Westminster Philharmonic Orchestra Spring Concert 2025 - Elgar, Bernstein, and Bliss

Elgar: Overture In the South, Bernstein: On the Waterfront, Bliss: A Colour Symphony.

Colours of Heraldry Leonard Bernstein wrote only one film score, but that film was one of the most powerful of the 1950s. Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront is a powerful story of corruption and politics, which launched the career of Marlon Brando. When Arthur Bliss was commissioned to write for the Three Choirs Festival, his chance opening of a book on heraldry gave him the impetus for a dramatic symphony, with each movement taking the character associated with one of the heraldic colours. The commission was prompted by Edward Elgar, whose overture In The South marks an Italian holiday.