The passion and precision of the late Baroque era comes to the Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall on Sunday 17 January for the latest in the University of Leeds International Concert Series, with a Tchaikovsky gem bookended by two 18th century works that inspired it.
The Orchestra of Opera North and their award-winning Principal Cello Jessica Burroughs come under the skilled baton of Dutch conductor Jac Van Steen for a thrilling programme ranging from the sunlit uplands of Haydn’s last Paris Symphony to the wild, dark finale of Mozart’s ‘Great G Minor Symphony’, via Tchaikovsky’s neoclassical Variations on a Rococo Theme, which shows the influence of both.
Haydn’s Paris Symphonies were composed for the unusually large Orchestra of the Olympic Masonic Lodge and first performed in the Tuileries Palace, the musicians clad in flamboyant sky blue dress coats with lace ruffles and swords at their sides.
Often thought of as Tchaikovsky’s cello concerto, the Variations on a Rococo Theme are scored for an orchestra based on the late 18th-century model, a tribute to his rôle model Mozart which also shows the influence of Haydn’s form
The Symphony No. 40 in G minor by Tchaikovsky’s foremost role model, Mozart, provides another contrast. Intensely emotional, it is often thought to be a direct reflection of the composer’s difficult later years.
The University of Leeds International Concert Series brings a wide range of music, from the 15th to 21st centuries, to the magnificent Clothworkers’ Centenary Concert Hall, which dates from 1878 – the year after the premiere of the Tchaikovsky symphony.
The concert begins at 4pm on Sunday 17 January. Tickets, priced at £20 (students and under 18s free) can by calling the Box Office on 0113 3432584.