After whetting the audiences appetite with a platterful of tunes, courtesy of Weber's oberon overture, the RPO offer the rare pleasure of a concerto for not one, but three instruments, in the form of Beethoven's magnificent Triple Concerto for violin, cello and piano. Beethoven's biographer Anton Schindler claimed that it was written for Archduke Rudolf, one of Beethoven's pupils and an accomplished pianist, although the virtuosic violin and cello parts suggest that he was backed up by two extremely skilled professionals! All three of the brilliant young soloists certainly fall into that category: former BBC Young Musician of the year, violinst Rafal Zambrzycki-Payne, the exceptionally gifted young cellist Thomas Carroll and international prize-winning pianist Anthony Hewitt.

The second half of the programme is taken up with Elgar's orchestral masterpiece, the Enigma Variations. While the identity of some of the composer's friends portrayed in the variations remains a mystery, other, such as 'Nimrod', memorably captured in imperiously sweeping chords, have been rendered immortal by Elgar's glorious, sumptuous music.

PRE-CONCERT TALKS
Why not join music writer and critic James Day for fascinating and informative talks about the programme before each concert. Talk will take place at the Maple Suite, Crowne Plaza Hotel, 20 Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DT at 6.00pm.