Note that Bax’s Tintagel listed in the programme was not performed. Instead there was a performance of the 2nd Piano Concerto by Camille Saint-Saëns with the young soloist Lara Melda. WPS conductor Terry Edwards had come across Lara at the Purcell School of Music and wanted to give her practice because at the young age of 16 she was preparing to play the concerto for her (successful) BBC Young Musicians’ finale on the 16th May of 2010.
Lara returned to play with us on two subsequent occasions – Nov 2011 (Grieg PC) and March 2015 (Schumann PC) and has gone on to develop an international career on the big stage, such as with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, in a BBC Proms at the RAH in 2019 and many engagements in her native Turkey, and in more intimate surroundings such as the Wigmore Hall. She has been recognised and praised for her Chopin interpretations. Those interested in finding out more should check her website https://laramelda.co.uk