Uppsala Chamber Orchestra Dramatic Cello Concerto

The Uppsala Chamber Orchestra is joined by cellist Christian Poltéra, who will play Martinů’s dramatic cello concerto.

Category & Stage	Duration	Price	Age limit
Music, Classical UKK - Main Hall \| Music in Uppland	2 hours	Price Group I: SEK 335 Price Group II: SEK 285 Price Group III: SEK 135 Service fee will be added	No age limit

About the Performance

Participants

Conductor: Mei-Ann Chen
Soloist: Christian Poltéra, cello
Uppsala Chamber Orchestra

Program

Matthew Peterson (b. 1984): Vagabond
Bohuslav Martinů (1890–1959): Cello Concerto No. 1
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897): Symphony No. 2 in D major
Concert introduction at 18:20–18:40

The Uppsala Chamber Orchestra has once again invited the sought-after conductor Mei-Ann Chen. Cellist Christian Poltera from Switzerland has also previously visited Uppsala, performing Haydn’s cello concerto to a smaller audience during the pandemic restrictions.

Now more people will have the chance to hear him, this time in Bohuslav Martinů’s dynamic and dramatic cello concerto. The concerto, Martinů’s first, was composed in 1930 during a period when the Czech composer was fascinated by Baroque music.

The concert evening opens with Matthew Peterson’s overture Vagabond, which was premiered by the Dalasinfoniettan in 2024. Vagabond reflects the composer’s own musical and personal journey in music. In 2014, the American-Swedish composer Peterson became the very last winner of the Uppsala
Composer Competition.

The evening concludes with Johannes Brahms’ bright symphony, composed in the summer of 1877 in the idyllic town of Pörtschach in southern Austria.

Uppsala Chamber Orchestra

With a stylistic range extending from grand symphonies to intimate chamber music works, Uppsala Chamber Orchestra has performed live music for the county’s residents for over 50 years. The orchestra, considered by many to be one of Sweden’s finest, consists of professional musicians and is known for its warm and full orchestral sound. Since 2007, their home stage has been Uppsala Concert & Congress, where they also present family concerts and welcome school classes for educational visits. In recent years, the orchestra has made acclaimed guest appearances in Estonia, at concert halls in Gothenburg, Vara and Norrköping, as well as at Artipelag on Värmdö.

Uppsala Chamber Orchestra is part of the foundation Music in Uppland, a regional music organization in Uppsala with Region Uppsala as the main sponsor.

The concert is part of Musik i Uppland’s Orchestra Series – Grand Subscription