Kirill Karabits

Guy Braunstein

Rachmaninov’s elegant, ingenious, and often surprising Third Symphony is bound together by a theme that recurs in various guises and transformations in each movement. This chant-like motto appears quietly at the very opening, scored for the unusual, arresting combination of clarinet, cello and muted horn, giving it the character of a fleeting thought or reminiscence, summoned from the depths of memory. Before long it bursts forth in loud, stern animation and a thunderous, celebratory conclusion, all dark thoughts banished.

After his spectacular debut with the BSO at Exeter Cathedral last season, Guy Braunstein returns for Elgar’s beautiful Violin Concerto. Not only does the soul of the violin seem to be enshrined in this concerto, but the soul of Elgar himself, for it seems to reflect the inward-looking aspects of his complex personality, and although the solo part demands a virtuoso’s technique, it is far removed from merely being a vehicle for bravura display. More than anywhere else in his music, it seems that here Elgar breaks the ties that bind and simply writes intimate and contemplative music on a more ethereal level.

Programme:

Elgar Violin Concerto
Rachmaninov Symphony No.3

https://exeternorthcott.co.uk/calendar/heart-and-soul/