Tickets are £15. Under 25s free.
Tickets may be purchased at the door or reserved in advance by either
‘phoning 01206 271128 or emailing a.j.arnold@outlook.com
Beethoven’s Triple Concerto for violin, cello and piano was completed in 1804. Listen out for the solo cello that introduces each melody, often in a high register so that the cello can be heard, particularly when all three solo instruments are playing. Our soloists are our Leader Philippa Barton. Principal cellist: John Chillingworth and pianist: Alisdair Hogarth.
Philippa Barton leads several ensembles, such as the Kings Chamber Orchestra, and Essex, Colchester, and City of Cambridge Symphony Orchestras. She also plays with other orchestras, such as English Touring Opera, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the London Mozart Players and the City of London Sinfonia.
As a soloist, Philippa’s repertoire includes concerti by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Bruch, Mozart, Bach and Vivaldi. She and Alisdair Hogarth have collaborated in recitals, performing programmes including sonatas by Franck, Elgar and Debussy.
John Chillingworth began his professional career as the cellist (for seven years) of the Guadagnini String Quartet, for two years he was Assistant Principal Cellist of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, and then, for twenty-five years was Principal Cellist of English National Opera. John is now a freelance cellist. He also conducts the Lexden Choral Society, Sudbury Choral Society, the newly formed Essex Youth Choir and Southend Symphony Orchestra. John is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists.
Alisdair Hogarth made his concerto debut in 1996 as soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and has since performed with a variety of orchestras, including tours of Hungary and the Czech Republic. Alisdair has broadcast for BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. Performances have included recitals at Wigmore Hall, concerts at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Cadogan Hall, Bridgewater Hall and Philharmonic Hall, as well as recitals for international festivals.
We start our concert with Beethoven’s Fidelio Overture. Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, was revised extensively. There are four overtures – the first three are entitled Leonore (Nos 1, 2 and 3) after the heroine’s name and the original title of the opera. The fourth overture is Fidelio, Leonora’s pseudonym, and the final title of the opera. Nowadays the Fidelio overture is performed before the opera, with Leonore no 3 between the two acts.
Brahms wrote his 4th Symphony during the summers of 1884 and 1885, while he was in a quiet Austrian town in the Alps. Despite his beautiful surroundings this symphony has tragic undertones. Many critics today regard it as his finest work in the genre. Brahms was concerned as to how the symphony would be received. He conducted the first performance in October 1885 and the audience responded by applauding each movement. Listen out for the variations on a Bach cantata in the final movement.
