Andrew Davis conducts Beethoven

Sir Andrew Davis conducts Raymond Yiu’s powerful new violin concerto, framed by explosions of colour and joy from Tippett and Beethoven.

Music is a life-force. Tippett’s The Midsummer Marriage burst like some fabulous, multicoloured blossom into the grey skies of postwar Britain. And Beethoven channelled the spirit of the dance in a leaping, surging Seventh Symphony that’s still one of the most exhilarating rides in all of western music. It’s a special favourite of the BBC SO’s much-loved Conductor Laureate Sir Andew Davis.

At the heart of the concert, though, comes something new, and just as significant. Esther Yoo is the soloist in the new Violin Concerto by Raymond Yiu – a heartfelt homage to the memory of Ma Sicong, the great Chinese violinist who was persecuted (but never broken) by the Communist regime. It’s a story of sorrow, but also of profound humanity: a tale that Beethoven and Tippett would have recognised, and saluted.