Elgar Introduction and Allegro
Peter Sculthorpe Sonata for Strings No 3
Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Gareth Farr Relict Furies for mezzo soprano and double string orchestra (EIF commission, World Premiere)
Tippett Concerto for Double String Orchestra

A vibrant celebration of the richness and diversity of music-making across the Commonwealth. The Scottish Ensemble brings together 14 of Scotland's foremost string players in a tightly knit ensemble, famed for its luminous, ardent performances. It is joined by Commonwealth Strings, a group of exceptional young string players selected from across the Commonwealth for this Festival performance, in a concert contrasting glorious English classics and rich Antipodean evocations.

Elgar's noble yet virtuosic Introduction and Allegro is joined by Vaughan Williams's mystical 'Tallis Fantasia', interspersed with the vivid nature evocations of Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe's joyful Third Sonata for Strings and a new Festival commission from leading New Zealand composer Gareth Farr, sung by mezzo soprano Sarah Connolly. The concert ends with the jazzy rhythms of Tippett's thrilling Concerto for Double String Orchestra.

Scottish Ensemble: 'exquisite'

The Scotsman

In association with the Royal Over-Seas League

This concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.