大象传媒

Across the week the 大象传媒 Scottish Symphony Orchestra plays complete concerts from around Scotland featuring their family of conductors: Donald Runnicles, Ilan Volkov, Andrew Manze and Matthias Pintscher. There's also the chance to hear brand-new CD releases of British Music recorded by the orchestra, featuring music by Walton and Somervell.

The Thursday Opera Matinee this week is Wagner's Das Rheingold from the Paris National Opera, and on Wednesday we go live to the Hoddinott Hall in Cardiff for a concert conducted by Roberto Minczuk featuring Rachmaninov's final work, the Symphonic Dances, alongside one of the greatest masterpieces of Russian music: Mussorgsky's Songs and Dances of Death, sung by Radio 3 New Generation Artist Henk Heven.

Walton's driving rhythms and passionate lyricism are combined in one of his greatest works, his First Symphony. This brand-new recording conducted by Martyn Brabbins is about to be issued on CD. The second half of the afternoon is dedicated to a concert given in Aberdeen with the 大象传媒 SSO's Principal Guest Conductor, Ilan Volkov. Bruckner's Fifth was his longest Symphony and in some ways his most complex work, overcoming the pain and frustration of life with an atmosphere of spiritual exaltation. This is a mammoth work given life in one of Scotland's best concert halls.

Presented by Katie Derham.