In his first public performance as Resident Artist, multi award-winning British cellist Maxim Calver joins Artistic Director Chris Hopkins for an evening of stunning music for cello and piano.

Praised for the “elegance of his technique, sound and natural poeticism” (The Strad), Maxim first gained public recognition as a BBC Young Musician 2018 Grand Finalist in which he made his concerto debut with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.  He was the recipient of the inaugural ‘Goldman Sachs Gives Award’ at the Verbier Festival for a musician of exceptional merit and the ‘Oranjewoud Award’ at the Schiermonikoog Festival.

In high demand across the UK and Europe, Maxim has appeared as a concerto soloist in many leading venues including Tonhalle Zurich, Cadogan Hall, Kulturcasino Bern and the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie.  He collaborates with acclaimed musicians including Lawrence Power, Anthony Marwood, Antje Weithaas, Diyang Mei, Gidon Kremer and Thomas Adès.  Maxim frequently performs at music festivals across Europe, including the Verbier Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, East Neuk Festival, the World Festival and the International Pau Casals Festival as well as in venues including Wigmore Hall, Berlin Konzerthaus, Flagey Studios and Amsterdam Concertgebouw.

In this programme Maxim and Chris explore the idea of Fantasy and Fairytales through some of the most imaginative repertoire for cello and piano, from the enchanted storytelling of Janáček’s Pohádka to poetic Debussy and fanciful Schumann.  Beethoven and Brahms bring drama and tenderness in music which invites us to become storytellers ourselves.