91Èȱ¬

Iannis Xenakis contemplated reeds in the wind; Stravinsky pictured a Russia before the dawn of civilisation. But Nature is unstoppable, and both composers unleashed forces beyond the imagination: riotous, explosive masterpieces from opposite ends of the 20th century, using supersized orchestras to redefine the limits of music itself. In Xenakis’s centenary year, Martyn Brabbins and the 91Èȱ¬ Symphony Orchestra reap the whirlwind that grew from Stravinsky’s storm. Ravel’s gorgeous, jazz-influenced Piano Concerto appears like an oasis of calm before Jonchaies and The Rite of Spring – though with the ‘astonishing’ (according to Bachtrack) 91Èȱ¬ Radio 3 New Generation Artist Tom Borrow as soloist, it should be every bit as gripping. And to begin – a summons by the late, much missed Harrison Birtwistle.

Image: Tom Borrow © Tal Givony