Ian Fountain is guest soloist for Worthing Symphony Orchestra

With three Assembly Hall concerts already under their belt so far in 2023, their next promises to be something rather special, says spokeswoman Jennie Osborne: “Featuring not one great composer, but two, the aptly titled Beethoven and Brahms features a luscious symphony by the former and a mighty piano concerto by the latter.

“Beethoven’s 8th Symphony is one of his most uplifting works. Described as a miracle of beauty by the great Italian maestro Riccardo Chailly, Beethoven himself considered it one of his finest works.

"The concert opens with another Beethoven delight – his overture from The Ruin of Athens – a rare piece, not often played or heard in the concert hall and composed in 1811, just two years before he wrote the 8th.

“Then there is Brahms’ monumental Piano Concerto No 1 in D minor, which began life as a work for two pianos, morphed into a four-movement symphony before ending up as an epic piano concerto. An epic work requires an epic player and they don’t come much better than guest soloist Ian Fountain who gave a memorable performance of Beethoven’s 2nd last season. There is great anticipation of his return to the Worthing stage to play one of Brahms’ best loved concertos.

“It’s not all wall-to-wall B&B though! Music director John Gibbons’ eclectic and imaginative programming means that there is always a little something extra and unusual on the musical menu. On this occasion it comes from Max Reger, one of Germany’s finest late romantic composers who, John says, is hardly known in this country, more’s the pity. Der Geigende Eremit (The Hermit Fiddler), was inspired by a Bocklin painting and features a solo violin, contrasted by a group of muted strings and another group un-muted. It has been favourably compared to Vaughan William’s The Lark Ascending and I am delighted for WSO to be able to play it for our audience.”

The concert starts at 2.45pm and tickets are available online at wtm.uk or via the box office on 01903 206206.

Ian Fountain was educated as a chorister at New College, Oxford and later at Winchester College. He studied piano under Sulamita Aronovsky at the Royal Northern College of Music.

Since that time he has enjoyed a wide-ranging and varied career, performing extensively throughout Europe, the USA, the UK and the Far East, with orchestras such as the London Symphony and Sir Colin Davis, the Israel Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta, and the Czech Philharmonic and Jiri Belohlavek.

He has also performed with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Philharmonia, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Hallé and City of Birmingham Symphony.