Earth Hour 2020: Dido and Aeneas by candlelight
Join OFE to mark Earth Hour with a uniquely powerful performance of Purcell's shattering opera, Dido and Aeneas, performed entirely by candlelight. Experience this opera like never before, in a stark, minimalist production with a cast of rising stars and a specialist orchestra playing on historical instruments. We will be joining millions around the world choosing to go 'lights out' for an hour in a show of solidarity for our planet.
PLUS: come along in the afternoon to our free workshop to learn more about Purcell's music, the story of Dido, and the special historical instruments we will be using (with demonstrations from the musicians themselves). The workshop will be led by our creative outreach officer Georgia Russell, concluding with an open discussion led by WWF about how we as individuals can all help build a sustainable future.
St Saviour's Church, Pimlico
Saturday 28th March 2020
1.15pm Workshop
8.15pm Performance
PURCELL Dido and Aeneas
(no interval)
Lily Dyble director
John Warner conductor
Helen Stanley Dido
Gabriella Noble Belinda
Michael Lafferty Aeneas
Tickets for Trees
Each ticket purchased to an OFE event plants 1 tree as part of our Tickets for Trees scheme, in partnership with the Eden Reforestation Projects.
Amsterdam
Paradiso Hall, Weteringschans 6-8
Sunday 17th May 2020, 1.30pm
London
St Luke's Church, Chelsea
Sunday 24th May 2020, 7pm
KNUSSEN Ophelia Dances, Book 1
ABRAHAMSEN Liebeslied
SEBASTIAN BLACK The Mosaique of the Aire*
Interval
MAHLER: Symphony No. 4
Gabriella Noble mezzo-soprano
John Warner conductor
*commissioned and generously supported by Bill and Pamela Richter and the Mahler Foundation
Join OFE in London or Amsterdam for Mahler's breathtakingly beautiful Fourth Symphony, and a chance to learn about how we can build a positive future for our planet. Alongside Mahler's symphony OFE presents three captivating contemporary pieces: Knussen's Dances inspired by Shakespeare's Ophelia, Abrahamsen's compact and touching meditation on love, and a world premiere of a new work by British composer Sebastian Black.
Mahler called himself the 'singer of nature', and both concerts will feature a panel of experts discussing 'rewilding': the concept of letting nature resume its natural course. By restoring and rewilding our damaged ecosystems on land and at sea, we can bring wonder back into our lives, creating ecosystems in post-industrial nations as profuse and beautiful as any around the world.
Mahler 4: Rewilding Europe
King's Place, London
Thursday 26th November 2020, 8pm
MAHLER Symphony No. 9
John Warner conductor
‘It is the expression of tremendous love for this Earth, the longing to live upon it in peace, to enjoy nature to its greatest depths…’ (Alban Berg on Mahler’s Ninth Symphony)
Alban Berg's touching description of Mahler's Ninth has never seemed more prescient than it does now. The natural world that Mahler adored, and that his valedictory Ninth Symphony conjures up so beautifully, is under greater threat now than at any other point in history. The Alps have already undergone dramatic changes since Mahler's lifetime, none more apparent than the retreat of glaciers. Modern research shows that if significant action is not taken again global heating, Alpine glaciers will shrink by 95% by the end of the century. Experience Mahler's masterpiece like you never have before, in a chamber arrangement that is as intimate as it is visceral, performed under breathtaking images of Alpine glaciers.