Listening Club: Antarctica (Vaughan Williams to Jonny Greenwood)

Join Joanna MacGregor as she dives deeper into the music of our December concert, Antarctica.

The theme of this December concert is the frozen landscape. This lecture will provide short introductions to Arvo Pärt’s La Sindone and Jonny Greenwood’s Water, then concentrate on the background leading to Vaughan Williams’ magnificent Sinfonia antartica. We’ll look at the 1948 film starring John Mills, exploring the exceptional filmography of Hope Bay and South Orkney and how it inspired one of Vaughan William’s greatest and darkest works.

Designed to illuminate and entertain, our new series The Listening Club delves deep into this season’s music, uncovering composers’ intentions, social context, and musical motifs to listen out for. Most importantly, we’ll have fun.

‘Thanks too for Joanna’s concise but cogent introductions. The enthusiasm of her live comments makes these performances that bit more special!’ – Andrew Connal