Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Online Concert

Watch on YouTube until 15 January 2021

Following their concert in tribute to the Oxford Vaccine Teams, which included the world premiere of John Rutter’s Joseph’s Carol, the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra is kicking off 2021 with an online series of four concerts, streamed free to its audiences worldwide.

The 1st in the four-part series is with star cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason joining the Orchestra in his first broadcast performance of Dvořák’s rich and lyrical Cello Concerto in B minor, performed in its arrangement for chamber orchestra by George Morton.

Also included in the cello-focussed programme is the world premiere of Sappho in Manchester: Interlude for String Quartet and Orchestra, composed by Mats Lidström, Solo Cello of the Orchestra. The piece is inspired by the treasured memory of Lidström’s visits to his son at the Royal Northern College of Music, and their frequent trips to visit Charles Auguste Mengin’s painting of Sappho at the Manchester Art Gallery.

Dvořák Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104 (arr. George Morton for Chamber Orchestra)
Mats Lidström Sappho in Manchester: Interlude for String Quartet and Orchestra (WORLD PREMIERE)

Sheku Kanneh-Mason cello
Marios Papadopoulos conductor

The concerts were filmed by Apple & Biscuit Recordings at London’s Hellenic Centre in October, and the series was made possible by a lifeline grant from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund.

Organised by the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra.