CSO Lamb & Hayward Masterworks: Ravel, Elgar, Beethoven

Ravel Boléro

Elgar Cello Concerto in E minor Op. 85

Beethoven Symphony No. 8 in F Major Op. 93

Shizuo Kuwahara - Conductor

Li-Wei Qin - Cello

Maurice Ravel’s Boléro, composed in 1928, is a lively and unique work. Commissioned by the highly-influential French dancer and actress Ida Rubinstein, Ravel took inspiration for Boléro from the mood and rhythms of the Spanish dance of the same name. Sensuous at first, then heady and overwhelming, it ends in a sudden, blazing rupture. A perfect match for Rubinstein, who was a trailblazing figure of the arts.

From the explosive to the intimate, with Elgar’s Cello Concerto. Composed by Elgar in the aftermath of World War I, this concerto is pure emotion, a lament to the dead who were lost to war. The cello sings, weary and melancholic, as the piece arrives in loss and nostalgia. We welcome Li-Wei Qin as soloist, who is described as a “superbly stylish, raptly intuitive performer”. This concerto, once overlooked, is now one of the most popular works in the international repertoire. It’s aching, restless, and unmissable. There’s no doubt this will leave you moved.

Beethoven’s Symphony No.8 brings mischief. Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1812, Symphony No.8, or his “little” symphony as it’s widely known, arrived as a jokester in the Classical music repertoire. Puckish, playful, and full of humour, this piece lightens the mood with its good nature. But don’t be deceived, while Beethoven himself considered it lightweight; it packs a punch with its sharpness and invention.

With thanks to PKF Goldsmith Fox, CSO Soloist Partner.