Hope Metropolitan Orchestra: Village Scenes

28 Oct 2023

Liverpool Hope University

This October, the Hope Metropolitan Orchestra in Liverpool will perform a concert of music illustrating the diversity of old rural communities.

Imagine a village surrounded by deep countryside. At the centre is a church. Beyond are a couple of unmade roads, a tavern and a scattering of houses. Most people rise early to work on the land.

These are the pictures described in music by the Czech composer Dvořák and the Hungarians, Bartók and Kodály. There is a strong folk element, particularly of the lively dances which were such an important part of the workers’ leisure time. Vocal pieces follow traditional melodies whose origins date back centuries.

Dvořák takes a benign view of village life. Bartók and Kodály are much more realistic. While acknowledging the strengths of country customs, they point also to back-breaking work done in all weathers.