Shostakovich's 2nd Cello Concerto with Alban Gerhardt

The BBC National Orchestra of Wales are joined by their Principal Conductor, Ryan Bancroft, to perform works by Sibelius, Shostakovich, and Anders Hillborg. The concert begins with Hillborg's Exquisite Corpse, named after a surrealist method of creation through collage, which contains quotations from his own compositions, and those of other composers, all woven into a tapestry of ever-evolving sound. Alban Gerhardt then joins the Orchestra as soloist in Shostakovich's 2nd Cello Concerto, a reflective work that he wrote to be performed at his 60th Birthday celebrations while convalescing after a heart attack. and the concert concludes in the mythical world of the Kalevala with Sibelius's suite of four tone poems that he wrote based on the poetry centring around the character Lemminkäinen.

Presented by Ian Skelly and recorded in BBC Hoddinott Hall on the 8th of January.

Anders Hillborg: Exquisite Corpse
Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No 2, Op 126
Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite, Op 22

Alban Gerhardt (cello)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Ryan Bancroft (conductor)

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