Górecki. Sibelius. Beethoven

The penultimate programme in our season takes us on a journey from the Silesian lands up to the north and back to Central Europe again.

With Three Pieces in Old Style by Polish Silesian Composer Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, we take a nod back in the direction of earlier musical tradition as Górecki takes echoes of the Baroque and Classical periods and transforms them through his own distinctive voice.

Moving north to Finland, we hear Sibelius's widely loved Violin Concerto performed by outstanding violinist of the younger Czech generation Jan Mráček. Sibelius's concerto is among the most evocative in the genre, the soaring lyricism and virtuosic brilliance of its solo part set against an orchestral backdrop that frequently evokes the Nordic landscapes: their stark beauty, shifting climate and haunting atmosphere.

The second half brings a striking change of climate with Beethoven's Symphony No. 4. Although musically firmly rooted in the Viennese Classical tradition, this sun-filled music was actually composed during a stay in Silesia, in which sense we might, for this evening at least, think of the symphony as Beethoven's 'Polish'. Radiant and full of vitality, it brings our evening to an energetic and joyful close.

This programme of shared European inspirations sees the return to the Prague Philharmonia of Polish conductor Łukasz Borowicz, who is widely admired for his commitment to and insightful interpretations of the music of his homeland and has contributed significantly to bringing Górecki's music to wider international audiences.