What a marvellous night out we had last night at Thomas Bertolotti’s first Intimate Classics in the City concert for Hull City of Culture 2017. A most exceptional young cellist, Thomas has organised a series of concerts at St Mary’s Church, Lowgate, Hull with the vision of making high quality classical music more accessible, bring international artists into the city and showcasing new young musicians. All the concerts are free of charge, 6 pm on the third Friday of each month. There is a collection plate at the end of the concert, to raise funds for Hull’s oldest church, the St Mary’s restoration fund.
For the first concert of the season – an evening of string duos – Thomas invited David Johnson of the Gurzenich Orchestra in Koln to return to the town of his birth. David has a big international presence, having played as a chamber musician and soloist for many years in Germany, USA, India, Norway and South America.
How good to see the Church so full for the evening, and the audience was mesmerised from the first note. Thomas is a wonderful cellist. His soulful and passionate performances are a joy to experience and the chemistry between the pair was evident throughout the whole stunning recital. Thomas chose a vibrant and beautiful programme which suited the ancient church perfectly. David’s eloquent introductions set the scene for each composition, we loved every minute of it.
Rich took this gallery of photographs. Click on an image to see the full picture and scroll through…
Programme:
Ravel – Sonata for Violin and Cello
Gliere – 8 Duets for Violin and Cello
Martinu – Duo No. 2 for Violin and Cello
Paganini – Duetto No. 2 for Violin and Cello
Handel-Halvorsen – Passacaglia for Violin and Cello
The Next Concert
Look out for the next concert in the series, Friday 17th February 6pm at St Mary’s Church, Lowgate. Flute Duo Ivan Alekhin & Kate Bateman – flautists from Russia and America respectively.
Photographs © Rich Duffy-Howard
Rich, Lou and Dexter Duffy-Howard
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