The centrepiece of this concert is the romantic Dvorak Cello Concerto, played by rising local star, Andrew O’Reilly. It has been seen as a monument to Dvorak’s gift for melody. The concert starts with the dramatic story of Coriolanus. The second half presents the lyrical and romantic Symphony No. 5 by Vaughan Williams, which includes references to English folk music. It was composed during the Second World War. The symphony’s ending particularly evokes a sense of rising above worldly concerns to a higher spiritual plane.
