Will Fulford-Jones

Featuring an all-star vocal lineup, massive choral forces and the combined resources of the Hallé and the BBC Philharmonic, it promises to be an evening never to be forgotten.

Two startling contrasts in the art of inspiration: Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten, a characteristically serene homage; and Berlioz’s incomparable Symphonie fantastique, an opium-fuelled wildly passionate epic.

On St George’s Day, our attention turns to the composer whose music evokes England better than any other.

Bach’s St Matthew Passion was first performed on Good Friday in 1727. Nearly 300 years later, this rich and profoundly personal masterpiece retains its place as the greatest Easter work in the repertoire.

American conductor James Feddeck begins with two deeply evocative works from across the Atlantic.

Mendelssohn’s magnificent Violin Concerto is the epitome of musical Romanticism – and with rising-star virtuoso Alina Pogostkina joining the orchestra tonight, it’s in excellent hands.

The orchestra welcomes back two tremendous young British musicians whose previous appearances have helped build their international reputations, as Ben Gernon conducts Benjamin Grosvenor in Saint-Saëns’s irresistible Second Piano Concerto.

Gramophone wrote that when superb young Spanish pianist Javier Perianes plays Grieg’s ever-fresh Piano Concerto, as he does tonight, ‘you may well find yourself falling in love and in awe all over again’

When Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein lost his right arm in the First World War, he asked Ravel to write him a piece he could play with his left hand alone. The remarkable result will be played tonight by Jean-Efflam Bavouzet.

Written in the wake of a failed affair, William Walton’s powerful First Symphony runs the emotional gamut – from heartbreak via contemplation to a profoundly optimistic ending.

Håkan Hardenberger joins John Storgårds and the orchestra to pay tribute with a performance of Max’s terrific Trumpet Concerto.

The Paris premiere of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring was a pivotal moment in contemporary culture. A century later, the work remains one of the most thrilling experiences that the concert hall has to offer.