City of Southampton Orchestra

City of Southampton Orchestra welcome you to their new season with a concert of Russian classics, performed in the beautiful Thornden Hall.

Kabalevsky's Colas Breugnon Overture is a fizzy start to the concert, guaranteed to shake the cobwebs with its rhythmic energy. It will be followed by one of the most popular concertos ever written, Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto no.2. Full of rich melodies and passionate emotions, it's easy to understand why it is so well-loved both by audiences and performers alike. We are delighted to welcome the experienced and accomplished pianist Viv McLean to perform the fiendishly difficult solo part.

In the second half, the orchestra will perform Prokofiev's Symphony No 5. One of the composer's most ambitious works, composed in 1944 at the height of the Second World War, it presents a heroic and and bright picture. Brimming with the composer's well-known wit and flowing lines it promises to be a thrilling performance of this orchestral masterpiece.

The concert will be directed by guest conductor Philip Hesketh. Musical Director of Opéra de Baugé, Opera Vera, London Children's Ballet, the West London Sinfonia, and the Norfolk Symphony Orchestra, Philip makes regular guest appearances in Britain and abroad.