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César Franck’s only symphony caused shockwaves when it was premiered in Paris in 1889 – with one critic insisting it wasn’t even a symphony at all! Grand, gothic, and blazing with melodies that won’t let you go, this mightiest of Belgian symphonies is a real passion for conductor Fabian Gabel, and in Franck’s 200th-anniversary year he pairs it with another red-blooded (but neglected) belle-époque jewel – Lalo’s overture to Le roi d’Ys. The young Swedish violinist Daniel Lozakovich, meanwhile, has been called ‘an exceptional talent’, and Brahms’s big, songful concerto is perfectly suited to his radiant sound and effortlessly poetic way with Romantic music. ‘It’s transcendental,’ he says. ‘You have to live the piece rather than just play it.’

Image: Fabien Gabel © Stéphane Bourgeouis