Concert: Sat 16 Nov 2013
Venue:St George's Bristol
Conductors:Will Goodchild
Soloist:Nicholas McCarthy (Piano)
Start time:19:30
Programme
| Britten: | Diversions on a Theme for Piano. |
| Khachaturian: | Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia from Spartacus: Suite No 2. |
| Mahler: | Symphony No. 1 |
To celebrate the centenary of Benjamin Britten’s birth, Nicholas McCarthy, who played at the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games 2012, performs “Diversions” for piano left hand and orchestra, ingeniously written and in the form of a theme and eleven variations. This is an exciting and historic event - Nicholas is the first one handed pianist to play this left hand concerto since Wittgenstein played it at the Proms in 1950. It's a stunning concerto, written by a British composer in the middle of the Second World War and debuting in the U.S with a former German soldier of the First World War (when he lost his right hand in battle) and by a German Jew. The concert opens with the Adagio from the ballet “Spartacus”, instantly recognisable as the warmly romantic opening music from the TV series “The Onedin Line”. Mahler’s first symphony, a youthful work replete with echoes of a bygone bucolic age, provides a suitably exciting climax to an evening of extraordinary auditory delights. We are very grateful for the support and sponsorship of Ovation Finance Limited of Bristol.
