Symphony by a Londoner
8pm Saturday 18 September
QPAC Concert Hall
Co-presented by Queensland Symphony Orchestra and Brisbane Festival 2010.
Conductor Paul Watkins
Soloist Li Wei Qin (Cello)
Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Schumann Cello Concerto
Vaughan Williams Symphony No.2 A London Symphony
A London Symphony conjures up the foggy impressionist paintings of Monet and Pissaro, with Dickensian imagery in the background. From his Chelsea eyrie over the Thames the scenery that unfolded before Vaughan Williams at night was not unlike a canvas by Whistler. Vaughan
Williams was immersed in early church music when he found Tallis' 1567 setting of When Rising from my Bed of Death, which he incorporated into his fantasia, with the Norman grandeur of Gloucester Cathedral in mind.
Robert Schumann, born in 1810, was a leader of the Romantics. His Cello Concerto is now one of the best loved in the repertory. Li Wei Qin makes a welcome return for this anniversary performance.
"Mr. Qin has a great deal going for him, including a meltingly beautiful tone, flawlessly centered intonation and an ironclad technique" New York Times
Biography - Li Wei Qin
Li-Wei has established a formidable reputation on the international concert scene and is well known for his brilliant virtuosity, refined musicalty and sincerity of interpretation. He has won several prestigious awards including silver medal at the 11th Tchaikovsky International Competition, the 2001 Naumburg Competition, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Violoncello Soloist Price in 2001and was invited onto the BBC New Generation Artists Scheme during 2001-03.
Li-Wei is working with orchestras of the highest level and recent and future highlights include concerts with the BBC Philharmonic, BBC Proms with the Scottish Ensemble, London Philharmonic, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony, Basel Sinfonieorchester, Kremerata Baltika conducted by Gidon Kremer, Singapore Symphony, Orquesta Sinfonica de Tenerife, Tampere Philharmonic, RTV Slovenia, Lithuanian National Symphony, KBS Symphony, New Zealand Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Hong Kong Sinfionetta, Sydney, West Australia, Tasmania, Adelaide, Queensland and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, Guangzhou and China Philharmonic amongst others.
In recital and chamber music Li-Wei is a regular guest at the Wigmore Hall and has made highly successful debuts at the Lincoln Centre NY and in San Francisco and Washington and broadcasts regularly on BBC Radio 3 and NDR. He is an annual guest also at the Graz and Mecklenburg Festivals. As a recording artist Li-Wei's most recent releases include the Elgar Cello Concerto with ABC Classics and various recital discs with both Decca (China) and EMI (China).
Born in Shanghai in 1976 Li-Wei moved to Australia at the age of 13, before accepting a Scholarship to study with Ralph Kirshbaum at the Royal Northern College of Music in 1995. He plays a 1720 Giuseppe Guarneri cello on loan from the Australian Council. Li-Wei has recently been appointed Artistic Director of the Jin Mao Concert Hall in Shanghai and is also the Head of Cello Studies at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music.
