Carl Maria von Weber was a major composer in the late 18th and early 19th centuries with operas such as ‘Der Freischütz’, ‘Euryanthe’ and ‘Oberon’ being a huge influence on German romantic opera.  Havant Chamber Orchestra have a tradition of giving lesser-known works a deserved outing, and hope you will enjoy hearing his lighter and thoroughly charming Overture ‘Preciosa’.

Savitri Grier is a hugely talented young violinist who graduated with first class honours from Oxford University last summer and now studies at the Guildhall School of Music in London.  She joins HCO to play a classical masterpiece — the Violin Concerto by Beethoven.  Although this was not a great success on its first outing in 1806, it was revived to much acclaim after Beethoven’s death by the Royal Philharmonic Society conducted by Mendelssohn and with the 12 year-old Joseph Joachim as soloist.  It has been a favourite of the repertoire ever since.

Continuing the concert in stately classical style, HCO will play Schubert’s Symphony No. 2, which was written in 1814 and 1815, so celebrates its 200th anniversary this year!  Schubert started more than ten symphonies but seems to have had trouble finishing them.  One of his most famous is the 8th Symphony which is nicknamed ‘The Unfinished’ but there were others which were only sketched, some of which have since been ‘completed’ by other people.  No. 2, however, is a full four movement classical symphony with all the trimmings — slow introduction to an Allegro first movement; Variations on a theme for the second; a Minuet and Trio and a final Galop.