ASO Principal Tuba Stanley McDonald (see Playing Up on page 64) plays Vaughan Williams’ Tuba Concerto, written for Philip Catelinet who helped shape the work before its premiere in 1954 as part of the London Symphony Orchestra’s 50th jubilee at the Royal Festival Hall. Here it is bookended by Miriam Hyde’s Happy Occasion Overture and Schubert’s Fifth Symphony, in which the composer broke free of Beethoven’s influence and embraced Haydn and Mozart, whose Symphony No. 40 is referenced in the Menuetto. Nicholas Braithwaite conducts.

Limelight Editor’s Choice

Vaughan Williams’ whimsical Tuba Concerto showcases the instrument’s ability to dash through one solo melody and sing through the next – a striking range of expression you may not have expected from the hefty brass instrument. Principal Tuba Stanley McDonald will take the starring role in this rare concert experience. Australian composer Miriam Hyde’s Happy Occasion Overture captures the mood of this joyous afternoon that concludes with a bright Schubert symphony.