Thursday 21 October 2021 - 7.30pm
Approximate running time including interval: 1 hour 45 mins

Tuning Up - 6.30pm in the auditorium
Laura van der Heijden and Nicholas Trygstad, Hallé Principal Cello in conversation with Gemma New. - Free to concert ticket holders

Lera Auerbach - Icarus
Walton - Cello Concerto
Copland - Symphony No.3

Conductor
Gemma New

Featuring:
Laura van der Heijden, cello

New Zealand-born Gemma New, a first-time Hallé guest, has been making waves in the USA as a rising star. The season’s ‘Stories behind the music’ continue with Icarus, by the Russian/American Lera Auerbach. Enthralled from childhood by Ancient Greek mythology, this work’s character personified for her the tragic tale of Icarus’s ill-fated flight. Walton’s Cello Concerto combines distinguishing aspects of his music – bitter-sweet melancholy and vigorous energy. It’s performed by Laura van der Heijden, who won the 2012 BBC Young Musician of the Year playing this concerto. Copland’s Third Symphony has a euphoric optimism, especially its finale based on his celebrated Fanfare for the Common Man. After the premiere, the conductor Koussevitzky declared, ‘This is the greatest American Symphony. It goes from the heart to the heart’.