Rehearsal Orchestra at 70

I can’t wait to get stuck in to the Rehearsal Orchestra’s 70th birthday season – shockingly, I find I’ve been their Artistic Director for more than a third of that time. Where does the time go?

It’s equally astonishing to remember that Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring is 114 years old. Even though it’s become a much commoner visitor in non-professional circles since my predecessor, and founder of RO, Harry Legge first tackled it with the orchestra in 1968 – when it was almost unthinkable for an amateur orchestra to take it on – it remains a significant and exciting challenge for players and conductors alike. Lili Boulanger’s effervescent D’un matin de printemps offers a pleasing alternative view of spring.

I’m also looking forward to welcoming John Wilson for Holst’s The Planets in January – a terrific opportunity for the orchestra and young conductors to work with one of our leading conductors. With two monumental Shostakovich symphonies also on the bill – one in London, one in Manchester – as well as a day of midsummer madness courtesy of Tippett and Mendelssohn, we’ve got a lot to look forward to as we storm into our eighth decade.

Lev Parikian

For full details of our 70th birthday season programme, and to apply, please see the Courses page.