West London Sinfonia to Perform '20th Century English Masterworks'

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Walton Cello Concerto has a close connection with Bedford Park

Bartholomew LaFollette

The West London Sinfonia is to present "20th Century English Masterworks " on 25 March, 7:30pm at St. Michael and All Angels Church, Bedford Park.

The programme will include Vaughan Williams's Job, Walton's much loved Cello Concerto and Butterworths English Idyll No.1.

The Walton Cello Concerto has a close connection with Chiswick and Bedford Park, when Walton wrote his ‘cello concerto to a commission by the great Russian cellist Gregor Piatigorsky. He completed most of the writing at his home in Ischia between February and October 1956. In advance of Piatigorsky’ s first performance on 25 January 1957 in Boston with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, soloist and composer met with the renowned cellist and teacher, Douglas Cameron, to work on some technical details. The venue for this meeting was Cameron’s home 22 Addison Grove – the house now owned by West London Sinfonia Chairman, Andrew Pears, himself a cellist.

Whatever it was that they worked on, it is known that Walton was asked to revise the ending of the finale, as Piatigorsky had communicated to him that the violinist Jascha Heifetz had some reservations about it. The finale contains four improvisations, two each for orchestra and for solo cello, and the ending is subdued, adagio and piano. Walton did write an alternative ending, but the original is the one that was played at the premiere.

This Cello concerto will be presented by West London Sinfonia and American cellist Bartholomew LaFollette.

Tickets are £14 or £12 concessions, £5 child/students which can be bought online or for cash at the door.

March 19, 2017