Philharmonia Chamber Players: Flamenco to Foxtrot
Ravel and Gershwin rub shoulders in this free performance showcasing the virtuosity of Philharmonia Orchestra’s wind section, bookended by two passionate pieces inspired by the landscape and culture of Spain.
The drama and passion of Albéniz’s Asturias kicks off our evening of concert classics arranged for wind ensemble by Philharmonia Principal Bassoon Robin O’Neill, ahead of the introspective mood of Ravel’s Pavane for a dead princess.
Inspired by the sound of jazz music, which had taken the world by storm in the 1920s, Gershwin’s Three Preludes and Ravel’s Five O’Clock Fox-Trot from his opera L’enfant et les sortilèges weave syncopation and bluesy sounds into their charming music. Gershwin took this one step further in Walking the Dog, the most enduring number from hit Hollywood musical Shall We Dance with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
Finally, we return to the vivid Spanish flavours that opened our performance, in French composer Chabrier’s most enduring piece of music, España.
FREE, no ticket required
Need to know
Prices & Discounts
Free
No ticket required – just walk in
Running time
45 minutes, no interval
Box office
Philharmonia Box Office: 0800 652 6717
Monday to Friday 10am – 5pm
After the event
Garsington Opera: The Queen of Spades
Douglas Boyd – conductor
Jack Furness – director
Garsington Opera Chorus
Garsington Opera Youth Company
Herman – Aaron Cawley
Lisa/Chloe – Laura Wilde
The Countess – Diana Montague
Count Tomsky/Plutus – Robert Hayward
Prince Yeletsky – Roderick Williams
Polina/Daphnis – Stephanie Wake-Edwards
Tchekalinsky – Sam Furness
Surin – Simon Shibambu
- Tchaikovsky The Queen of Spades
Bedford: Hear and Now 2025
Tim Steiner – project leader
Supported by members of the Philharmonia
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Vidya Patel – Artist in Residence
Zeynep Gunaydin – producer
Shammi Pithia – composer
Shankho Chaudhuri – spatial advisor
Manuela Fleming – costume designer
Ciara Moss – stage manager and technician
Suhani Dhanki – dancer
Rohan Roy – Indian violin
Gideon Robinson – violin
Yaroslava Trofymchuk – cello
Luke Whitehead – bassoon
Elin Samuel – harp
Garsington Opera: L'elisir d'amore
Chloe Rooke – conductor
Christopher Luscombe – director
Garsington Opera Chorus
Adina – Madison Leonard
Nemorino – Oleksiy Palchykov
Belcore – Carles Pachon
Dr Dulcamara – Richard Burkhard
- Donizetti L'elisir d'amore
