There will be a pre-concert talk with conductor Jonathan Bloxham and soloist Isata Kanneh-Mason from 6.30pm in the Concert Hall. This is free to attend for all ticket holders.

If you’re the superstitious type, you might feel some ghosts, spirits and mysterious forces moving around in this concert… 

Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No.1 was performed so often on the same instrument that the keys started to move by themselves, as if played by a dedicated, though invisible, pianist. Holy water wasn’t enough to deter the ghostly musician, so the instrument was packed up and sent to the landfill (ghost included). Isata Kanneh-Mason performs this concerto with LMP, but reduces the chances of witchcraft by playing on a modern piano. 

Anna Clyne’s Stride is haunted by a more obvious predecessor, Beethoven’s Sonata Pathétique. Listen out for the echoes of influence, reworked into a striking piece with Psycho-esque strings that warn of danger. And it’s an old cliché, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the opening notes of Beethoven’s Symphony No.5. The composer supposedly said they represent the ghostly hand of fate knocking at the door. 

We’ll leave it to you to hear the pieces and decide whether these are just ghost stories, or if there’s something more than meets the eye...