Nutcracker Suite and Rachmaninov at Christmas by Candlelight

The Piccadilly Sinfonietta are playing New Town Church on Tuesday 1 December, the first of a four-night run that takes them through to 4 December. It's a candlelit Christmas concert, and the programme pulls from two very different corners of the classical repertoire: Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite and Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2, with a medley of traditional festive favourites to round things out.

The Nutcracker Suite is the orchestral distillation of the ballet, the one that brings together the most recognisable pieces — the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Waltz of the Flowers among them. Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 is a different beast entirely, a sweeping, lyrical work for piano and orchestra that takes centre stage here with concert pianist Warren Mailley-Smith. The festive medley ties the two together, leaning into the Christmas carols and classics that usually drift through the city this time of year.

The Sinfonietta are a fixture of the British classical scene, playing more than 200 performances a year. Classic FM has described their playing as 'stunning'. For these four nights, they're taking over the New Town Church on George Street, turning the candlelit space into a seasonal concert hall. The run puts the same programme on four nights in a row, so if Tuesday doesn't suit, you've got a few other dates to choose from.

It starts at 19:30 on Tuesday 1 December at New Town Church of Scotland, 13 George Street, EH2 2PA. Tickets are £22.38 to £54.88, booked through Skiddle.