Colin Matthews, Berg, Britten, Holst

Edinburgh International Festival
Edinburgh
Scotland
http://www.eif.co.uk

Donald Runnicles Conductor

Michaela Kaune Soprano

Edinburgh Festival Chorus
Christopher Bell Chorus Master

The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra returns under its formidable Chief Conductor Donald Runnicles for one of the grandest orchestral showpieces in the repertoire: Holst's The Planets.

From its gripping depiction of war in Mars to the serene beauty of Venus, it is a piece of immense profundity and unforgettable melody – and it is followed by composer Colin Matthews's dazzling Pluto, written in 2000 to complement Holst's existing suite.

Beforehand, Runnicles and the BBC SSO perform Britten's moving Sinfonia da Requiem, a deeply felt pacifi st work that prefi gures his famous War Requiem (performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra on Thursday 14 August) by more than two decades. Berg's opulent Seven Early Songs show the influence of Richard Strauss, Wagner and even Debussy, and are performed by German soprano Michaela Kaune.

Benjamin Britten : Sinfonia da Requiem
Alban Berg : Seven Early Songs
Gustav Holst : The Planets
Colin Matthews : Pluto