Ely Sinfonia marks the return from lockdown with a chamber concert of glorious classics by Wagner, Haydn and Beethoven.
The concert starts with the highly evocative Siegfried Idyll. Ever the true romantic, Wagner composed this as a birthday gift to Cosima, his wife, following the birth of their son Siegfried. It borrows the principal love theme and forest bird melody from his opera Siegfried. Its delicious strains were first performed outside Cosima’s bedroom as she woke on her birthday, December 25th.
Rising British cello star, Joshua Lynch, then joins the orchestra to play Haydn's witty, lyrical Cello Concerto No 2 in D major. Cambridge-based Joshua is a prolific soloist, chamber musician and teacher. He has performed in some of the UK's most prestigious venues, such as Wigmore Hall and the Crucible, as well as the Leeds International Concert Series. He is a past winner of the Maurice Ravel International Academy of Music award (Musiciens Entre Guerre et Paix).
Arguably the best work for cello and orchestra coming out of the nineteenth century, Haydn’s Cello Concerto in D major is something of an enigma. There was some doubt over its authenticity for a while, but in fact, while apparently more relaxed and easy-going than the Cello Concerto in C major, it is technically much more difficult, demanding virtuoso playing from the soloist. It is been recorded by some of the world's best-known cello players, such as Mstislav Rostropovich, Jacqueline du Pré and Steven Isserlis.
Beethoven’s Symphony no 1 was an immediate success although somewhat unfairly criticised for its excessive use of wind instruments. Since then it has justifiably been one of his most popular works: it is simply magnificent.