Andrew Gourlay raises his baton to open today鈥檚 programme with Knussen's delightful
The Way to Castle Yonder.

Taken from fantasy opera, Higglety Pigglety Pop 鈥� a collaboration between Knussen and American author Maurice Sendak 鈥� this piece brings vividly coloured illustrations from page to note. Of his opera, Knusson said 鈥楬igglety is an evocation of the music I wanted to write [as a child] but didn鈥檛 know how鈥�.

Continuing the thread of youth, the orchestra advance with Nursey Suite, a piece which Elgar, in his later years, 鈥榳orked up鈥� from his youthful and unpublished compositions.

The afternoon continues with Payne鈥檚 Half-heard in the Stillness, a ten-minute orchestral tone-poem. Payne describes himself as 鈥榓 passionate Elgarian鈥� and uses Elgar鈥檚 Memorial Chimes - written for the Loughborough Carillon - as his starting point.

The gestation of today鈥檚 penultimate piece, Finzi鈥檚 Farewell to Arms, took place over many years and reflects his enthusiasm for seventeenth-century poets 鈥� brought to life today by Tenor, Robin Tritschler.

Closing the programme is Britten鈥檚 Sinfonia da Requiem, a powerful orchestral work inspired by the texts from the Requiem Mass and dedicated to the memory of Britten鈥檚 parents. With this dedication in mind, the final movement, 鈥楻equiem aeternam鈥� 鈥� meaning 鈥榚ternal rest grant to them鈥� is particularly poignant.

This concert is a live broadcast for 大象传媒 Radio 3.