Senior Orchestra

Programme notes

These programme notes have been specially written for a junior school audience. They introduce the music and its composers in a fun, accessible way, helping young listeners discover interesting facts and enjoy the music as they listen.

1. Violin Concerto in G minor - Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875–1912)

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a British composer whose father came from Sierra Leone in West Africa and whose mother was English. He showed great musical talent from a young age and became famous for his beautiful compositions.

A concerto is a piece of music written for a solo instrument and an orchestra. In this work, the violin takes centre stage, sometimes playing gentle, singing melodies and sometimes racing along with exciting, dramatic music. As you listen, see if you can hear the violin and orchestra answering one another and notice how the mood of the music changes.

2. Lieutenant Kijé - Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953)

Sergei Prokofiev was a Russian composer who loved creating music full of character, surprises and exciting sounds. Lieutenant Kijé was originally written for a film about a made-up soldier who appears because of a mistake in an official report. Even though Lieutenant Kijé never really existed, he somehow becomes part of the story!

As you listen, imagine a soldier marching proudly through a grand palace. Can you hear the steady beat of the march, the warm sound of the strings and the bright notes of the trumpet? The music changes mood throughout, sometimes sounding funny and playful, sometimes grand and sometimes rather sad. See if you can picture the adventures of this imaginary soldier as the orchestra brings his story to life!