Unfortunately, due to illness, Sergei Krylov is no longer able to perform with us. We are grateful to Simone Lamsma for joining us at short notice and wish Sergei a speedy recovery.
Russian violinist Sergej Krylov is this evening鈥檚 soloist for Sibelius鈥檚 Violin Concerto. 鈥楧reamt I was 12 years old and a virtuoso.鈥� So the 50-year-old Sibelius noted, wistfully, in his diary in 1915. Sibelius began his musical career with high hopes of becoming a concert violinist. When destiny forged another path for him, he expressed his relationship with his instrument through this, his only concerto; premiered in 1904, it is a work that combines intense virtuosity with profound depths of expression.
We also hear Brahms鈥檚 tempestuous First Symphony 鈥� completed by the composer aged forty-three, despite having been started some twenty years earlier. Initially dubbed as 鈥楤eethoven鈥檚 Tenth鈥� by critics 鈥� the work turned out to be something a lot more poetic and personal.
The Prelude to Act I of Lohengrin opens tonight鈥檚 programme and was Wagner鈥檚 first internationally recognized masterpiece.
Free pre-concert talk at 6.45pm by Judy Blezzard.
The concert will be finished by approximately 9.25pm.