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Iannis Xenakis contemplated reeds in the wind; Stravinsky pictured a Russia before the dawn of civilisation. But Nature is unstoppable, and both composers unleashed forces beyond the imagination: riotous, explosive masterpieces from opposite ends of the 20th century, using supersized orchestras to redefine the limits of music itself. In Xenakis’s centenary year, Martyn Brabbins and the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Symphony Orchestra reap the whirlwind that grew from Stravinsky’s storm. Ravel’s gorgeous, jazz-influenced Piano Concerto appears like an oasis of calm before Jonchaies and The Rite of Spring – though with the ‘astonishing’ (according to Bachtrack) ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 3 New Generation Artist Tom Borrow as soloist, it should be every bit as gripping. And to begin – a summons by the late, much missed Harrison Birtwistle.

Image: Tom Borrow © Tal Givony