CBSO Paganini Rhapsody

What’s in a tune? Rachmaninov took a devilish little theme by Paganini and turned it into one of the all-time favourite romantic piano showpieces. A few years later, in occupied Warsaw, the great Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski had exactly the same idea. But whether romantic or riotous, both composers knew how to entertain. Which is best? You decide, as pianist Barry Douglas tackles both in one bumper concert.

But first, the acclaimed young British conductor Edward Gardner shows us the darker side of Rachmaninov, before finishing in a blaze of colour with Lutoslawski’s dazzling Concerto for Orchestra. Twentieth-century music doesn’t get more exciting – or fun.