Christmas with the Snowman
Our unique Christmas with the Snowman concert is an unmissable opportunity to see Harrogate Symphony Orchestra performing the world premiere of the Snowman Symphony by Howard Blake, narrated by Oliver Longstaff, and featuring a small choir with members of Harrogate Choral Society. And for the first time ever, if you can’t join us at the Royal Hall, you’ll be able to enjoy the concert online via live stream.
The Snowman began as an animated film with music in 1982, was enlarged into a 55-minute ballet in 1993 and was further extended that year into a 90-minute stage show. This was revised and extended again in 2000, and the show continues to run in the theatre in this form. The Symphony draws on all of these materials and features many of the melodies from the original animated film, including “Walking in the Air”, as well as new themes that build on the magic of the story by Raymond Briggs.
The symphony will be the second half of the concert. In the first you can hear:
- Anderson – A Christmas Festival
- Rutter – Shepherd’s Pipe Carol
- Hess – A Christmas Overture
- Gruber – Silent Night*
…and a favourite for anyone who has ever attended an HSO Family Christmas Concert:
- Albrecht & Aldhouse – Reindeer on the Roof!*
* Arr Western, with permission
YouTube
- A Christmas Festival, Anderson - 1962 Decca recording with Leroy Anderson
- Shepherd's Pipe Carol, Rutter - From the Kings College Cambridge 'Nine Lessons & Carols', 1992
- A Christmas Overture, Hess - John Rutter and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Programme Notes
See above for full details of this concert’s programme.