Prometheus orchestra’s October 2023 concert is an eclectic mix to satisfy all with discerning taste.

The first half opens with the overture to Gioachino Rosssini’s opera buffa (comic opera) The Italian Girl in Algiers. The premiere was conducted by the composer in Venice in 1813. The success of this opera amongst others, opened the doors of La Scala Milan to Rossini. It was also the first Rossini opera to be performed in Paris.

This is followed by what is probably Franz Schubert’s most famous and well known work, his ‘Unfinished’ Symphony. A number of theories exist as to why it ultimately remained unfinished, although two other Schubert symphonies were also left unfinished, but the nature and balance of the two opening movements has led some to consider that Schubert had nothing more to add. It is unfailingly popular with audiences.

The concert concludes with one of the most famous symphonies in Western classical symphonic music – Beethoven’s Symphony No.5 in C minor. First performed in Vienna in 1808, it opens with the distinctive four note opening motif, often referred to as ‘fate knocking on the door’. It perhaps gained further iconic status through the use of the opening motif by the BBC in World War II broadcasts.