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Ulster Orchestra's May 2025 Season: A Symphony of Drama and Emotion
This May, the Ulster Orchestra brings a captivating blend of orchestral and film score music to Belfast. With concerts like 'Take the Stage,' 'Epic Film Scores,' 'Grand Masters,' and 'Act of Defiance,' the orchestra offers audiences a chance to experience the dramatic and emotional depth of music from Strauss to Shostakovich, and from Harry Potter to Superman. Join us as we explore the stories and emotions behind these incredible performances, featuring renowned conductors and soloists in an unforgettable musical journey.
Apr 22, 2025
Share1. Take the Stage
This concert shines a spotlight on music filled with sumptuous drama. Strauss’s incidental music for Ariadne auf Naxos gives more than a flavour of its protagonists flitting across the opera stage. Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.24 just pre-dates Don Giovanni and The Marriage of Figaro and it too brings all the poise and characterful drama of opera to the concert stage. Our second half moves from the world of opera to ballet, as Tchaikovsky finished his Third Symphony before writing Swan Lake and this work pirouettes with the kinetic energy of the corps de ballet.
May 2, 2025
Ulster Orchestra
Belfast · Ulster Hall
2. Epic Film Scores: Hans Zimmer & John Williams
Hans Zimmer and John Williams are two of the greatest film music composers of all time, creating epic scores for some of the most iconic films ever made. Experience this incredible symphonic celebration of music from blockbusters such as Gladiator, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Superman, Batman Begins and of course Harry Potter and re-live your memories of hearing and seeing it for the first time.
May 10, 2025
Ulster Orchestra
Belfast · Waterfront Hall
3. Grand Masters
Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Rachmaninoff are three giants of Russian music, and this concert foregrounds all their exceptional talents. Arensky uses one of Tchaikovsky’s Sixteen Children’s Songs to capture a range of moods and character, while Stravinsky’s Concerto for Violin is a feisty, joyful romp for the instrument, full of cheerful melody and musical wit. To close, a second visit to the no-holds-barred emotional world of Rachmaninoff’s symphonies (though you’ll have to wait until 2025/26 for Symphony No.3!) and the achingly beautiful, flamboyantly majestic Second.
May 16, 2025
Ulster Orchestra
Belfast · Ulster Hall
4. Act of Defiance
Was it, or wasn’t it, an act of defiance and bitter retort to Stalin’s displeasure? Shostakovich’s life was so utterly and constantly in peril that he could never publicly declare whether his Fifth Symphony was simply ‘a Soviet artist’s reply to just criticism’ or a satirical puncturing of the dictator, deliberately hollow but dressed as adulation. But either way, it’s a phenomenal piece of music – playful, poignant and magisterial, it’s a blockbuster end to the Season. Walton’s lyrically romantic Cello Concerto sets the scene for Shostakovich’s dramatic fireworks.
May 30, 2025
Ulster Orchestra
Belfast · Ulster Hall
Conclusion
The Ulster Orchestra's May 2025 season is a testament to the power of music to evoke emotion and tell compelling stories. From the operatic drama of 'Take the Stage' to the cinematic nostalgia of 'Epic Film Scores,' and the Russian mastery in 'Grand Masters' to the political intrigue of 'Act of Defiance,' each concert offers a unique and memorable experience. As the final notes of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 resonate, audiences are left with a profound appreciation for the artistry and emotional depth brought to life by these talented musicians.
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