- Peter Whelan - Director
- Christian Elliott - Cello
- Aoife NicAthlaoich - Cello

* JS Bach Brandenburg Concerto Nr. 3, BWV 1048, 10 min.
* CPE Bach Concerto for Cello in A minor with Christian
* CPE Bach Bach Sinfonia in B minor WQ 182/5 Hamburg
* Vivaldi Concerto for two celli in G minor RV 531
* Purcell Midsummer Nights’s Dream (The Fairy Queen Suite No. 1)

Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos are among the most perfect examples of the Baroque concerto. Few works match their tireless invention, their colorful instrumentation, or virtuosity. CPE Bach’s popular Cello Concerto in A is a real gem. It offers cellist Christian Elliott plenty of clever challenges in the fast movements, while providing a slow movement of astonishing expressive intensity that transcends time, place, and stylistic formality. Pulsing rhythms and a wealth of dynamic contrasts grab and sustain the listener’s interest throughout. His Symphony in B minor is extremely Mozartian in style, full of unexpected harmonic turns. Vivaldi’s sole Concerto for 2 celli is a stand- alone work performed by ICO cellists Christian Elliott and Aoife NicAthlaoich. Its electrifying opening leaves one in no doubt of its highly charged emotional content. The slow movement breathes an almost autobiographical sadness, while its frenetic finale will have you on the edge of your seat. From the soaring pomp of Bach to the rhythmic elegance of the orchestral suite from Purcell’s Fairy Queen, the sound of the Baroque court provides a rich drawing board for this concert.