Hertfordshire Chamber Orchestra plays Gerhard, Copland & Beethoven

The Allies enlisted ballet as a patriotic art form during World War 2. Exiled in Cambridge, Catalan Roberto Gerhard, a refugee from Franco's Spain, commissioned by the Ballet Jooss which had fled Hitler's Germany, portrayed Pandora's release of all the evils of the world. At i the same time, Aaron Copland partnered with Martha Graham to evoke America and its pioneer spirit in 'Appalachian Spring'.

Our programme featuring the significance of musical expression during times of upheaval concludes with Beethoven's idealised 'Recollections of Country Life' created in the midst of the Napoleonic Wars.

Gerhard: Pandora - 3 movements from the ballet suite
Copland: Appalachian Spring suite
Beethoven: Symphony no.6 "Pastoral"

The orchestration for Pandora includes trombones, a large orchestral piano part, a celeste, a part for harp, timpani and a large percussion section: side drum, tambourine, 3 Chinese tom-toms, 3 Chinese cymbals, temple block, wood block, metal block, 2 gongs, triangle, xylophone, glockenspiel.

The orchestration for Appalachian Spring includes trombones, a large orchestral piano part, a part for harp, timpani and a large percussion section: xylophone, glockenspiel, cymbals, triangle, claves, wood block, bass drum, side drum, tambourine.