Relief of Derry Symphony comes home

Londonderry’s UK City of Culture 2013 celebrations are set to rise in a suitably epic crescendo on December 20th when The Venue plays host to a special performance of The Relief of Derry Symphony by Shaun Davey.
By The Newsroom
Published 3rd Dec 2013, 10:43 BST

This official closing concert of the Derry-Londonderry 2013 programme is supported by JTI and will provide a rare opportunity to hear Davey’s epic narrative work, along with some of his most popular music of celebration including Newfoundland (from The Brendan Voyage), The Deer’s Cry, Fill to me the Parting Glass, and also Noel Eccles’ fantastic Arrival of the Olympic Flag for massed percussion.

This concert is certain to provide a fitting conclusion to Derry~Londonderry’s highly successful tenure as UK City of Culture 2013 and, with a Christmas carol or two thrown in, will get seasonal celebrations off to a good start.

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The Relief of Derry Symphony was originally commissioned by Derry City Council to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Siege of Derry in 1689 when the inhabitants of the city, in support of William of Orange, withstood the besieging army of James 1. First performed at The Guildhall in 1990, the music has since become known as the ‘Symphony of Peace.’

Over 200 singers and musicians will perform on and around a massive, specially-constructed stage at The Venue, Ebrington. The concert will feature many of the musicians who took part in the original performance. Together with the Ulster Orchestra, conducted by Gearóid Grant, will be the 120-strong choir directed by Donal Doherty, the pipe band led by Pipe Major Iain Macdonald, with pipers and trumpets from the Derry~Londonderry community , and soloists

Shaun Davey said: “It will be great to see the Relief symphony performed again where it belongs, on an epic scale. The concert is designed to represent the end of a journey and I hope, apart from being spectacular and beautiful, that it will salute the powerful achievements and emotions in the City of Culture 2013.”

Tickets for the concert, costing £26.50 including booking fee, are on sale now and are available from www.millenniumforum.co.uk.