Rachmaninov’s Symphony No.2

When Vasily Petrenko conducts Russian music, you know to expect big emotions, and they don’t come much bigger than in Rachmaninov’s glorious Second Symphony. This is music of rolling stormclouds, blissful romance and melodies that seem to stretch out to the horizon, and when Petrenko recorded it, The Observer described the results as ‘essential listening’. The same goes for the British soprano Jennifer France. Following outstanding performances as the glamourous Zerbinetta in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos in 2022, tonight she brings that same sensational voice to a more intimate (but no less beautiful) side of Strauss. Elgar’s Cockaigne Overture, meanwhile, is a bustling, brilliant portrait of London at the height of its Edwardian splendour. British music simply doesn’t get more colourful – or more fun.