Concert

West Road Concert Hall
  • Antonín Dvořàk Cello Concerto
  • Benjamin Britten Sinfonia da Requiem
  • Andrzej Panufnik Sinfonia Sacra (Symphony No.3)
  • Cello Dan Brandon
  • Conductor Robert Hodge

Dvorak: Cello Concerto   Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem   Panufnik: Sinfonia Sacra

Dvorak had composed his New World Symphony shortly before embarking upon the Cello Concerto in B minor, but no hints of America remain.  From the opening Slavic chant to the Czech folk themes of the Rondo, Dvorak is firmly back on home soil. The work was warmly endorsed by Brahms, who said ‘Why on earth didn’t I know that one could write a cello concerto like this? Had I known, I would have written one long ago.’

Benjamin Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem was composed in 1940 when the composer was just 26.  Although the three movements take their titles from the Latin mass, it is a purely orchestral work written in his early, largely tonal style. The world premiere took place in New York in 1941, with the New York Philharmonic conducted by John Barbirolli, and the work’s success in America led to Britten’s commission to compose the opera ‘Peter Grimes’.

The ‘Sinfonia Sacra’ is a symphonic work by Polish composer Andrzej Panufnik, written in 1963 to mark Poland’s millennium of Christianity and Statehood in 1966. The two sections, ‘Three Visions’ and ‘Hymn’ are both based on the Bogurodzica, a plainchant which is the earliest known hymn in Polish.  Written in an accessible and popular style, the work received early worldwide critical acclaim and has since attracted the attention of many respected conductors.

Ticket Information

Admission: £20, £10 (students), £6 (under 14)

Tickets can be purchased in advance from TicketSource or on the door on concert day (subject to availability). E-tickets have no booking charge, Tickets may be posted but there is a £2.50 charge

West Road Concert Hall

11 West RoadCambridge CB3 9DP (map)
By Car
From Junction 12 of the M11 Drive for approx 1.5 miles into Cambridge (Barton Road) Turn left into Grange Road Turn 3rd right opposite Rugby Club (West Road) We are half way along the right hand side of West Road.
By Train
Trains run regularly to Cambridge from both London King’s Cross and London Liverpool Street. If you are coming from the North, it is advisable to change at Peterborough. West Road is a 10 to 15 minute taxi ride from the railway station.