Benjamin Britten: Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes
Benjamin Britten: Passacaglia, from Peter Grimes
George Butterworth: The Banks of Green Willow
Edward Elgar: Enigma Variations

Marking the evening after Remembrance Day, this all‑British program reflects on sea, countryside, and friendship and culminates in Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations. To finish, Enigma paints a series of affectionate portraits: a door‑slamming country squire, a viola student, a beloved friend honoured in the famous “Nimrod,” even Elgar himself. The result is a work that moves from lighthearted character sketches to moments of deep reflection, bringing the program to a close with both warmth and emotional resonance.

Guest conductor Chloe Rooke leads Benjamin Britten’s Four Sea Interludes and Passacaglia from his opera Peter Grimes: snapshots of a coastal town and its surrounding waters, from quiet dawn light and Sunday bells to moonlit calm and a full-blown storm. In 2026, the music also marks 50 years since Britten’s passing.

Next comes George Butterworth’s The Banks of Green Willow, a short, pastoral piece built from English folk songs. Peaceful, flowing, and tinged with poignancy, knowing the composer later died at the Battle of the Somme.