Vaughan Williams, Sibelius & Walton by Vaughan Williams, Sibelius, Walton, Fra (2014/2014), Dirigent Ben Gernon, The Pickaquoy Centre, Kirkwall, United Kingdom

An exciting and dramatic concert opens with Vaughan Williams’ music to Aristophanes’ play fizzing with exciting orchestral colour and continues with the lyrical virtuosity and tender romanticism of Sibelius’ much loved violin concerto played by one of the UK’s young violin stars. Massed voices then join the orchestra to perform the powerful and theatrical masterpiece by Walton telling the biblical story of King Belshazzar. The internationally celebrated Russian baritone Sergei Leiferkus adds his extraordinary voice to this electrifying tale. In this Year of Homecoming the concert is conducted by an old friend of the Festival, Ben Gernon, making his debut with the BBC SSO. This concert will be recorded for future broadcast by BBC Radio 3.