Swiss Mendelssohn Premiere!
On 3rd November Douglas Bostock conducted his argovia philharmonic in the opening concert of the Aarau Mendelssohn Festival in Switzerland. No fewer than three Swiss premieres were on the programme: the reconstruction of Mendelssohn's 3rd Piano Concerto (wth Matthias Kirschnereit), and two works by Mendelssohn's esteemed English friend and colleague, Sir William Sterndale Bennett, who was born exactly 200 years ago.
Douglas Bostock, who recorded Bennett's late G Minor Symphony some years ago in the British Symphonic Collection CD series, now brought the symphony to life, along with his beautiful overture "The Naiads". Mendelssohn's familiar "Hebrides" Overture rounded the programme off.
The audience, amongst whom was William Sterndale Bennett's great grandson, Barry Sterndale Bennett, received the programme with rapturous applause.
Read Walter Labhart's review in the Aargauer Zeitung, 5.11.2016.