Orchestra of the Swan is a British professional chamber orchestra based at Warwick Schools Foundation in Warwick.[1] It is Resident Orchestra at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, The Courtyard Hereford, Warwick Hall and the Stratford Play House with regular concert series at Number 8 Pershore and Cheltenham Town Hall.[2]
Founded in 1995 the orchestra has been creatively led by Artistic Director David Le Page since 2018. It gives over 45 concerts annually and is increasing its overseas touring. In 2014 the orchestra undertook its first highly successful tour to China. In 2016 The Swan performed at the Istanbul International Festival, and in 2017-18 toured to Mexico and New York (Carnegie Hall). The Swan has also toured the UK with groups such as Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and James, with sell-out performances at London's Albert Hall.
Recordings and digital concerts (a strand of digital creativity spurred on by the Covid lockdown in 2020) have been nominated Gramophone Choice awards, Album of the Week on Classic FM and Scala Radio (UK) and Washington Public Radio and live concert recordings are frequently broadcast on USA Performance Today, in Canada and Australia.[3]
A dynamic new touring series – Swan Projects – is gaining momentum. The first of these is Earthcycle, a project, with associated educational resources that focus on the impact of climate change, including a podcast featuring George Monbiot and Madeleine Finlay[4] based on Vivaldi’s Four Seasons alongside a new commission by jazz/baroque composer and Associate Artist David Gordon, interspersed with 4 folk songs arranged for orchestra by David Le Page and sung by Jackie Oates.
Earthcycle: Released on 19 January 2024 , Earthcycle is a 2 CD album, incorporating new compositions by David Gordon, newly arranged folk songs by Le Page and Jackie Oates, and Vivaldi’s four concerti. Vocals from Jackie Oates, harpsichord and piano, David Gordon, and violin David Le Page with Orchestra of the Swan.
Mixtape Albums
editThe Swan's extensive discography includes its 2023 mixtape album 'Echoes' conducted by Philip Sheppard featuring 14 tracks including orchestral arrangements of songs by Frank Zappa, Adrian Utley, The Velvet Underground and A Winged Victory for the Sullen alongside classical standards by J.S. Bach, Delius, Max Richter, Philip Glass and Finzi, which reached number 10 in the Specialist Classical Charts.[3] BBC 6 Music's Iggy Pop described The Swan's Venus in Furs arr. David Le Page as "Beautiful".[5] 'Timelapse' (Album of the Week on Classic FM and Scala Radio) and 'Labyrinths' (Album of the Week on Scala Radio) that meld classical repertoire with orchestral arrangements of popular songs which combined have audio streamed nearly 8 million times and reached number 17 in the Official Charts.[6] Further recordings feature repertoire by Barber, Bax, Berlioz, Brahms, Copland, Debussy, Elgar, Finzi, Ireland, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schumann, Strauss, Vaughan Williams and the world premiere recording of the complete symphonies by Hans Gál (1890-1987) conducted by Kenneth Woods.[7] The latter received outstanding critical acclaim and was featured on BBC Radio 3 ‘Composer of the Week’. In addition, Mendelssohn's D minor Violin Concerto with Tamsin Waley-Cohen, and conducted by David Curtis, was BBC Music Magazine's ‘Recommended Recording’.
Recordings of new work include Philip Sawyers' Symphonies, works for trumpet and orchestra by John McCabe, Robert Saxton and Deborah Pritchard and joint commissions with Kyo-Shin-An Arts of new work for koto, shakuhachi and chamber orchestra.
Discography
edit| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Piano Concertos KV 413, KV 414, KV41 |
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| Arnold Bax – Concertino for Piano and Orchestra, John Ireland – Piano Concerto & Legend |
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| Copland – Clarinet Concerto, Appalachian Spring Finzi – Clarinet Concerto, Romance for Strings |
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| Hans Gal – Symphony No. 3, Schumann – Symphony No. 3 ‘Rhenish’ |
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| Gustav Mahler – Das Leid von der Erde & Lieder eins fahrenden Gesellen |
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| Gustav Mahler – Symphony No 4, Hector Berlioz – Nuits D’été |
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| Hans Gál – Symphony No. 4, op. 105, Robert Schumann – Symphony No. 2, op. 61 |
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| Spring Sounds, Spring Seas, James Nyoraku Schlefer – Shakuhachi Concerto & Haru no Umi Redux, Daron Aric Hagen – Koto Concerto “Genji” |
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| Hans Gal – Symphony No. 2, Schumann – Symphony No. 4 |
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| Troy Story – An intergalactic opera [DVD] |
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| Felix Mendelssohn – Violin Concerto in D Minor & Concert for Violin, Piano and Strings |
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| Aaron Copland – Quiet City & Eight Poems of Emily Dickinson / Samuel Barber – Knoxville: Summer of 1915 & Capricorn Concerto / George Gershwin – Summertime |
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| Hans Gal – Symphony No. 1, Schumann – Symphony No. 1 |
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| Schönberg – Verklärte Nacht, Brahms – Serenade No. 1 |
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| Philip Sawyer – Cello Concerto / Symphony No.2 / Concertante for Violin, Piano & String |
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| Ralph Vaughan Williams – The Lark Ascending & Violin Concerto in D minor / Edward Elgar – Introduction and Allegro & Serenade for Strings |
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| Paul Spicer – Unfinished Remembering |
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| Psalm – Contemporary British Trumpet Concertos (McCabe |
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| Hans Gál – The Four Symphonies |
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| Antonio Vivaldi – The Four Seasons |
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| John Ireland – Music for String Orchestra |
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| Shakespeare Live! From The RSC [DVD] |
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| Shostakovich – Piano concertos and Piano Sonatas |
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| Beethoven – Piano trios Vol.1 |
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| Not Now, Bernard and other stories |
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| Timelapse |
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| Vivaldi Sleep |
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| Labyrinths |
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| Façade by Sir William Walton |
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| Echoes |
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| Entranced |
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| Earthcycle |
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References
edit- ^ "About Us". Orchestra Of The Swan. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ "Orchestra of the Swan". Association of British Orchestras. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ a b "About Us". Orchestra Of The Swan. 30 July 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ "Swan Podcasts". Orchestra Of The Swan. 30 July 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ Played on Iggy's Sunday show on BBC 6 Music on air date 01/04/24
- ^ Official Charts
- ^ Midgette, Anne. "Little-known composers get their due in the studio if not the concert hall." Washington Post, 10 August 2012. Accessed on 8/13/12 at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/little-known-composers-get-their-due-in-the-studio-if-not-the-concert-hall/2012/08/09/d7b5c1c2-e0b6-11e1-8fc5-a7dcf1fc161d_story.html. See also Arkivmusic page for Gál, accessed on 8/13/12 at: http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Name/Hans-Gál/Composer/4144-1
- ^ "Orchestra of the Swan: Recordings". Orchestra of the Swan. Retrieved 23 January 2024.