Esa-Pekka Salonen brings his gifts as a conductor of 20th century music to this live concert from the Royal Albert Hall, which includes a world premiere in the first half. Latvian-born Gidon Kremer is the soloist in Graal Theatre, a new violin concerto composed for him by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho. In this work, Saariaho forsakes electronics for a more traditional concerto form in which the violin interacts with the orchestra. "This is certainly a difficult piece to play but Gidon is a strong artist," says Saariaho. The concert opens with Carl Nielsen's Helios overture. In the second half, Karol Szymanowski's Stabat mater is followed by the erotic Poem of Ecstasy by Alexander Skriabin. With the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Chorus and soloists Judith Howarth (soprano), Randi Stene (mezzo-soprano) and Jason Howard (baritone), Introduced by Michael Berkeley who in the interval, looks at new research into how and why we are moved by certain music.
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