Most remember the “New World” symphony upon hearing Antonín Dvořák’s name but this time - though the night is filled with his compositions - we won’t be listening to his most well-known piece. Not that the works we do hear will be completely unknown, after all his B Minor Cello Concerto is one of the most important pieces in cello repertoire. It’s actually interesting, that although cellos have long been known to composers, and are a great favourite of today’s audience, still only a relatively small number of composers have composed concertos for them. Perhaps Dvořák had the same idea as the evening’s program curators, to bring this neglected instrument to the fore and fill this missing part in music literature. He accomplished this, and not only by writing this Cello Concerto, but also by repeatedly composing solo roles for the cello in both his symphonies and his chamber works. Of course, the Symphony No. 7 following the Cello Concerto doesn’t focus solely on the cello. His broad and colourful orchestrations depict a truly heroic character, interspersed with heartfelt moments. The Cello Concerto and Symphony are connected by the heroic passion and the wild emotion leading up to a mature romance that these two pieces - more so than any of Dvořák’s others - evoke.