BBC Symphony Orchestra/Oramo & Julie Price

Sunlight, defiance and unsung heroes: Sakari Oramo conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra by Antonín Dvořák and Grażyna Bacewicz, plus a delightful showcase for the BBC SO’s own Principal Bassoon.

Dvořák always claimed to be 'just a simple Czech musician' – and it’s true that his Eighth Symphony positively dances with optimism and hummable melodies. But there’s more going on than meets the ear, and that goes double for Bacewicz’s dazzling Overture, written in Poland in the darkest days of World War Two.

It’s a life-affirming shout of defiance, from a composer who was never afraid to make herself heard (and deserves to be played more often). Bacewicz’s music is another of Sakari Oramo’s passions and it should make a thrilling upbeat to two showcases – elegant and poignant by turns – for our Principal Bassoon Julie Price. The bassoon doesn’t always get its fair share of the spotlight: today, that’s about to change.

This performance will end at approximately 9pm, including a 20-minute interval.

Produced by BBC Symphony Orchestra

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