TIL New Year 2018

I Musicanti.
ALEXANDRA AND THE RUSSIANS
AT ST JOHN’S SMITH SQUARE
Chamber ensemble I Musicanti
returns to St John’s Smith Square’s
‘Sundays at St John’s’ series on
21 January for the third concert in their
series: Alexandra and the Russians.
I Musicanti is a mixed-instrument
ensemble comprising some of Britain's
most experienced and respected
musicians, chosen by artistic director
Leon Bosch. It is Bosch who is also
responsible for putting together the
programmes for Alexandra and the
Russians, a four-concert series which
features world premieres by Alexandra
Harwood alongside classics of the
Russian chamber music repertoire as
well as less familiar pieces.
Harwood, a descendant of Catherine
the Great, bases each of her new works
in the series on episodes from Russian
folk tales. To Sleep, the work to be
premiered on 21 January, takes the
original Russian version of Snow White
as its source, and focuses on her deep
sleep. It is scored for pairs of violins,
violas and cellos, thereby using the
same line-up as Tchaikovsky’s ‘Souvenir
de Florence’, one of the most celebrated
(and celebratory) string sextets.
A memento of a trip the composer made
to Tuscany, it ends the concert which
begins with Anton Arensky’s second
quartet. Arensky’s tribute to Tchaikovsky
has the unusual instrumentation of
single violin and viola with two cellos.
The series Alexandra and the
Russians concludes on Sunday 3 June.
KEW’S FIRST THAI-INSPIRED
ORCHIDS FESTIVAL
Thailand’s vibrant colours, culture,
and magnificent plant life will be the
centrepiece of Kew Gardens 2018
Orchids Festival in February. Inside the
tropical paradise of the Princess of
Wales Conservatory, visitors to Kew’s
23rd annual Orchids Festival will get a
chance to shake off the winter blues and
get creative through a host of exciting
new events and activities designed to
appeal to all ages.
Colourful floral displays will welcome
visitors as they enter the tropical
glasshouse and wander through a
magnificently colourful Vanda tunnel,
with three arches delicately covered with
hanging orchids. Beautifully handcrafted
floating Thai umbrellas will lead to an
exquisite Bang Pa-In-inspired orchid
palace. A traditional Thai market boat
and rice paddy form an exquisite water
display, representing a typical bucolic
scene, complete with a special Thai cart
on loan from the Royal Thai Embassy in
London.
As well as the stunning visual
displays, visitors will be immersed in
the sounds of Thailand’s everyday hustle
and bustle via four different specially
commissioned soundscapes playing
inside the glasshouse. From the
grinding of ingredients and the sizzling
of spices in a pan, to the tranquil sounds
of an exotic spa and the regal stirrings of
a palace, all aspects of Thailand’s culture
are captured throughout the diverse
soundtracks.
Thailand is home to 1,100 species of
orchid. Botanists have been naming and
describing orchids for more than 250
years and Kew is a world leader in this
field. Last year alone, 600 new species
were discovered worldwide, including
three from Thailand. Many orchids have
important medicinal properties as well
as being revered globally for their
delicate beauty.
The Princess of Wales Conservatory
film room will be transformed into a
versatile Thai themed activity area,
where visitors can take a seat, put their
feet up and learn about the beauty of
orchids, and the important science work
Kew is doing through a specially
commissioned film.
7
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e