May 2021
MCO Members take the lead in a programme that revolved around solo instrumental voices. Two powerful concertos, by Mozart and Shostakovich, featuring guest soloist Alexander Melnikov, frame a lyrical dialogue between solos cor anglais and trumpet, performed by MCO Members Emma Schied and Christopher Dicken.
Mozartfest Würzburg has been championing the composer's music in the heart of Bavaria for 100 years. In our performance to celebrate the centenary edition, we open with Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 12, an early work played here with only piano and strings to add to the intimate mood of the piece.
Copland's Quiet City was originally written to accompany Irwin Shaw's play. Now the inner struggles of the characters have been transformed into a rich, evocative showcase for solos cor anglais and trumpet, played here by MCO Members Emma Schied and Christopher Dicken, with the ensemble being led by concertmaster José Maria Blumenschein.
Alexander Melnikov has won awards for his interpretations of Shostakovich's music. And to conclude his return to the MCO, he performs the first piano concerto, a work rich in quotation, dramatic tension, and featuring obbligato trumpet performed by Christopher Dicken.
