Get FREE tickets PROGRAMME Wagner The Flying Dutchman Overture (1846 version) Rimsky-Korsakov Sadko, Op.5 (1892 version) Mendelssohn Hebrides Overture Op.26 Elgar Sea Pictures, Op.37 Join BBC Radio 3 for its 2024 series of Summer Invitation Concerts with the Ulster Orchestra. This year they'll mark the centenary of the death of Charles Villiers Stanford, and explore themes of the Sea and Fairytales. Expect a broad range of music, from well-known works to lesser-known gems. This centrepiece of tonight's programme is Elgar's Sea Pictures. In October 1898, the committee of the Norwich Festival requested a short choral work for their next Season. However, during this period Elgar was preoccupied with writing his Enigma Variations, and by the time he returned to the work, the committee had changed its mind. They had engaged the young alto, Clara Butt, and wanted a work which she could premiere. So he crafted Sea Pictures, based on five poems by different authors, each offering a different response to the ocean. A work noted for its drama, serenity and richness, the soloist will be the Northern Ireland mezzo, Sarah Richmond. Other works by Wagner, Rimsky-Korsakov and Mendelssohn, all with connections to the Sea, will take the audience on an exciting and dynamic journey! Jac Van Steen conducts.