BBC National Orchestra of Wales, St David's Hall, Cardiff

BBC National Orchestra of Wales, St David's Hall, Cardiff | reviews, news & interviews

BBC National Orchestra of Wales, St David's Hall, Cardiff

Centaurs with brains as well as brawn attract Simon Holt in new concerto

by Stephen WalshFriday, 12 November 2010

Piero di Cosimo: 'The Fight Between the Lapiths and the Centaurs'National Gallery

How much do you know about centaurs? Probably you know they are horses below the withers, human above. But did you know they were heavy drinkers who once got out of hand at the wedding of the King of the Lapiths, tried to rape the bride and got beaten up for their pains?

The core of the work is the centaurs’ double nature, which is perhaps why Holt has written it as a double concerto

Explore topics

Share this article

The future of Arts Journalism

You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!

We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d

And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

more Classical music

Classical CDs: Woden, waltzes and watchmaking Big box sets, a great British symphony and a pair of solo cello discs

Messiah, Wild Arts, Chichester Cathedral review - a dynamic battle between revelatory light and Stygian gloom This supple inventive interpretation of the 'Messiah' thrillingly delivers the story

Messiah, Academy of Ancient Music, Cummings, Barbican review - once more, with real feeling The seasonal standby returns with heart, zest and grace

Christmas with Connaught Brass, Milton Court review - delightful seasonal fare from Bach to Boulanger Young quintet dazzle with their technical accomplishment and easy charm

Classical CDs: Christmas 2024 The year's best seasonal releases

Giltburg, Bournemouth SO, Wigglesworth, Portsmouth Guildhall review - seemingly effortless élan New chief conductor turns Tchaikovsky waltz king, and a Rachmaninov partnership flows

Bach Mendelssohn Festival, Part I, Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra review - the flame that never died Top-flight performers show how a musical legacy endured

Currie, Hallé, Wong, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester review - sparkle and intrigue Energy and excitement in MacMillan… and then a surprise

Rajakesar, Selaocoe, The Hermes Experiment, Wigmore Hall review - a joyful, fascinating laboratory of noise Celebrating the avant-garde through different cultures

Classical CDs: Vitamins, kings and magic spells A neglected ballet score, romantic piano concertos and contemporary British music

Kavakos, Philharmonia, Blomstedt, RFH review - a supreme valediction forbidding mourning Nonagenarian conductor provides the flow, his players the passion, in Mahler's Ninth

Perianes, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Payare, Barbican review - elegance and drama but not enough bite Often dynamic Venezuelan conductor misses the darkness of the 'Symphonie fantastique'

Follow @theartsdesk