The Canberra Symphony Orchestra returns to the concert hall for the first Llewellyn Series in 2015 to pay tribute to Finnish composer Sibelius on the occasion of his 150th anniversary.
Conducted by the CSO’s Chief Conductor and Artistic Director, Dr Nicholas Milton, the evening will feature a program of celebrated works including Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5, one of the most beloved works in the symphonic canon.
“There is no question that it is enormously challenging to play, yet musicians love to perform it, and audiences love to hear it,” Dr Milton said.
“For me, this is one of his most fascinating compositions. This symphony is the work in which he most successfully forged a new direction in terms of structure, and is one of the composer’s most distinctive and unusual compositions.”
This concert is supported by the Embassy of Finland in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Sibelius’ birth.
The program opens with Schubert’s Magic Harp Overture, and will then feature the award winning New Zealand cellist Edward King (pictured above) in his Australian orchestral debut performing Dvorák’s ravishing Cello Concerto.
Currently studying at the University of the Arts in Berlin, 24-year-old Edward King says he has a deep connection with the technically demanding piece.
“Dvorák wrote the concerto in America, on the other side of the world from his native Bohemia, and the cello concerto seems to evoke his homeland. Perhaps this is something I can personally relate to, being based on the other side of the world to my homeland, New Zealand,” King said.
“Dvorák is a really special concerto to perform for every cellist. Until the 20th century, only a handful of cello concertos were written, as the cello wasn’t really considered to be a solo instrument in the same way the violin and piano were.”
“I’m very excited that this will be my first orchestral performance in Australia, and am thrilled to be performing with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra,” he said.
When: Wednesday 1 April and Thursday 2 April
Time: Concert starts at 7.30pm
Where: Llewellyn Hall, Australian National University
Tickets are available from cso.org.au.
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