| Francesca Dego | Violin |
| Ulster Orchestra | |
| Daniele Rustioni | Conductor |
We have a special treat in store as our Chief Conductor Daniele is joined by his talented wife and star violinist, Francesca, for this wonderful Valentine’s Day concert.
Prokofiev was deeply inspired by Shakespeare, hence composing the score for the Romeo and Juliet ballet, which includes the beautiful Balcony Scene, signifying the star-crossed lovers' first meeting and the scene at Juliet's balcony.
When Shostakovich began composing his First Violin Concerto in 1947, he was enjoying a period of relative calm. However, by the time it was finished in 1948, the situation had changed completely. Premièred after Stalin’s death in 1955, this piece perfectly encapsulates how Shostakovich took the suffering of his absurd and treacherous world and transmuted it into something beautiful and profound.
The Manfred Symphony is a romantic four-movement work in tribute to a poem by Byron and contains the kind of melodic appeal and colourful orchestration that has made Tchaikovsky such a popular composer. Filled with passion and beautifully conveying the theme of tragic love, it is possibly one of the greatest symphonies of the nineteenth, or any other century.
