Edvard Grieg’s Concerto for piano figures among the greatest in the concerto repertoire. From the outset, Grieg sets the tone of a work infused with warmth and his country’s folklore. Alice Sara Ott is a choice pianist to interpret the romanticism of such a masterpiece for this predominantly Scandinavian opening concert. Remaining in northern climes, Alexandre Bloch will conduct some of the most magnificent pages of Russian symphony music in the second half of the programme. With the Fatum leitmotiv as a common thread, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5 delivers a superlative transition from darkness to light.

An opening concert in all its splendour!