Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra

Gershwin’s gritty and inspiring tale of life, death and injustice, Porgy and Bess contains too much brilliant music to be confined to a three-hour evening in the theatre. Gershwin knew that, which explains the existence of his captivating symphonic suite Catfish Row. It weaves together the tunes of some of the opera’s best-loved songs including Summertime and I got plenty o’ nuttin – the perfect prelude to a violin concerto by another indefinable musical polymath. André Previn wrote his Violin Concerto No. 1 for his former wife and this concert’s soloist Anne-Sophie Mutter. It is a musical love letter both virtuosic and intimate that casts a spell of its own.