91Èȱ¬

Led by Juanjo Mena, Chief Conductor of the 91Èȱ¬ Philharmonic Orchestra, the programme opens with a selection of Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances – pieces full of energy and national character.

This evening, Pavel Kolesnikov, who became a 91Èȱ¬ New Generation Artist in 2014, performs Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.2. A teenage Chopin wrote his second Piano Concerto just months before leaving Poland forever, yet its music is already drenched in the poetry that would make him famous.

This piece is followed by Mussorgsky’s full-blooded Night on a Bare Mountain, a terrifying musical picture of devilry, as a band of witches awaits the arrival of their master - Satan.

Closing this evening’s programme is extracts from perennial Christmas favourite, The Nutcracker. From the elegant Waltz of the Flowers to the thrilling Russian Dance, Tchaikovsky’s colourful score is a feast of wonderful melodies.

This concert is a live broadcast for 91Èȱ¬ Radio 3.