WorldBrass

The Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara was hardly thinking of chubby angels from the Baroque era when he wrote his “Playground for Angels”. In fact, there is an almost frantic cackling amongst the instruments in his piece for brass ensemble. Thematically, everything in this concert revolves around gods, angels and myths – but in a sense also around the contrast between glory and turmoil from an earthly perspective. While Gustav Holst portrays human characters influenced by the planets, from the militant Mars to the joy-bearer Jupiter, Duke Ellington fuses spiritual church music with big band sounds in his "Sacred Concerts”. A gift from the heavens!