Other concerts given by the Stoke Gothic Symphony Orchestra
In 1978, members of the North Staffs Symphony Orchestra formed the core of the ad hoc "Stoke Gothic Symphony Orchestra" in the performance of Havergal Brian's Gothic Symphony. The excitement and success of the event inspired Paul Shaw, its producer, to think about staging more concerts at the Victoria Hall, Hanley. With his team, Shaw went on to produce five more concerts between 1979 and 1981. Each had its own particular theme and all had the goal of raising awareness of the his next big challenge - to produce a performance of the huge comic opera - THE TIGERS, by Havergal Brian.Extracts from the foreword to the Gala Viennese Evening 1979
""" The Gothic Symphony Orchestra was formed for a one-off event - the performance of the ‘The Gothic'. The concert was an out-standing success. It received acclaim in both local and national press.
Spurred on by this success and by the urge to arrange further concerts using the fine musicians who took part in The Gothic, I decided this time to go for something completely different! A Gala Viennese Evening seemed an obvious choice and I therefore present, tonight, an unashamedly popular concert.
It is hoped that tonight's concert will be a springboard for another large scale and exciting musical enterprise. I refer to a proposed performance of ‘The Tigers' the huge comic opera by Havergal Brian. Apparently the original manuscript scores of the opera had been lost for many years, but they are now safe again,
The Tigers is a satirical anti-war opera in three acts and requires enlarged orchestra, large vocal cast and huge scenic effects. It has yet to receive its premiere. It was once said that no stage in Britain was big enough to hold a performance of it. No orchestral parts exist so these would all have to be copied from Brian's original spidery score. Stage sets and costumes would have to be designed and made. Money would have to be raised. What a challenge! """ PAUL SHAW
Covers from the concert programmes
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| Gala Viennese Evening 14 January 1979 |
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| The Planets 23 September 1979 |
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| War Requiem 11 November 1980 (programme missing - this is a copy of the draft of an inside page) |
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| Tchaikovsky Night 26 April 1981 |
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| Russian Pop Classics 4 October 1981 |
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