily accomplished talent for a 17-year-old student, in melodic invention, thematic handling and orchestration.” It was immediately hailed as a youthful masterpiece which makes a fitting end to our celebration of the accomplishment of all these talented young people. We look forward to your joining us in this celebration.
