Performers

A very welcome return to Hexham for the much-loved violinist, Bradley Creswick, who performs this afternoon with his regular musical partner, Margaret Fingerhut.

After a long and successful career leading the Philharmonia, the Royal Opera House orchestra and the Royal Northern Sinfonia, Bradley is now Leader Emeritus of the RNS and a firm favourite of local audiences, bringing a unique energy, warmth and animation to his performances.

Margaret has a distinguished international career as a soloist and chamber musician. Her extensive discography has received worldwide critical acclaim and reflects her long-standing fascination with lesser-known repertoire, including works by Bax, Dukas, Falla, Grieg and Suk.  She has many award-winning recordings to her name.

Their programme tonight includes Dvořák’s exquisite Romance, and Elgar’s noble and tender sonata, written towards the end of the composer’s career.  The Beethoven sonata is an early, joyful and sunny piece, of which one critic wrote, ‘Few works remind us more bracingly that when Beethoven said that he lived for music, he meant it’.  Bartók’s popular Romanian Dances were inspired by dance tunes the composer collected in Transylvania in 1908.

‘Bradley has become a regional treasure’  – Thorben Dittes, Sage Gateshead

‘(Margaret Fingerhut is) One of the most radiantly musical of pianists’  – International Piano

Programme

Beethoven  Violin Sonata no. 8 in G major, op. 30, no. 3.

Dvořák  Romance in F minor, op. 11

Bartók  Romanian Dances, Sz. 56

Elgar  Violin Sonata in E minor, op. 82

Watch

Bradley and Margaret play Bartók, Brahms and Elgar at St Mary’s, Perivale, London:

Bradley plays Piazzolla’s Libertango with Archie Brown and the Young Bucks:

Margaret plays Schubert’s Impromptu in G flat, D.899 No.3: