Witness the premiere of Joan Armatrading’s first symphony, paired with Tchaikovsky’s expansive Fifth, in a concert of boundary-defying works.

Forging a path that has consistently defied categorisation, the composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist Armatrading explores a new voice in writing for the orchestra. With a renowned catalogue of 21 albums to her credit, Armatrading’s distinctive musicianship has always followed her own curiosity outside of genre boundaries and into new creative arenas. Her first symphony, premiered by the Chineke! Orchestra, brings an electrostatic charge to the concert hall.

Audiences have long been entranced by Tchaikovsky’s ability to generate a rollercoaster of emotional depths and heights, and nowhere is this more evident than in his Fifth Symphony. But the composer’s uninhibited creative choices attracted stinging criticism in his time, derided by many a reviewer as frivolous and sentimental. In his own words, Tchaikovsky’s Fifth marked his ‘complete resignation before Fate’, tracing an expansive journey through both despair and triumph.

With the works of Armatrading and Tchaikovsky, the Chineke! Orchestra offers an evening that celebrates two uncompromising creative voices.

Programme:

Joan Armatrading: Symphony No.1 (World Premiere)

Interval

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.5

Andrew Grams: Conductor