The programme opened with Tchaikovsky's Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture to the delight of the students. This was followed by Prokofiev's 2nd Violin Concerto in Gminor welcoming special guest soloist Valeriy Sokolov. As if the piece wasn't challenging enough Mr Sokolov went on to give a solo encore encompassing many extended string techniques. This gave our students a wonderful practical demonstration of the things we have been learning in class.
After the intermission the orchestra grew larger with two harps being added for R Strauss' Symphonic Poem Don Juan and later still more brass for the final piece Ravel's La Valse.
It is invaluable for the students to be able to see performances from live orchestras as they have to identify instruments in their iGCSE listening exam. We are very fortunate to be surrounded by top quality musical events in Bratislava and we are looking forward to a very musical year.