CELLO VIRTUOSO TO APPEAR AT MEDINA THEATRE LATER THIS MONTH

Cello soloist Finn Mannion will make his debut with the Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra at Medina Theatre on Saturday 20th January when he will perform Tchaikovsky’s ‘Rococo Variations’. The youngest recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Julius Isserlis scholarship, Scottish-Irish cellist Finn is a former principal cellist with the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland. He is currently studying in Basel, Switzerland and performs regularly there and in the UK. Most recently, he was a finalist in a competition for the prestigious International Pablo Casals Award for Cellists. Tchaikovsky’s ‘Rococo Variations’ were composed in 1876-7 and reveal the composer’s admiration for the music of Mozart. The piece is scored for a reduced orchestra which helps create an exquisite Classical elegance. Tchaikovsky’s inventiveness is such that he presents variations that are constantly intriguing, often exploring the lyrical capabilities of the cello. The concert will commence with Borodin’s overture to his opera ‘Prince Igor’. Borodin started writing his work in 1869 and continued writing it for the rest of his life. He was a professor of chemistry at St Petersburg Medical Academy who was also blessed with a wonderful talent for composition. The overture is an exhilarating piece for orchestra and audience alike and makes for a brilliant concert opener. 2024 marks the 150^th anniversary of the birth of Gustav Holst and ‘A Somerset Rhapsody’ is one of his most popular works. Holst was a lover of folk music and the rhapsody, composed in 1906, is based on 3 traditional songs from rural Somerset. His music is highly distinctive and his reputation as one of Britain’s greatest composers is well deserved. The evening will conclude with Rachmaninov’s Symphony No.1 in D minor. Written in 1895, when the composer was only 22, it is a fantastic work. However, a poor first performance led him to a breakdown which haunted him for the rest of his life. The young Rachmaninov wrote with great fluency and it has been argued that the economy of composition avoids the excesses of some of his later work. The orchestration is undeniably brilliant and engaging for all sections of the orchestra. The evening begins at 19:15 on Saturday 20th January. The Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra, made up of local talented players providing the Island with its only regular programme of classical music, is supporting The Wight Brainy Bunch at all of its concerts this season.