Sinfonia ViVA, Clare Hammond

Duncan Ward - conductor
Clare Hammond - piano

Programme:
Prokofiev - Symphony No. 1 ‘Classical’
Hummel - Piano Concerto No. 2
Sibelius - Scene with Cranes from Kuolema
Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 4 ‘Italian’

One of the greatest virtuosos of his day, Johann Nepomuk Hummel was also a composer who rivalled Beethoven, and his output included some impressive piano concertos.

This performance from Sinfonia Viva offers the rare chance to experience his dazzling Second Concerto, a precursor to the Romanticism of Chopin and Mendelssohn. Nottingham’s own Clare Hammond, described by The Telegraph as a pianist of “amazing power and panache” is just the soloist to ignite its fireworks.

The rest of the programme is a box of contrasting delights, from the high spirits of Prokofiev’s First Symphony to Sibelius’s miniature, Scene with Cranes. Very different in mood, is Mendelssohn’s Fourth Symphony. Inspired by a trip to Italy, it revels in the sun-drenched landscape and atmospheric ancient sites, dancing through its effervescent finale.