English Chamber Orchestra and Raphael Wallfisch

Join this renowned orchestra for an unforgettable evening featuring the celebrated cellist Raphael Wallfisch and conductor Łukasz Borowicz.

Beethoven’s spirited Leonore Overture No. 1 sets the stage for Arthur Bliss’s emotionally rich and rarely performed Cello Concerto, a powerful showcase for Wallfisch’s artistry. Shostakovich’s haunting Chamber Symphony is a deeply personal and moving work that reflects the composer’s inner world. This compelling programme promises a night of depth, drama, and virtuosity from one of the world’s most distinguished chamber orchestras.

Download programme notes.

English Chamber Orchestra
Raphael Wallfisch cello
Łukasz Borowicz conductor

Beethoven:: Leonore Overture No.1, Op.138 (10’)
Bliss:: Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Op.120 (28’)
Shostakovich:: Chamber Symphony, Op.110a (25’)

Archive Treasures: The story of a Holocaust survivor and a musical legacy

In late July 1945, Britten toured newly liberated Concentration Camps, performing with violinist Yehudi Menuhin. In the audience at one of the camps was a young cellist, Anita Lasker, who wrote of Britten “playing to perfection’’.

Anita later came to England and became a founding member in 1948 of the Goldsbrough Orchestra – now known as the English Chamber Orchestra (ECO).

This Britten Weekend, the ECO return to Snape Maltings Concert Hall along with Anita’s son, celebrated cellist Raphael Wallfisch. Read more.