Bedford: Santtu and Jess Gillam

Artists

Santtu-Matias Rouvali – conductor
Jess Gillam – saxophone

Programme

Shostakovich (arr. Cornall) Suite from Moscow, Cheryomushki

Glazunov Saxophone Concerto

— Interval —

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6, ‘Pathétique’

Celebrated saxophonist Jess Gillam joins our Principal Conductor for an evening of irresistible tunes.

By the age of 23, British saxophonist Jess Gillam had topped the UK Classical Charts, won a BRIT Award, and debuted at the BBC Proms. Known for her ‘panache and pizzazz’ (Bachtrack), tonight the household name shows us exactly what the saxophone can do, in Glazunov’s 1934 concerto – a staple of the repertoire. Much like its performer this evening, this piece helped put the instrument on the classical music map.

Santtu opens the concert with music by Glazunov’s student, Shostakovich: the suite from his satirical operetta, Moscow, Cheryomushki. Humour, lilting waltzes and fiery dances are packed into its four movements – it’s music that’s well worth discovering.

The concert ends with Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony. Entitled “the passionate symphony” by the composer – and passionate it is – this is the work of a composer at the top of his game and remains one of the most popular in the canon.

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