Guy Johnston cello
Tom Poster piano

Ludwig van Beethoven Variations in G major on ‘See the conqu’ring hero come’ from Judas Maccabeus WoO45
Francis Poulenc Sonata for Cello and Piano
Joseph Phibbs Cello Sonata (2021)
Johannes Brahms Cello Sonata No. 2 in F major Op. 99

Making a welcome return to the Festival, Guy Johnston and Tom Poster are members of the prestigious Aronowitz Ensemble, comprising seven celebrated artists. Both are laureates of the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition, enjoying highly regarded international careers and praised for the range of their repertoire and the versatility of their interpretations.

Their concert begins with Beethoven’s wonderful riff on a victory chorus from Handel’s opera Judas Maccabaeus. We then plunge into 20th Century France for Poulenc’s Sonata for Cello and Piano, begun in 1940 but not completed until 1948. Next is a cello sonata written for Guy Johnston last year by English composer Joseph Phibbs, described as “an expertly embroidered and emotional journey” by a critic at the work’s US premiere.

To finish, we have the second of Brahms’ great cello sonatas, a highly dramatic and passionate work composed in 1886 during Brahms’ most fruitful mature period.

Tickets: £20 plus booking fee (8-25 years free)

Generously supported by the Cavatina Trust