“A symphonic conductor of stature…”
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Check out the new design and updated event listings at
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A note from Ken:
Hi everyone
Is spring in the air? Is the post-Covid world coming our way?
Like all of you, it was a quiet, rather grim winter here without concerts, rehearsals or recordings, but things are finally looking more hopeful. The ESO were hugely relieved to receive two major grants from Arts Council England’s Project Grants programme and the Cultural Recovery Fund. This and the improving situation in the UK brought about by the successful vaccination effort have meant that we were able to return to work in March with an unforgettable few days recording Klaus Simon’s excellent chamber version of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony (photo above), which will premiere on ESO Digital on Mahler’s birthday in July. This past week, we recorded four outstanding works by leading British composers of our time – Robert Saxton, Philip Sawyers and Adrian Williams. And, as you can see below, we are developing plans for the 2021 editions of Colorado MahlerFest and the Elgar Festival.
No doubt, many challenges, frustrations and setbacks await, but I hope that, for all of you, the months ahead bring new happiness. The sound of live music will surely be sweeter than ever when it returns.
Ken
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Now Available from ESO Digital
Narrated by Henry Goodman
(trailer below)
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Coming April 16 from ESO Digital
Narrated by Gemma Whelan
(trailer below)
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Now Available from ESO Digital
Eleven New Miniatures for Cello and Strings
(trailer below)
"Throughout, the idiomatic feel of Wallfisch’s playing was complemented by that of the ESO under Kenneth Woods, as discreet or understated as the music requited. Forty minutes came and went effortlessly – the ‘Part 1’ designation happily meaning there will be more to come." Richard Whitehouse, Arcana.FM
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Blog Highlights
Following the passing of American conductor and former Artistic Director of the Metropolitan Opera on March 9th, Ken was one of the first commentators to present a sceptical view of Levine's legacy. In a blog post that has been widely read and shared throughout the music world, Ken presented a critique of Levine's artistic legacy, particularly in his Boston years, and took a look at Levine's capacity for manipulative and controlling behavior beyond his sexual abuse of young people. The post has been read well over 100,000 times and garnered over 125 comments. Read the post, and comments from members of the Met and Boston orchestras, stage hands, office staff, producers and other former Levine colleagues, on Ken's blog here.
Shortly after the publication of his essay, Ken was invited to participate in a roundtable discussion on BBC Radio 3's Music Matters with host Kate Molleson and longtime Washington Post senior critic, Anne Midgette. You can download that episode as podcast from the BBC website here.
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First post-Covid Festival festival to take place in Boulder August 24-28
Highlights to include:
Chamber Orchestra concert - The Roaring 20's - Decade of Decadence and Debauchery
Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp Minor
Philip Sawyers - Symphony No. 5 (word premiere)
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From the ESO Digital Archives
Eubie Blake Charleston Rag
Jelly Roll Morton Black Bottom Stomp
Erwin Schulhoff Suite for Chamber Orchestra Op.37
Ernst Krenek Fantasie on ‘Jonny spielt auf’ (‘Jonny Played On’)
Darius Milhaud Le boeuf sur le Toit (‘The Ox on the Roof’) Poeme Choregraphique
– Soloist: Zoë Beyers (Violin)
"The sheer joy of music-making is tangible in the superb Shimmy, followed by a percussion tour-de-force of Step. The whole ensemble is united again in the closing movement, a spirited Jazz, performed with vigor by Woods and the ESO." Jari Kalio, Adventures in Music
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New on CD, Streaming and Download
April Fredrick
English Symphony Orchestra
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April Fredrick - soprano
English Symphony Orchestra
Kenneth Woods - conductor
Wagner arr. Woods - Siegfried Idyll
Humperdinck arr. Woods - Der kleine Sandmann (The Little Sandman)
Schubert arr. Woods - Die Forelle (The Trout)
Mahler arr. Woods - Das irdische Leben (The Earthly Life)
Schubert arr. Woods - Der Tod und das Mädchen (Death and the Maiden)
Mahler arr. Stein - Das himmlische Leben (The Heavenly Life)
R Strauss arr. Ledger - Four Last Songs
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Critical Response
"Expertly arranged and performed, and sung beautifully and with convincing dramatic emphasis by April Fredrick, this is a fascinating and well-considered sequence....it should prod some emotional responses out of even the most cynical listener...this is an unusual but entirely engaging production that I have come to enjoy and appreciate more each time I have heard it." Dominy Clements, MusicWeb International
"Five Stars....a delightful disc, a celebration of the art of transcription and a way of looking anew at familiar repertoire." Planet Hugill
"This is an astonishingly good CD with stunning orchestral arrangements by ESO’s principal conductor, Kenneth Woods. They provide new insights into well known and lesser known repertoire by Richard Wagner, Engelbert Humperdinck, Franz Schubert and Richard Strauss." Arts Muse London
"This excellent disc is both rewarding and thought-provoking. Not only is the music-making highly accomplished but, in addition, the arrangements made me think afresh about music I know well... The standard of performance throughout this imaginative programme is consistently excellent." John Quin, MusicWeb International
"Kenneth Woods, with the English Symphony Orchestra, offers an intimate and eloquent vision in itself that highlights a diversity of timbre nuances and the importance of (and has) that endearing and innovative association...Woods, conductor of the English String Orchestra, is a restless, intellectual musician with a great musical background, which is essential for communicating the music of the past and the present." Carme Miró, Sonograma (original in Catalan)
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Click on the cover to learn more or order a copy
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Kenneth Woods is Artistic Director and Conductor of the: |
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