The Full Works Concert - Wednesday 29 October, 8pm
On tonight's programme, two brilliant soloists treat us to clarinet and cello concertos, and Delius pays tribute to his time in Florida.
Schumann - pictured - completed his Cello Concerto in A minor in just two weeks, shortly after he became the music director at Düsseldorf. But, although it is now performed with some regularity, the concerto spent many decades in obscurity, virtually unknown. Schumann was unable to secure a premiere of the work and initial reactions to his score were mostly very negative. It was finally premiered on 9 June 1860, four years after Schumann's death.
It is one of Schumann's more enigmatic works, perhaps because of its unusual structure as well as the personal, inward nature of the music and the lack of passages written to show off the technical skill of the cello soloist. Schumann famously abhorred receiving applause between movements. As a result, there are no breaks between any of the movements in the concerto; indeed, his skill in handling the two transitions between the three movements are among the concerto's most striking features. It's played tonight by Jamie Walton.
Richard Wagner: Tannhauser – Overture
Daniel Barenboim conducts Staatskapelle Berlin
Bernhard Crusell: Clarinet Concerto No.2 in F minor Opus 5
Clarinet: Emma Johnson
Charles Groves conducts the English Chamber Orchestra
Frederick Delius: Florida Suite
David Lloyd-Jones conducts the Orchestra of Opera North
Robert Schumann: Cello Concerto in A minor Opus 129
Cello: Jamie Walton
Vladimir Ashkenazy conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra
