Gerard Flotats, cello and Julian Chan, piano are joining us for our February Thursday Classical Event.
Gerard Flotats: cello
Julian Chan: piano
Gaspar Cassadó: Suite for Solo Cello
Mendelssohn: Variations concertantes, Op.17
Debussy: Cello Sonata, L135 Brahms: Cello Sonata No.2 in F major, Op.99 Messiaen: Louange à l’Éternité de Jésus (from Quatuor pour la fin du temps)
The Catalan cellist, Gerard Flotats and the Malaysian-born pianist, Julian Chan are rising stars on concert platforms everywhere. Their carefully compiled programme brings together five works that chart a fascinating emotional and historical journey through the cello’s expressive world — from the fiery virtuosity of early 20th-century Spain to the radiant spirituality of Messiaen.
The evening opens with Gaspar Cassadó’s Suite for Solo Cello, a work that pays homage to Bach while asserting a distinctly modern, Iberian flavour. Written in 1926 by one of Pablo Casals’s most gifted protégés, the suite blends dance-like rhythms, flirtations with neo-classicism, and flashes of flamenco-inspired bravura. Its three movements form a compact but vibrant portrait of Cassadó’s personality: elegant, melodic, and imbued with a cosmopolitan warmth.
After this solo showcase comes the more intimate lyricism of Mendelssohn’s Variations concertantes, Op. 17, written in 1829 as a gift for his cellist brother Paul. Here Mendelssohn’s trademark lightness and clarity shine through: the theme — poised, graceful, and deceptively simple — unfolds into a series of variations that grow increasingly expressive. The piece is a dialogue in the truest sense, with equal partnership between cello and piano, and a sparkling demonstration of Mendelssohn’s youthful ingenuity.
Debussy’s Cello Sonata, composed during the dark years of World War I, offers a striking contrast. Its compressed structure and elliptical language speak to a composer returning to French musical roots while reshaping them with modernist daring. The opening Prologue is mysterious and improvisatory, followed by a Sérénade full of plucked textures and shadowy harmonies. The finale, though brief, bursts with theatrical energy. It is music of colour and translucence — unmistakably Debussy, but distilled to its essence.
Brahms’s Cello Sonata No. 2 is one of the towering works of the Romantic cello repertoire. Written in 1886, the sonata boasts sweeping, symphonic gestures and a turbulent first movement that demands both power and nuance. The slow movement offers some of Brahms’s most ardent writing, while the scherzo crackles with rhythmic charge. The finale brings resolution in music of muscular confidence and architectural breadth.
Closing the recital, Olivier Messiaen’s Louange à l’Éternité de Jésus offers a moment of profound stillness. Conceived in a prisoner-of-war camp in 1941, this movement from Quatuor pour la fin du temps pairs a rapt, suspended piano line with an expansive cello melody that seems to stretch beyond earthly time. It is a meditation on eternity — luminous, prayerful, and transformative.
Concert supported by The Countess of Munster Musical Trust.
Dinner and a Show!
Bill's Kitchen, within Ludlow Assembly Rooms, is now offering a 2-course meal before the show for only £16 (if booked 24 hours in advance). Book your table directly with Bill's Kitchen and come along any time after 5.30pm to eat before the show starts – the earlier you come the bigger the menu selection. Please note that due to the popularity of these events you may be invited to share a table with other diners on the night.
For information about the meals, please contact Bill’s Kitchen directly on 01584 877956 or please book via the Bill's Kitchen meal-deal booking page
Box Office 
