Join us for our first concert of the new season as de Havilland Philharmonic Orchestra perform a concert in the very traditional format of an overture-concerto-symphony!
- Glinka – Ruslan and Ludmilla (Overture)
- Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto in D
- Shostakovich – Symphony No. 11
The orchestra opens the concert with Glinka’s sparkling overture to the operatic love story of Ruslan and Ludmila, one of the best known of orchestral showpieces. Joining the orchestra for Tchaikovsky’s much loved Violin Concerto is soloist Mathilde Milwidsky. The piece was written in Geneva in 1878, where he was staying to recuperate after his doomed marriage. It is a very lush and romantic piece, composed with the assistance of his student Iosif Kotek with whom he was probably having an affair, and closes the first half of our concert.
The main work, Shostakovich’s 11th Symphony (subtitled The Year 1905), is a powerful depiction of the dramatic events of the Russian Revolution of that year. The movements describe the brooding quietness of the Palace Square before the soldiers march in on the protesters with devastating consequences. Then follows a beautiful lament for the fallen and the symphony closes with a stance of defiance.
About Mathilde Milwidsky
Mathilde Milwidsky (b. 1994) is a violinist who was named a 2023 Classic FM Rising Star and One to Watch by Gramophone Magazine and has been praised by The Strad’s Charlotte Gardner for her “perfect intonation and beautiful shaping and colouring, comprehensively nailing each new stylistic and emotional universe as she went”.
She has performed as a soloist at leading concert halls such as Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Flagey (Brussels), Kings Place, Cadogan Hall and St John’s Smith Square. Her frequent radio appearances have included Scala Radio’s ‘One to Watch’and BBC Radio 3 ‘In Tune’. She was the sole British violinist to be selected for the 2024 Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition, and in 2019 she was awarded 3rd Prize and a Special Prize at the prestigious Windsor Festival International String Competition. In 2021 and 2022 Mathilde was invited to the Verbier Festival Academy on the Soloist & Chamber Music Programme, as one of only seven violinists chosen worldwide. As of September 2024, Mathilde is a Professor of violin at the Royal College of Music, London.
Photo: Neda Navaee
For events taking place at the Weston Auditorium, Bar Ambition is the place to go for food and drink. We strongly advise pre-ordering any refreshments to avoid a delay in the interval. Click here to find out more.
All tickets now include a complimentary concert programme. Please note that all UH Student tickets will be allocated within the upper circle of the auditorium.
Please note, our Box Office is cashless. We can only accept card and contactless payments.
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