Prom 52: Prokofiev / Dutilleux

Tonight’s concert features two composers central to the musical lives of their respective countries. Birthday composer Henri Dutilleux is represented by the nocturnal imaginings of the violin concerto he wrote for Isaac Stern plus there’s a chance to hear his birthday tribute to one of Prokofiev’s most ardent supporters, the late Mstislav Rostropovich. Flanking these are Prokofiev’s entrancing ‘Classical’ Symphony and his Fifth, a different, grander kind of utterance reflecting the soul of war-torn Moscow and the greatness of the human spirit.