Stephen Hough

The Antarctic: a land of ice, of elemental forces and the ultimate challenge to the human spirit. Vaughan Williams’ Sinfonia Antarctica began as a film score, and you can tell – you’ll hear glaciers, snowstorms, howling gales and yes, even a few penguins. But there’s much more to this neglected British masterpiece than just a spectacular landscape, and with Andrew Manze conducting, it won’t just be the cold that makes you shiver! Before that, Holst’s choral masterpiece written to mourn the death of his friends in World War One, then Artist-in-Residence Stephen Hough reaches the end of his Beethoven odyssey in heroic style – with the majestic Emperor concerto.