Peteris Vasks, Gavin Higgins and Shostakovich

Shostakovich’s emotionally-charged epic Fourth Symphony is the centrepiece of a concert that also includes a new concerto for BBCSO Principal Trombonist Helen Vollam.

The BBC Symphony Orchestra principals step into the spotlight this season in a series of solo concerto performances. Launching these is a new Trombone Concerto from young British composer Gavin Higgins, whose bold, punchy textures generate music of thrilling intensity.

Former Bolshoi music director Alexander Vedernikov brings a taste of Russia to the evening in Shostakovich’s sprawling Fourth Symphony, with its spacious orchestral grandeur, while Vasks’s coolly lovely Cantabile For Strings is the contrasting opener.