Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra Tours With Northern Serenades

The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra begins its 2022 Concert Season with the Northern Serenades tour which will take the orchestra from Kenthurst, NSW (20 March) via Newcastle (22 March) and Sydney (23 March) to Brisbane (26 March) and, finally, Melbourne (29 March)

Northern Serenades is a dream come true for lovers of string music. In the late-19th century, the serenade was the vehicle for exquisite writing by some of the biggest names of the era, including Edward Elgar and Hugo Wolf. These relatively brief pieces, among them some very well-known works, are filled with tuneful music that highlights the expressive way that string players were performing at the time.

The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra’s co-artistic director Rachael Beesley who will direct this program from the violin, is looking forward to reinvigorating the full expressive potential of this late-19th and early-20th century repertoire.

In addition to Elgar’s Serenade for Strings in E minor and Hugo Wolf’s Italian Serenade, the Northern Serenades audience will be treated to Gustav Holst’s lively St Paul’s Suite as well as a rarely heard gem by Victor Herbert, a man far better known as a giant of the American musical. A touch of the new will be added to this program through a new Australian string arrangement by Shauna Beesley, of Robert Schumann’s Fantasiestücke (Fantasy Pieces).

The program: Gustav HOLST | St Paul’s Suite in C major Op.29, No.2/ Edward ELGAR | Serenade for Strings in E minor, Op.20/ Hugo WOLF | Italian Serenade in G major (strings version)/ Robert SCHUMANN (arr. Shauna Beesley) | Fantasiestücke, Op.73 for strings (world premiere)/
Victor HERBERT | Serenade for Strings in F major, Op.12

Sunday 20 March – The Hills Grammar School, Kenthurst
Tuesday 22 March – Newcastle City Hall
Wednesday 23 March – City Recital Hall, Sydney
Saturday 26 March – Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University, Brisbane
Tuesday 29 March – Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, Melbourne