Chester Philharmonic at Chester Cathedral

Chester Philharmonic Orchestra

Please join us for our second concert of the 21-22 season, featuring a welcome return of cellist Findlay Spence to perform Dvořák’s much loved Cello Concerto in B minor. Findlay gave a dazzling performance of Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto with us back in June 2019. We are thrilled that he joins forces with us once again, providing another fabulous opportunity to enjoy his virtuosity.

Mozart’s Magic Flute Overture (K620) opens the concert to give a thrilling and magical atmosphere from one of the greatest operas written. Although now widely acknowledged to be one of Mozart’s finest overtures, it was not a great success at its first performance with a critic deeming the content and language to be ‘too low’. It was crafted more in the style of a modern-day musical with spoken dialogue as opposed to the traditional recitatives that comprised the acknowledged operatic style of the day. 

It is incredible to think that Dvořák was initially reluctant to write a cello concerto, as he felt that a solo cello could be easily overwhelmed by an orchestra! However, after much persuasion from his cellist friend Hanus Wihan, he completed the work and it received its first performance in London on 19th March 1895. it is one of his last symphonic works and conjures up Bohemian folk melodies reminiscent of his childhood in Czechoslovakia. Brahms' grumble-cum-compliment is well known: "If I'd known it was possible to write a 'cello concerto like this I'd have written one long ago."

The second symphony of Sibelius was written following the success of Finlandia and at a time when Russia was challenging Finland’s independence and culture. It became a further focus of nationalism in Finland. The symphony calls for a large orchestra which is used to the full to colourfully portray Finnish character and countryside.