Gary Hoffman , Mark Elder

A programme of

Slavonic Dances 5'
Cello Concerto 38'
Symphony No.7 41'

Gary Hoffman, one of the great cellists of our time, is the soloist in Dvorák’s concerto, the final work of his American period. Perhaps the finest cello concerto ever composed, it is full of nostalgia for Dvorák’s homeland. When his friend and mentor Brahms first heard it he was profoundly impressed, wishing he had written such a work himself.

Dvorák’s Seventh Symphony owes much to the influence of Brahms, but it is also distinctively Czech. Its overall mood is turbulent and tragic, throwing into sharp relief the unrestrained exuberance of its ending: a rallying call to Dvorák’s compatriots in the face of Austro-Hungarian oppression. Czech nationalism also colours the opening of the concert in the form of a selection of ebullient Slavonic Dances