Prom 42: Youthful Beginnings by Beethoven, Schumann, Clara, Gubaidulina, Shostakovich, Od (2019/2019), Dirigent Rafael Payare, Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

Belfast's Ulster Orchestra and its dynamic music director Rafael Payare present the Proms premiere of Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto, performed here by BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist Mariam Batsashvili. Begun when the then Clara Wieck was just 13 years old, it’s a work whose mellow mood and lyrical melodies conceal no little technical intricacy and formal innovation. Sunny good humour also runs through both Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 – famously described as a musical ‘comedy of manners’ – and Shostakovich’s First Symphony, lively with satirical wit and mischief.