Farnborough Symphony Orchestra

At the start of a new year, the FSO is excited to be welcoming back cellist, Jonathan Ayling, to perform the Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations. Based on the style of Mozart, whom Tchaikovsky greatly admired, the work comprises a theme (written in the Rococo style) and seven variations and is the closest the composer came to a full cello concerto.

Jonathan's rendering of this technically challenging piece is not to be missed. The other major work in the concert is Brahms' 2nd Symphony, which was composed during a visit to Austria in 1877. With his typical humour, the composer wrote of it, "I have never written anything so sad, and the score must come out in mourning", although the symphony actually expresses a cheerful and pastoral mood!

The concert begins with an orchestral suite drawn from a baroque opera composed by Rameau in 1739. The opera tells the story of Dardanus, the son of Electra and Zeus in classical mythology. The plot is unremarkable and the music arguably works better out of context, providing an excellent curtain-raiser for the new year concert.

Guest Conductor : Robert Hodge
Soloist : Jonathan Ayling (Cello)

Programme:

Rameau : Suite from Dardanus
Tchaikovsky : Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
Brahms : Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73