Enjoy a delightful evening of music in Henley in the company of Greig, Weber & Shostakovich

The beautiful surroundings of St Mary’s Church are the setting for Henley Symphony Orchestra’s summer concert on Saturday, 29th June, 7.30pm.

The concert will be led by guest conductor Jacques Cohen, Principal Conductor of the Royal College of Music Junior Department Symphony Orchestra and Lloyd’s of London Choir.

Emma Johnson is one of the few clarinettists to have established a career as a solo performer, after winning the BBC Young Musician of the Year at the age of 17. She has appeared as soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras, playing all the major clarinet works as well as special commissions.

She will play Grieg Peer Gynt: No.1, Weber Clarinet Concerto No.2 and Shostakovich Symphony No.9.

Greig found it difficult to write the music for Peer Gynt after being asked to do so by Ibsen. Greig himself said the Hall of the Mountain King, now the theme music for Alton Towers, ‘reeked of cowpats’.

Weber’s interest in the clarinet began in 1811, when he met Heinrich Baermann, the greatest clarinettist in Germany, for whom he composed two concertos.

Shostakovich wrote his Ninth Symphony in 1945 after Russia’s defeat of Hitler. It should have been a glorious ode to Stalin and Russia’s heroes, but instead Shostakovich seemed to make fun of the leader.