The ‘Game of Thrones’ actor will lend his talents to narrating Copland’s extraordinary orchestral work Lincoln Portrait.
“I am thrilled to be performing this historic work with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as part of their European tour. Past performances of the work have included speakers of high esteem, and I am delighted to be joining that list. I look forward to performing with the CSO as they make their debut performances at the Edinburgh International Festival, BBC Proms and San Sebastián’s Musical Fortnight festival.” – Charles Dance OBE
• British actor Charles Dance will perform alongside the orchestra at their Edinburgh, London and San Sebastián tour dates, reading the coveted role of narrator
• Dance is known for his extensive career across television, theatre and film, with recent credits including The Imitation Game, Me Before You and the 2016 Ghostbusters remake
• American composer Aaron Copland was commissioned to produce a work in celebration of an ‘eminent American’, choosing former president Abraham Lincoln as his subject
• Using fragments of Lincoln’s speeches and letters, including the famous Gettysburg Address, Copland created a dramatic piece of orchestral music that has stood the test of time
• In 1942, at the height of World War Two, the CSO premiered the musical tribute, and have performed the work with guest narrators throughout the last century
• Visitors to Scotland’s Edinburgh International Festival can hear the premiere of this piece with Charles Dance on 25th August at Usher Hall in the city’s West End
• The CSO will make its BBC Proms debut on 27th August in the historic Royal Albert Hall
• In total, eleven concerts in six countries will be held, including performances in Utrecht, Antwerp, Eindhoven, Santander and San Sebastián and Paris
• Founded in 1895, the CSO is the sixth oldest orchestra in the United States, and the first to be broadcast to a national radio audience in 1921
• Boasting a rich musical history with close ties to local communities in the state of Ohio, the CSO has been a fixture in the classical music scene in Cincinnati for well over a century