Sir Andrew Davis conducts Stravinsky

Sir Andrew Davis - conductor, David Horvat - violin, Mark Biggins - chorus master, RCM Symphony Orchestra, RCM Chorus. Britten Violin Concerto op 15. L Boulanger Psalm 130 Du fond de l’abîme. Stravinsky Symphonies d’instruments à vent. Stravinsky Symphonie de psaumes. Sir Andrew Davis, one of the UK’s most celebrated conductors, leads a dramatic programme of lesser-performed 20th-century works. RCM Concerto Competition winner David Horvat illuminates Britten’s virtuosic Violin Concerto, written at a time of impending war and reflecting the composer’s stance as a pacifist. The full force of choir and orchestra are heard in Lili Boulanger’s rarely performed psalm, Out of the depths of the abyss. Both turbulent and reflective, the composer dedicated the piece to her late father who died when she was just six. The programme culminates in Stravinsky’s spiritual Symphony of Psalms – a work for chorus and a unique orchestral ensemble including two pianos, five flutes and lower strings.