Ripon’s St Cecilia Orchestra will be joined by international soloists Jack Liebeck (violin) and Tim Lowe (cello) at Ripon Cathedral on Saturday 25th April, in a programme of Romantic greats: Brahms, Dvorak and Weber.
The concert opens with the overture to Weber’s final opera, Oberon: an early Romantic masterpiece telling the story of the knight Hüon and the magic horn gifted to him by Oberon (the sounds of which are heard played by the Fench horns in the opening bars of the overture). The work was premiered on 12th April 1826, almost 200 years ago to the day before this concert!
Next, the orchestra will be joined by Jack Liebeck and Tim Lowe in Brahms’ mighty Double Concerto. The concerto has been described as a ‘titanic work, seemingly hewn from musical granite’ (LA Philharmonic) and it is the final work Brahms composed for orchestra. Jack Liebeck is known for his ‘flawless technical mastery’ and ‘beguiling silvery tone’ (BBC Music magazine) and is in demand around the world as a soloist. He can be heard playing on the soundtracks of Jane Eyre, Anna Karenina and The Theory of Everything and has had two concertos composed for him. Tim Lowe is praised for his ‘remarkable agility and assertive sound’ (James Palmer) and his ‘outstanding musicianship’ (Musical Opinion). He is in demand as a soloist and chamber musician as well as featuring as guest principal cello for many prestigious orchestras. He is looking forward to this collaboration with Jack and with St Cecilia, saying ‘Playing one of Brahms’ most loved works with Jack, conducted by Xen Kelsey with his fabulous orchestra, will fill Ripon Cathedral with drama, warmth, and in the last moments joy, with its triumphant A major finish’.
The concert concludes with what many consider to be the pinnacle of Dvorak’s symphonic output: the dramatic Symphony No 7. Commissioned by the London Philharmonic Society, but inspired by Dvorak’s intense patriotism and the struggle for a Czech homeland independent from the Habsburgs, the symphony is full of emotion and Slavonic melodies, culminating in a jubilant finale.
Tickets for the concert, priced at £20-£35 for adults and free for under 18s can be purchased via Ticketsource. Unreserved tickets are also available from the Little Ripon Bookshop, Harrogate Theatre box office, and on the door from 6.45pm on concert day.
