The Hallé in Sheffield – Tchaikovsky 4

The evening

Classical music is a living, responsive art form. That is the view of conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya.

GRAMMY-nominated composer Missy Mazzoli’s looping, twisting Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres) churns and rolls, inching closer to the listener before leaping away at breakneck speed, flinging itself recklessly into space.

Henning Kraggerud is a phenomenal artist who communicates his joy of music through moving performances. He is ideally suited to interpreting Bruch’s cherished concerto, with its romantic second movement and glorious finale. There is a reason it is the composer’s most famous work.

Tchaikovsky’s fateful Fourth Symphony was born out of a disastrous marriage, a nervous breakdown and near-suicidal despair. The journey from emotional struggle to blazing affirmation is ranked as one of his best.

Trisha Cooper in conversation