Experience an exhilarating programme that touches on revolutions and freedoms in many forms. Errollyn Wallen’s magnificent Mighty River was commissioned to mark the bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, and takes inspiration from William Wilberforce, an English politician and leading Abolitionist. Listen out for the sounds of spirituals and gospel music at its core, and feel the relentlessness of the pursuit of freedom. Wallen’s ballet Horseplay follows, a work described by The Guardian as ‘one of Wallen’s satisfyingly dense dance scores... a four-movement array of melodic and textural delights.’ 

To close enjoy the sophisticated ‘Classical’ Symphony, where Sergey Prokofiev acknowledges and wittingly upends the traditional symphonic framework. The work was written over 1916-17, against the tumultuous backdrop of World War I and the Russian Revolution. Grandson Gabriel Prokofiev’s acclaimed piece for DJ and orchestra, premiered by the BBC Proms in 2011, will open the concert.