Manfred

Tchaikovsky saw himself as the victim of a cold, cruel fate. He felt a strong empathy for other people in the same situation, be they real or fictitious. That’s why he identified so closely with Manfred, the lonely, heartbroken wanderer at the centre of Byron’s epic poem. Deeply programmatic, long and technically challenging, it is often overlooked, yet it has a great deal to offer: bountiful drama, colour and a memorable series of melodies.

Dutilleux’s concerto for cello and orchestra is an intense meditation on the poet Charles Baudelaire; each of the five movements begins with a fragment of verse. Introspective, almost spooky, the luminous timbres and delicate textures collide with mighty climaxes in the orchestra whilst the demanding cello writing involves heart-rending melodies at the top of the instrument's range and cluttered tangles of pizzicato notes near the bottom.