The orchestra visit King George’s Hall Blackburn for this performance, conducted by Holly Mathieson.

A passionate communicator, New Zealand-born Holly’s crystalline technique has earned her plaudits in all forms of music direction, from opera and ballet to full scale symphonic programmes.

The evening opens with a shimmering fairy-tale − Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel − before Holly is joined by Aleksey Semenenko for Tchaikovsky’s perennially popular Violin Concerto; this is a piece which displays the composer’s finely-crafted virtuoso writing and culminates in a thrilling Cossack dance.

To finish, a magnificent work that simply brims with great melodies. In the words of the great Czech conductor Vacláv Talich, Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony ‘sings of the joy of green pastures, of summer evenings, of the melancholy of blue forests, of the defiant merry-making of Czech peasants.’

Pre-concert talk
Before the concert, join BBC Philharmonic Director Simon Webb in conversation with violinist Aleksey Semenenko.

Tickets for the pre-concert talk cost £3 and include a complimentary drink.

18:30, raked seating area