Chineke! Orchestra: Double Concertos

Two double concertos by Vivaldi and Boulogne give the Chineke! principal players a chance to shine.

The Concerto for two cellos calls for an unusual combination of instruments. It was most likely written for the musicians of the all-female orchestra of the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice.

Joseph Boulogne, le Chevalier de Saint-Georges, was known as an accomplished fencer and virtuoso violinist.

Famous within French high society of the 18th century, he is now regarded as the first known classical composer of African ancestry.

The energetic Sinfonia Concertante for 2 violins in G is among the many works he wrote and performed himself, which include numerous string quartets, other instrumental works and operas.

Haydn’s Symphony No 85 (La Reine) is one of his six Paris Symphonies completed around 1785.

Joseph Boulogne has a strong link with the symphony, having led the orchestra in Paris for which it was written.

He was music tutor to Marie Antoinette, the queen (‘la reine’) in whose honour the symphony is named.

Chineke! ends its 2020-2021 concert season with Mendelssohn’s evocative Scottish Symphony, a work that was inspired by Mendelssohn's journey to Scotland in 1829.