Gary Hoffman, Mark Elder

A programme of

Slavonic Dances 5'
Cello Concerto 38'
Symphony No.8 36'

In the words of the great Czech conductor Vacláv Talich, Dvorák’s Eighth Symphony ‘sings of the joy of green pastures, of summer evenings, of the melancholy of blue forests, of the defiant merry-making of Czech peasants.’ It is a magnificent work that simply brims with great melodies and one that Sir Mark has often performed with the orchestra.

Gary Hoffman, a musician of rare artistry, performs the composer’s Cello Concerto for Manchester a second time. Arguably it is the greatest ever written and certainly the most symphonic. The concert opens with more of Dvorák’s Slavonic Dances.