The Eroica by Brahms, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Ó (2023/2023), Seoltóir William Stevens, St. Woolos Cathedral, Newport, United Kingdom

Join Cardiff Chamber Orchestra, returning to Newport Cathedral, for the next stage in our journey through the revolutionary symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven with his third, the titanic 'Eroica'. Famously, Beethoven admired the ideals of the French Revolution so he dedicated the symphony to Napoleon Bonaparte. But when Napoleon declared himself emperor, Beethoven sprang into a rage, ripped the front page from his manuscript and scrubbed out Napoleon’s name. Game-changing in its scope, length and intensity, the 'Eroica' remains one of the cornerstone moments in the history of Western music. We are also delighted to be joined by Hermes Byun and Jayden Lamcellari to perform Johannes Brahms' Concerto for Violin and Cello in A minor. Like almost every composer born in the nineteenth century, Brahms looked up to the colossal legacy left by Beethoven and is considered by many to be his successor in the history and development of the symphonic form. Brahms wrote this concerto for the cellist Robert Hausmann, a frequent chamber music collaborator, and his old but estranged friend, the violinist Joseph Joachim. The concerto was, in part, a gesture of reconciliation towards Joachim, after their long friendship had ruptured following Joachim's divorce from his wife Amalie.