Name: Spring Fire with the BBC Philharmonic
Start: 2024-02-22T14:00:00
Location: MediaCityUK

John Wilson

Peter Dixon

BBC Philharmonic

Join the BBC Philharmonic and conductor John Wilson at MediaCityUK today for a celebration of springtime’s abundance. First on the programme is a selection of works from celebrated American composer Edward MacDowell, whose philanthropic vision became his great legacy. MacDowell was deeply inspired by the idyllic surroundings of his farm in rural New Hampshire, and he composed many of his best-loved works there, including To a Wild Rose, which we hear today. Towards the end of his life, MacDowell and his wife Marian founded the MacDowell Residency, an artistic retreat based at their home, and where they hoped that other creatives might benefit from the peace and tranquillity. The prestigious Residency continues to thrive more than a century after MacDowell’s death, with many internationally recognised artists amongst its Fellows. This afternoon, the BBC Philharmonic’s Principal Cellist Peter Dixon is soloist in MacDowell’s Romance for cello and orchestra, a gentle yet stirring work, suggestive of a woodland stroll in the light of the setting sun.