Sir Karl Jenkins and Benjamin Britten
The LaGrange Symphony Orchestra (LSO), under the direction of Maestro Richard Prior, continues its 2025–2026 season, Breaking Sound Barriers, with an evening devoted to the brilliance and versatility of the string orchestra. On Tuesday, October 28th at 7:30 PM in Callaway Auditorium, LaGrange, GA, the LSO program will include two exhilarating works that push boundaries in very different ways—Sir Karl Jenkins’ Allegretto from Palladio and Benjamin Britten’s Simple Symphony. (Full program listed below)
Like Ralph Vaughan Williams, both of these composers are also English. Edward Benjamin Britten (1913 – 1976), Baron of Aldeburgh, composed his first pieces by the age of five! Sir Karl Jenkins, born in 1944 is still alive and is one of the most widely performed living composers. Both of their pieces highlight the creativity and daring that define this season’s theme. From Britten’s youthful reinvention of his earliest melodies to Jenkins’ modern take on the rhythmic precision and balance of Baroque form, each composer challenges tradition and discovers new possibilities within familiar sounds.
Karl Jenkins’ Allegretto from Palladio
Karl Jenkins’ Palladio projects a lively, modern tone. Known for its bold sound and rhythmic drive, this piece brings a fresh, contemporary energy to the concert while offering a striking contrast to Britten’s early 20th-century charm. The Allegretto is Palladio’s most recognized movement and was inspired by the harmony and balance found in Renaissance architecture. Jenkins takes those timeless proportions and transforms them into music that feels powerful, elegant, and unmistakably modern. With its steady pulse and soaring lines, the piece captures the spirit of the LSO’s Breaking Sound Barriers season—bridging past and present through sound that is both familiar and thrillingly new.
Benjamin Britten’s Simple Symphony
Written in 1934 when Britten was just twenty (20) years old, Simple Symphony transforms themes that the composer had written as a child into a sophisticated and witty four-movement suite for strings. At age twenty, Britten was already a well-seasoned composer with fifteen years of experience. This work, with its apparent simplicity, hides a masterful command of structure, harmony, and tone color—a perfect example of breaking sound barriers through invention and imagination.
I. Boisterous Bourrée
The concert opens with a burst of energy. “Boisterous Bourrée” dances with lively rhythms and bright counterpoint, blending Baroque formality with youthful exuberance.
II. Playful Pizzicato
Entirely plucked from beginning to end, this movement is pure delight. The orchestra becomes a rhythmic playground as each section engages in crisp, percussive exchanges that sparkle with humor and precision.
III. Sentimental Sarabande
Graceful and introspective, the “Sentimental Sarabande” reveals Britten’s gift for melody and emotion. Here, restraint becomes its own kind of power—a quiet breaking of the sound barrier through depth and tenderness.
IV. Frolicsome Finale
The work concludes in a joyous rush of motion. “Frolicsome Finale” brims with energy and wit, a celebration of youthful confidence and creative freedom.
Full Program:
The impressive full concert lineup includes:
-
Selections from On Wenlock Edge – Ralph Vaughan Williams
Jonathan Pilkington, tenor; Vega String Quartet; William Ransom, piano
I On Wenlock Edge | IV Oh, when I was in love with you | VI Clun
-
Allegretto from Palladio – Karl Jenkins
-
Elegy – Herbert Howells
Yinzi Kong, viola; Vega String Quartet -
Simple Symphony – Benjamin Britten
I Boisterous Bourée | II Playful Pizzicato | III Sentimental Sarabande | IV Frolicsome Finale - Five Variants on Dives and Lazarus – Ralph Vaughan Williams
-
Concerto for Marimba and Strings – Emmanuel Séjourné
Sebastian Ocando, marimba
I Avec force | II Tempo souple | III Rhythmique, énergique
A Season of Discovery
Together, Britten’s wit and Jenkins’ power reveal two sides of the same creative impulse—to explore, transform, and transcend. As part of the LSO’s Breaking Sound Barriers season, this concert celebrates how music can honor the past while fearlessly stepping into the future.
Join the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra on October 28th for an evening that vibrates with energy, elegance, and imagination—an unforgettable celebration of strings in motion.
Other features still to be posted, stay tuned!
© LaGrange Symphony Orchestra 2025/2026 | All rights reserved | 706.882.0662 | Richard Prior, Music Director & Conductor
