The Full Works Concert - Monday 5 May 2014

Anne-Marie Minhall, sitting in for Jane Jones, starts the week with a bang - Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture - and ends with a patriotic symphony from Dvořák.

Anne-Marie Minhall, sitting in for Jane Jones, concert kicks off tonight's Full Works Concert with Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. From the introductory Russian hymn to the bombastic cannon fire that concludes this unashamedly nationalistic piece, it’s one of the best examples of how Tchaikovsky was a master of orchestration.

Boccherini's String Quintet in E major is famous for its minuet third movement, often played as a standalone piece outside of the context of the full quintet. The minuet has been used extensively in movies, television, and video games, among others. It was most notably used in The Ladykillers starring Sir Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers.

Patrick Hawes, a former Classic FM Composer in Residence, first gained widespread public recognition with the 2004 release of his debut album Blue in Blue, a collection of choral and orchestral pieces. Made CD of the week on Classic FM in 2004, it was nominated for a Classical Brit award. Hawes' Bluebird Variations taken from that album is based on a theme from Stanford's famous choral song.

Dvořák's Seventh Symphony was the only one he wrote under a commission. The work was completed in a mere three months and Dvořák himself conducted the premiere in London’s St. James’s Hall on 22 April 1885. That’s the reason given for it’s title – the London symphony – but this is perhaps one of his most nationalistic works, packed with references to his Czech homeland and full of Slavonic melodies. If you’re in any doubt – Dvořák himself underlined his emotional connection when he wrote his own proclamation on the score; ‘God, Love and Country’.

Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture Opus 49
Claudio Abbado conducts the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra 

Luigi Boccherini: String Quintet in E major Opus 13 No.5
Vanbrugh Quartet
Cello: Richard Lester 

Patrick Hawes: Blue Bird Variations
Soloists: Janet Coxwell, Andrew West
Patrick Hawes conducts the English Chamber Orchestra and Conventus 

Antonin Dvořák: Symphony No.7 in D minor Opus 70
Neeme Jarvi conducts the Royal Scottish National Orchestra