Niccolo Paganini wanted a vehicle to show off his new Stradivarius viola. Hector Berlioz gave him the last thing he expected - a flamboyant, Byron-inspired symphony that drives straight to the brooding heart of the Romantic spirit. It's like nothing else in 19th century music, and the great French viola virtuoso Antoine Tamestit is one of its greatest interpreters. Â鶹ԼÅÄ SSO Artist-in-Association Matthias Pintscher brings a composer's ear to this remarkable score, and pairs it with two very different but equally vivid visions by two of Berlioz's creative kindred spirits - Stravinsky's bejewelled Oriental fairytale, and the two perfectly-poised movements of Schubert's Unfinished (and some would say unfinishable) Eighth Symphony.
Prelude: 6.45pm in the Recital Room (free to ticket-holders, limited seating availability)
Tonight's soloist, Antoine Tamestit, in conversation with Â鶹ԼÅÄ SSO violinist Alex Gascoine.
Post-Concert Coda (approximately 10 minutes after the main concert)
Antoine Tamestit plays extracts from JS Bach's Cello Suites, arranged for viola.
The main concert will be broadcast live on Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 3, presented by Jamie MacDougall.
