The MPO performs Rachmaninoff’s dramatic Symphony No. 2

For its next symphonic concert, the MPO will be performing in Rachmaninoff 2 on November 19 at Teatru Astra, under the baton of Principal Conductor Sergey Smbatyan. 

The night will kick off with Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in memory of Benjamin Britten. Scored for strings and bell, the work encapsulates tranquil minimalistic sounds reflecting Britten’s musical purity.  

Camille Thomas joins the MPO (Malta Philharmonic Orchestra) to interpret Elgar’s Cello Concerto, his last completed masterpiece and one of the most popular in the instrument’s repertoire.  The renowned cellist worked with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Academia Santa Cecilia and Staatsorchester Hamburg in the Elbphilharmonie amongst others and plays the famous ‘Feuermann’ Stradivarius 1730 as a loan from the Nippon Music Foundation. 

The evening will conclude with the undoubted highlight –  Rachmaninoff’s dramatic Symphony No. 2, a poignant and deeply evocative work quintessentially late Romantic in emotion and lyricism. The Symphony follows the traditional four-part structure of the Classical and Romantic period.  As in Tchaikovsky’s later symphonies, however, the whole work is bound together by a “motto” figure which is heard in the low strings at the opening of the first movement. It serves as a foil for the Adagio, which brings Rachmaninoff’s lyricism to the fore with particularly gorgeous themes played by the strings and woodwind.  

Rachmaninoff 2 is part of the MPO Membership Scheme, offering concert-goers a number of benefits throughout the season as an exclusive Shuttle Service is being provided for patrons. 

For more on the MPO and upcoming performances visit: https://maltaorchestra.com/