BBC Singers/Pedersen Singers at Six by Sibelius, Stravinsky, Elgar, De (2020/2020), Director musical Sakari Oramo, Barbican Centre, London, United Kingdom

Magic and atmosphere, poignancy and purpose as Sakari Oramo conducts an evening of twentieth-century orchestral and choral works by Stravinsky, Sibelius and Elgar. ‘I have put my soul into it. I have shown myself.’ So said Edward Elgar of his Second Symphony, a work that combines thrusting outward energy with deep inner poignancy. The BBC Symphony Orchestra has an almost unrivalled pedigree with Elgar’s symphonies, one taken forward in recent years by Sakari Oramo’s underlining of the universal humanity that lies at their heart. Surrounding the zest and brilliance of Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto performed by star violinist Vilde Frang, we hear some of the most atmospheric music Sibelius ever wrote, including his blistering, magical vision of a fairytale, Snöfrid.