Hear iconic pieces by composers who honed their craft to achieve perfection.

Following a tepid reaction at its premiere, Max Bruch immediately withdrew his First Violin Concerto, working on a revised version with Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim. The result – rich, seductive and packed with Magyar flavour – brought him international fame and eclipsed everything he subsequently wrote. Elena Urioste is the soloist in this much-loved work.

Written 40 years later, Sergei Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony is the ultimate Romantic symphony, packed with all the sumptuous melody and heart-on-sleeve intensity that we have come to associate with the Russian composer’s music. But hidden beneath its glossy exterior is a complex, foreword-looking musical machinery that brought Rachmaninov critical acclaim – a huge relief after the unmitigated disaster of his First Symphony.

We open with the overture from George Gershwin’s Strike up the Band. Stuffed with marches and Gilbert & Sullivan-inspired pomposity, this Broadway satire puts the US military-industrial complex in its crosshairs (the original sees a US tycoon go to war with Switzerland over cheese tariffs). The show – a flop at first – was reworked with the help of George’s brother, Ira, and became a major hit, sealing their reputation as the slickest musical duo on Tin Pan Alley.

Part of the Kirklees Concert Season 2025–26

Programme

Gershwin Strike up the Band
Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1
Rachmaninov Symphony No. 2