Dvořák & Mendelssohn

Programme

From wistful melodies to jubilant brass, experience the full range of Dvořák’s compositional mastery in one vivid evening of music.

Described by The Guardian’s Tom Service as “35 minutes of life-enhancing joy”, the Eighth Symphony crackles with an irresistible energy: adventurous rhythms bring to life Dvořák’s Bohemian homeland, while his unmatched ear for melody leaves you humming all the way home.

Sometimes intimate, sometimes muscular and heroic, Dvořák’s Cello Concerto is the ultimate test for any cellist: a window into the mind of a composer totally at one with their music, able to express a world of emotion in a single gesture.

But first, ten minutes of wit and sparkle. Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel’s only known orchestral work grows from a peaceful opening into a fleet-footed tune that effortlessly darts and dives across the orchestra, full of virtuosic strings and expressive woodwind.