BBC NOW On The Road 2016-17 Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto With BBC NOW by Mendelssohn, Smetana, Dvořák, Janáček, Alkaen (2017/2017), Musiikinjohto Otto Tausk, Pontio Arts and Innovation Centre (Bangor University), Bangor, United Kingdom

As well as being a master musician, Czech composer Antonin Dvořak was an enthusiastic train spotter, spending hours at railway stations in Prague most days. Rumour has it that one such visit provided the inspiration for his seventh symphony where the sight of troops arriving for a patriotic concert resonated with the composer’s strong patriotism – leading to his greatest symphony. Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto is firmly established as one of the most popular and best loved of all concertos, and rightly so – to perform it in Bangor BBC NOW welcome superb Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma.