Petersfield Orchestra

Petersfield Musical Festival

Smetana: Blaník

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto no. 2

Dvořák: Symphony no. 8

In this showpiece concert, Robin Browning conducts the Petersfield Orchestra in three classic works from eastern Europe.

Smetana’s Blaník, the last of his six tone poems depicting his native Bohemia, evokes the mountain beneath which, according to legend, St. Wenceslas sleeps with his army of knights.

Jamie Cochrane will be the soloist in Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto no. 2 with its powerful, brooding opening and world-famous slow movement.

Dvořák’s Symphony no. 8 was written to celebrate his election to the Bohemian Academy of Science, Literature and Arts. Combining an optimistic mood with Dvořák’s love of the countryside, the music has been described as ‘a colourful tapestry of human and natural imagery.’