Hallé Opus One

Three very different German composers share the billing here. Wagner's magnificent preludes to two acts of his opera about the singing contests of the historical mastersingers convey celebration and majesty in the first and a wistful melodiousness in the second. Mendelssohn's rarely-heard, early Double Concerto is an elegant bravura piece, which the Hallé's exceptional leader and the Russian-born Polina Leschenko, one of the Hallé's favourite piano soloists, are bound to bring off with freshness and wit. The Hallé's engaging Principal Guest Conductor, Markus Stenz, completes this lovely programme with Schumann's Third Symphony, inspired by the scenery and folklore of the Rhineland and by the majestic cathedral of Cologne - a city with which Stenz has strong associations.