We’re excited to be giving the first symphonic performance in the newly refurbished Hall for Cornwall, Truro, this March. Amongst other pieces, the concert features Arnold Bax’s illustrious Tintagel, a piece inspired by a visit to the medieval Cornish castle in 1917. A beautifully atmospheric tone-poem, the work is steeped in Arthurian legend, and depicts the castle-crowned Cornish cliff as well as the vast expanse of Atlantic Sea which swirls and crashes at its feet.

Deeply entwined with the history of the BSO, the piece was given its world premiere by the Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra (now BSO) in 1921. The BSO’s founder— Sir Dan Godfrey—conducted and Bax was in the audience to hear his work come to life for the very first time. He wrote to Godfrey the next day:

“Apart from the generally excellent way in which you made them all play up, you got a wonderful sense of shape and growth into the piece, a gradual development from the first bar to the last. I don’t think Tintagel will ever be better played in this respect.”

We’re looking forward to bringing this piece to life once again in its home county at the Hall for Cornwall on 18 March, and to hear in full symphonic glory a work which is so deeply rooted in the history and narrative of Cornwall and the surrounding South West.

The programme also features: Beethoven’s Consecration of the House, a work written to celebrate the opening of a Viennese theatre exactly 200 years ago; Sibelius’s monumental Second Symphony, an ecstatic work referred to by Sibelius as the ‘confession of the soul’; and a new work, Unforged, by rising star Carmen Ho.

Hall for Cornwall is the county’s flagship cultural venue. Having undergone a three-year transformation, the historic 175-year-old former Truro City Hall reopened in 2021 with the three-tier 1,352 seat Cornwall Playhouse, Green Room Café, Playhouse Bar and public spaces seamlessly integrated into the Grade II listed building.

We can’t wait to visit! See you there…

Join us at Hall for Cornwall on 18 March. We also have two ‘BSO on Your Doorstep’ chamber music performances on 19 March in St Ives and St Austell.