BBC SSO: Tchaikovsky's ‘Pathétique’ Symphony

Szymanowski Concert Overture (c.12 minutes)
Chopin Piano Concerto No.1 (c.40 minutes)
Tchaikovsky Symphony No.6 ‘Pathétique’ (c.45 minutes)

Angela Hewitt piano
Alexander Vedernikov conductor
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

As a former music director of Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre, Alexander Vedernikov’s credentials in Russian repertoire hardly need stating. So expect a special level of emotional commitment in Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony. And expect an unmistakably eastern-European angle on the two masterpieces that open Muzyka Polska, our celebration of the music of Poland. Chopin’s First Concerto is an established favourite, though surely no soloist could bring more freshness and poetry to it than Angela Hewitt. Szymanowski’s early Concert Overture, meanwhile, is a rarity in the concert hall - though you’ll wonder why, when you hear this sumptuous homage to Richard Strauss from a composer dizzy with his own youthful genius.

Prelude: 6.45pm in the Recital Room

Polish music expert Adrian Thomas launches Muzyka Polska, our Polish Music season, with insights into the cultural history of the country and its music.

Post-Concert Coda

(approximately 10 minutes after the main concert) Angela Hewitt performs Fauré’s Nocturnes Nos. 5 & 6.

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