Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

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Two young virtuosi, Rachmaninoff’s irrepressible Rhapsody and Janáček’s glorious brassfest open our season.

Gershwin: Cuban Overture

Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

Piazzolla: Primavera Porteña

Janáček: Sinfonietta

Khrystyna Mykhailichenko: piano

Emily Trubshaw: violin

Joanna MacGregor: conductor

For the season’s opening concert, BPO and Music Director Joanna MacGregor perform vivid masterpieces from around the world.

Written at his villa near Lake Lucerne in the summer of 1934, Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini - which the composer premiered in America - was an immediate sensation. It’s a dazzling display inspired by Paganini’s last Caprice, pausing only for the famous romantic melody in Variation 18 before a bravura finish. We’re delighted to welcome the 20-year-old Ukrainian virtuoso Khrystyna Mykhailichenko, who performs regularly in Paris, Washington, New York and Vienna, as well as her native Kyiv.

After two sizzling, street-smart works inspired by South America - Gershwin’s jazzy homage to Havana, and Piazzolla’s Spring in Buenos Aires played by young British-Polish violinist Emily Trubshaw - today’s concert climaxes with the clashing tectonic plates of Janáček’s Sinfonietta: a delirious earthquake of sound, and a blazing, brassy hymn to liberation.

‘Khrystyna has extraordinary virtuosity and interpretative maturity, as well as completely immersive artistry.’ Frank Piontek, Bayreuth Young Artists Festival

The Listening Club

Join Joanna MacGregor at Brighton Unitarian Church on Fri 18 Sep for a one-hour, illustrated lecture delving deeper into the concert.

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Concert and Season Savers

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