Isserlis Plays Haydn
Location: Poole
Date: 20-02-2013
Time: 19:30
Venue Details: Lighthouse
Works Performed
- Prokofiev : Sinfonietta
- Haydn : Cello Concerto No.2 in D
- Beethoven : Symphony No.7
Performers
- Conductor : Kirill Karabits
- Soloist: Steven Isserlis (Cello)
The original 1909 version of the Sinfonietta was written at a time when Prokofiev was turning away from the full orchestral sound and becoming increasingly interested in a pared-down Mozartian scale, although it was not performed until late in 1915 and then only after it had been reworked. Still unhappy with it, Prokofiev rewrote it once again in 1929. It comprises five short and immediately attractive movements, full of sudden key shifts and capricious energy.
Haydn composed his second Cello Concerto in 1783 for Antonín Kraft, a cellist in the Esterházy court orchestra. It was for many years thought to be the work of Kraft (who presumably offered help in the writing of the solo part) before the rediscovery in 1954 of the autographed manuscript, which had lain unnoticed in a Vienna archive for over 40 years, cleared up the question of the work’s authenticity once and for all.
The sustained appeal of the Seventh Symphony is immediate. Beethoven produced a remarkable range of colours from relatively modest orchestral forces, and his melodic invention was at a high level as well, but for the most part it’s a matter of rhythm. In none of his earlier symphonies is the sheer visceral impact of the rhythmic element so strongly felt; the themes themselves seem to grow out of the rhythmic patterns. Described by Wagner as “the apotheosis of the dance”, its momentum grows and erupts in a final triumph of frenzied fury.
This concert is part of the BSO's ongoing Beethoven Cycle - find out more here
This concert is also part of a wider series, The Virtuoso Cello, which celebrates the instrument's magnificence and diversity.
Pre-Concert Talk: 6.20 - 6.50pm
Free to all ticket-holders. Find out more here.
