May Day this year will see Oxford welcoming one of the world’s greatest orchestras.
The Berlin Philharmonic will perform under the baton of frequent guest conductor Daniel Barenboim in a special one off concert at the Sheldonian.
Each year the orchestra selects a venue of cultural importance in a different European city for a televised performance to mark its founding in 1882. The programme for this year’s concert will include a combination of classic Berliner repertoire by Wagner and Brahms, and a nod to Oxford’s musical heritage in the form of the Elgar Cello Concerto, made famous by Oxford-raised cellist, and one-time wife of Barenboim’s, Jaqueline Du Prè.
The announcement has been met with excitement. “I’m so thrilled that an ensemble of this calibre should come to Oxford” said Alice Beckwith, a music student at Lincoln. “The world’s greatest orchestra with a truly great musician at the helm. I can’t wait.”
However, students wishing to see the concert may well be left disappointed, as tickets sold out a matter of hours after going on sale.
