The English masters of majestic music - Walton and Elgar - will open and close the first major concert of the New Year by Slaithwaite Philharmonic Orchestra next weekend.

Sandwiched between Walton’s Crown Imperial and Elgar’s Symphony No 2, will be the well-known Symphony No 5 by Sibelius, a piece that the orchestra’s conductor Benjamin Ellin describes as having an “all-embracing” glory.

Ellin says the trio of works produce a united concert of life-affirming music. Crown Imperial was originally written for the coronation of Edward VIII, which was to take place in 1937, but after the abdication the overture was used for the coronation of George VI. It has since become one of the composer’s best-loved marches and was performed at the coronation of the current queen in 1953 and again, as a recessional piece, at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011. It is said that Walton modelled Crown Imperial on Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance marches.

Elgar’s 2nd Symphony was, according to the composer himself, “a pilgrimage of the soul”. The work was intended as a loyal gift to King Edward VII but the monarch died before its completion, which made the premiere in 1911 an emotionally-charged event.

This second symphony followed Elgar’s first by only three years but reflects the rapidly-changing world that he found himself in - with tensions building up to WWI. It was not as popular as the first symphony, which has a jaunty confidence, but is considered to be more complex and dramatic and has rich harmonies and beautiful melodies.

In contrast, Sibelius’ 5th Symphony was an immediate triumph after its premiere in 1915 on the composer’s 50th birthday. He had been commissioned to write the piece by the Finnish government. It is the revised and finished version, first performed in 1919, that is commonly heard today.

Ellin says there is a reason why the symphony took hold of the public imagination and explained: “It’s vibrancy, optimism and affirmation of life and hope following the composer’s successful battle with cancer is clear from the off.” Sibelius had endured an operation for suspected throat cancer in 1907, an event that had a major influence on his subsequent works.

The concert, on Saturday, January 17, in Huddersfield Town Hall, is one of four that will be performed by SPO in 2015. According to Chris Woodhead, SPO’s secretary: “This is a mainstream concert. The Elgar symphony is one of the great orchestral works and the Sibelius is popular and well-known. We have tried to find works that our audience will know and enjoy as well as those that the members of the orchestra enjoy playing.”

There will be a discussion in the main hall about the music at 6.30pm before the concert, which starts at 7.30pm. Tickets are from £9 to £18 from 01484 223200. Children accompanied by adults are admitted free to the stalls and gallery.