Bartók Violin Concerto No. 2 Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6, Pathétique ANGUS WEBSTER CONDUCTOR ALENA BAEVA VIOLIN Hungary in the late 1930s, as World War II loomed, was a fraught environment in which to work yet Bartók somehow manages to fill this Second Violin Concerto, composed in 1938, full of joy. The folksongs he collected and understood so well also filter into the work, both in the melodies themselves and in the way that they evolve with each new iteration or performance. This Concerto is full of dazzling virtuosic moments and we are delighted to welcome Alena Baeva back to perform it with us. Tchaikovsky’s symphonies are no-holds-barred emotional essays and in his Sixth Symphony, the composer brings all the strength of his life-energy to bear in facing down Fate, ending in an anguished, yet utterly beautiful lament. This concert is kindly sponsored by Deloitte.