Our first programme delivers Finnish nationalism and a Russian epic. Sibelius’ Finlandia, both rousing and turbulent, is a stark contrast to the Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber, a piece of sublime calm and beauty.

Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, was received to great applause at the premier in 1908 and was a huge boost to the composer’s own confidence after the disastrous reception of his first symphony ten years earlier. Also in the programme is Dvorák Slavonic Dance No. 8, a live performance of the orchestra’s second online lockdown project.