Tanks and Rivers? Let me start with Smetana’s Vltava, one of his great cycle of Symphonic Poems written in 1874 and known as Ma Vlast. We left Rostropovich in 1968 weeping for Prague as the Russian tanks crushed the liberalising efforts of Alexander Dubček. It is a city which has endured more than its fair share […]

Our soloist – Darin Qualls A native of Portland, Oregon, USA, violinist Darin Qualls studied at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music with master violin pedagogue Dorothy DeLay.  He was awarded the Starling Prize for excellence in music performance, providing a full tuition scholarship and the opportunity to perform as a soloist. Following his studies, […]