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2025 sees the 50th anniversary of Shostakovich’s death, so in celebration of his life we take his firecracker Ninth Symphony on the road to Aberystwyth and Bangor this March. Small in scale, but full of humour this symphony came as a surprise to everyone at its premiere, with its touches of slapstick, jaunty themes and spirited dance-like feel.

Saxophone sensation Jess Gillam joins us for Anna Clyne’s Glasslands, conjuring an imaginary world governed by a banshee, and we explore Louise Farrenc’s Second Overture. Regarded as one of the foremost female musicians of her time, this beautifully crafted overture develops a dark emotional character with broad and skilfully woven themes and agitated rhythms, alongside the lyrically gentle. But first, Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin – an homage not only to the composer François Couperin, but to French music of the 18th century. Crisp orchestration and incisive rhythms converge with melodic and harmonic twists in a work iconic to listeners for generations.