There's pomp and pageantry in Elgar's wonderful London-inspired concert-opener, but it's spiced with both quiet beauty, knockabout comedy and tinted with gorgeous sunset hues. Donald Runnicles has set it alongside the dazzling brightness and equal vitality of Beethoven's headlong Fourth Symphony, and the twilight world of Shostakovich's First Violin Concerto. Here it's performed by James Ehnes, whose "indelible, intellectually gripping" Shostakovich performances have left critics reeling.
Pre-concert Talk: 6.45pm (The Norie-Miller Studio)
Violinist James Ehnes in conversation with 大象传媒 SSO violinist Alex Gascoine (free to ticket-holders, limited seating availability).
The concert will be recorded for future broadcast on 大象传媒 Radio 3.
