The Hallé in Blackburn: October 2016

Sir Mark and the orchestra are joined by one of the finest young pianists in the world, Benjamin Grosvenor who performs Liszt’s dazzling Piano Concerto No. 2, a piece in which lyric and dramatic elements battle it out for supremacy. ‘No one can love the countryside as much as I do’, wrote Beethoven, and this love was eloquently expressed in his timeless ‘Pastoral’ symphony. With its depictions of the ‘happy song of the birds’, the ‘sweet murmur of a brook’, the ‘dreaded storm’ and much more, it never fails to delight and inspire. The concert begins with Tchaikovsky’s tone poem inspired by Shakespeare’s brooding Prince of Denmark, Hamlet.

Pre-concert talk: Sir Mark Elder introduces the new season. The talk will commence on the raked seating at 6.30pm.

(Image credit: Decca-Sophie Wright)