London Philharmonic Orchestra: Concerto for Orchestra

Exiled from his beloved Hungary, Béla Bartók was lonely, impoverished and critically ill. His response? The mightiest shout of joy in all 20th century music. His Concerto for Orchestra isn’t just a showpiece for an orchestra at the top of its game; it’s a celebration of the human spirit. It tells a compelling story – just like Sibelius’s musical retelling of an ancient Finnish legend, and Dvorák’s radiant, hugely underrated Piano Concerto: a red-blooded romance for orchestra and a pianist with poetry in their fingers. Pierre-Laurent Aimard loves it; and with Karina Canellakis, winner of the 2016 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, on the podium, this should dance as well as sing.