Sinfonia of London - Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto & Scheherazade

Sinfonia of London play the Royal Concert Hall on Thursday 29 October, with a programme built around vivid musical colours. The evening pairs Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto with Scheherazade, and the concerto features pianist Benjamin Grosvenor.

Before those two, the orchestra opens with Grażyna Bacewicz's Concerto for String Orchestra. It's a Polish work from the mid-twentieth century, and since it's for strings alone, it puts the orchestra's string section right at the front of the sound for the first half of the night. After that, the piano takes over for Rachmaninov's Second, one of the most famous concertos in the repertoire, and the evening closes with Scheherazade, the sweeping orchestral suite based on the tales of One Thousand and One Nights.

Sinfonia of London is an award-winning symphony orchestra that's been directed since 2018 by the British conductor John Wilson, who's widely credited as its catalyst. It's often described as a 'super-orchestra' because it doesn't have a fixed roster of players; instead, it draws together outstanding musicians from the UK and abroad, including principals and leaders from other orchestras, notable soloists, and members of distinguished chamber groups. Critics have called it 'one of the hottest tickets in town' and 'Britain's favourite orchestra'.

So, the night starts with Bacewicz's string concerto, moves into Rachmaninov's Second with Benjamin Grosvenor on piano, and finishes with Scheherazade. It's all at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham (NG1 5ND) on Thursday 29 October.