Dvorak	Cello Concerto in B minor Op.104
Prokofiev	Symphony No. 5, Op. 100

Dvorak spent 1892-1895 in the United States, during which time the Cello Concerto in B minor was composed. One of his most personal works, it reflects his affection for his sister-in-law Josefina, even revising the finale to include a meditation in her memory when she died upon his return to Bohemia. Despite its popularity and reputation over
the years, Dvorak initially doubted the compatibility of the cello with orchestra.

Prokofiev said of his Fifth Symphony after its premiere in 1945, “I conceived of it as glorifying the grandeur of the human spirit… praising the free and happy man—his strength, his generosity, and the purity of his soul”. It encompasses the majestic to whimsical, graceful to turbulent and humour to self-mocking.