Clare College Music Society Michaelmas Concert 2026

By Mozart, Respighi, Elgar.

Mozart - Serenade No. 6 in D Major 'Serenata Notturna', K. 239
Conductor - Adam Readman

Respighi - Trittico Botticelliano
Conductor - Jamie Knights

Elgar - Enigma Variations, Op. 36
Conductor - Oscar Davis

In the 700th anniversary year of Clare College, CCMS presents an exciting and varied programme of orchestral music, led by fantastic Clare student conductors.

Mozart's Serenata Notturna (1776) is a charming piece for four string soloists, accompanied by a string orchestra with the unusual addition of timpani.

Respighi evokes three paintings by Sandro Botticelli (c.1445-1510) in his Trittico (1927) for small orchestra. All three hang today in the Uffizzi Gallery in Florence: La Primavera (Spring), L’Adorazione dei Magi (The Adoration of the Magi), and La Nascita di Venere (The Birth of Venus). The middle movement makes effective use of the medieval hymn O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, often performed during Advent.

Elgar's Enigma Variations (1899) is one of his most-performed works. The original theme is treated to a set of fourteen colourful and moving variations, each depicting one of Elgar's close friends. Simultaneously, the still-unsolved 'Enigma' theme persists throughout the work, giving the piece its name.