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A celebration of French Composer Ravel in his 150th Birthday Year, including the world premiere of a new arrangement by Kenneth Hesketh and sublime music from the ballet Daphnis and Chloé.

From Elgar’s green and pleasant lands with the famous Cello Concerto to depths of Russia, culminating in Stravinsky’s ballet ‘The Firebird’.

Fantasy and folklore lead the way as we celebrate French musical royalty, Maurice Ravel and Pierre Boulez, plus Mussorgsky’s famous musical epic.

In this programme, Anja Bihlmaier, our Principal Guest Conductor, explores a kaleidoscope of music from female composers spanning 300 years, including, music by Sofia Gubaidulina and the world premiere of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ commission by Sarah Gibson.

We’re off to the wilds of Scandinavia and Finland. Northern Lights, midnight sun and a smorgasbord of Nordic greats with John Storgårds at the helm, Sibelius is guaranteed be at its finest.

Pianist Steven Osborne is a huge champion of Messiaen’s music. Tonight, he joins Associate Artist Ludovic Morlot and horn player Martin Owen for a rare chance to hear, ‘From the Canyons to the Stars’, inspired by the wild canyons of Utah.

Elgar loved cryptic codes and he hid one in his most famous work, ‘Enigma’ Variations. The music of Frank Martin, is brought to the concert platform by world renowned baritone Roderick Williams, plus the world premiere of Geoffrey Gordon’s Anima Mia.

Tonight is all about stories of the human spirit. Alban Gerhardt returns with Shostakovich’s second cello concert whilst ‘A Hero’s Life’ is the musical autobiography of Richard Strauss, under the baton of Alpesh Chauhan OBE.

A master of the keyboard, Garrick Ohlsson returns to Manchester to perform Brahms’s mighty Piano Concerto No. 1. It’s an evening in the company of some truly great Romantic composers with Chief Conductor John Storgårds on the podium.

Burlesque comes to The Bridgewater Hall in Stravinsky’s electrifying ballet, Petrushka, meanwhile the spotlight shines on one of the world’s most distinguished trumpet players, Håkan Hardenberger, all with Chief Conductor John Storgårds at the reins.