Rachmaninov's Second Symphony

Passion beyond reason. No-one who was present when the BBC SSO premiered Sir James MacMillan’s The Confession of Isobel Gowdie at the Proms in 1990 will forget the impact it made – a new voice in Scottish music, speaking with uncompromising emotional power. A landmark both in British music and the orchestra’s own history, we couldn’t celebrate our 90th season without Isobel Gowdie.

Tonight she takes her rightful place alongside the Violin Concerto by the orchestra’s founder-conductor Ian Whyte, and one of the most popular (and moving!) of 20th century symphonies, Rachmaninov’s Second. Is this the ultimate romantic symphony? We just know that you love to hear it, and Martyn Brabbins – a long-time friend of the orchestra – loves to conduct it, too.