Four Last Songs
Four Last Songs
We regret to announce that Lucy Crowe has had to withdraw from this performance due to seasonal illness. We are so grateful that the internationally-renowned soprano Elizabeth Llewellyn is stepping in to sing the same programme.
Wagner Overture to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, WWV 96
Strauss Oboe Concerto in D major, TrV 292
Wagner Prelude to Act III from ‘Lohengrin’, WWV 75
Strauss Four Last Songs, TrV 296
Elizabeth Llewellyn soprano
Gordon Hunt oboe
Marios Papadopoulos conductor
In 1948, Richard Strauss sensed the end was nigh. Germany lay in ruins, its major opera houses destroyed by war. As his attempts to ignite a cultural rebirth in his homeland proved futile, Strauss turned to music. His final goodbye was a series of four iconic orchestral songs that, in the words of David Bowie, ‘ache with love for a life quietly fading.’ Elizabeth Llewellyn joins the Orchestra for a performance of Strauss’s profoundly moving musical epitaph alongside the Orchestra’s Solo Oboe Gordon Hunt performing Strauss’s tender Oboe Concerto written just a few years earlier.
The Sheldonian Theatre is a unique space to experience live music. To see an interactive map of the theatre click here.
27 Nov 2025
Tickets: £18, £30, £40, £54
(Students from £5)
Duration: 120 min
Venue: Sheldonian Theatre, Broad Street
(Students from £5)
Upcoming events
View All EventsA Viennese New Year
04 Jan 2026 – 16:30
Prepare to party like its 1899 as the Oxford Philharmonic brings in the New Year with the stirring marches, pointed polkas and elegant waltzes of Austrian tradition.
Learn MoreChamber Music at Merton
18 Jan 2026 – 15:00
A captivating programme unfolds with the soloists of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, showcasing a rich blend of Czech and French musical traditions.
Learn MoreFUNomusica Family Concert: Family Film Favourites
18 Jan 2026 – 16:00
Alasdair Malloy and the Oxford Philharmonic proudly present another bold, brilliant, blockbusting programme, this time celebrating all your Family Film Favourites!
Learn MoreA Viennese New Year
Jan 04 2026 – 16:30
Prepare to party like its 1899 as the Oxford Philharmonic brings in the New Year with the stirring marches, pointed polkas and elegant waltzes of Austrian tradition.
Learn MoreChamber Music at Merton
Jan 18 2026 – 15:00
A captivating programme unfolds with the soloists of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, showcasing a rich blend of Czech and French musical traditions.
Learn MoreFUNomusica Family Concert: Family Film Favourites
Jan 18 2026 – 16:00
Alasdair Malloy and the Oxford Philharmonic proudly present another bold, brilliant, blockbusting programme, this time celebrating all your Family Film Favourites!
Learn More