Anvil Arts

Grieg’s Symphonic Dances, based on Norwegian folk tunes, was his last major work for orchestra and uses a rich palette of instrumental colours to make one of his strongest large-scale works. The natural flow and familiarity of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto can mask what an innovative piece it is, in which the proportions of the classical concerto are subtly altered for expressive effect. Walton’s First Symphony appeared in 1935, stunning audiences with its explosive energy. Its trouble, questioning opening movement, violent scherzo and intense slow movement build up an almost unbearable tension which is released in the final section in an overwhelming sense of triumph.

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