Musical influences and friendships are the theme for this enjoyable Sunday morning coffee concert. It starts with Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne, a spin-off from his ballet music Pulcinella that gives Baroque music a new lease of life. He and Nadia Boulanger formed a warm friendship over 50 years (as their recently published letters testify), but her influence spread far and wide as a famed teacher, with pupils including Aaron Copland, Daniel Barenboim and Quincy Jones. Three Pieces begin in melancholic mood, opening into a work full of rich and sonorous melodies. Britten’s demanding Cello Sonata is also a work of friendship – written for the legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, and there’s a new commission from the distinguished British composer and viola player Sally Beamish.

Benjamin Kruithof hails from Luxemburg and, with major victories including the 2022 George Enescu International competition and a host of concerto appearances with European orchestras, it’s hardly surprising he has been recognised as “a name to watch” by Bachtrack and selected as a Rising Star by ECHO.

Rising Stars are nominated by the artistic directors of Europe’s most prestigious venues which are members of the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO).

An hour-long Sunday morning concert, with coffee/tea and a slice of cake available before the concert, included in your ticket