2025’s astounding winner of the prestigious Terence Judd-Hallé Award, Julius Asal, joins forces with returning Hallé conductor Lionel Bringuier for a performance of Grieg’s youthful Piano Concerto. From its thunderous opening timpani roll, through a heart-stoppingly beautiful Adagio to a rousing final movement, this stunning work has it all.

This Nordic-themed programme opens with Esa-Pekka Salonen’s enigmatic Helix, described by the composer as a spiralling “nine-minute accelerando”. While the pulse of the piece increases gradually throughout, the note values get proportionately longer, creating a fascinating experience for the audience, where the work seems to simultaneously speed up and slow down.

Sibelius composed his Second Symphony shortly after the successful premiere of Finlandia. The symphony was first performed in 1902 to great public admiration, its rousing finale linked by many to Finland’s struggle for independence. Whether intentionally patriotic or not, the symphony’s swelling melodic richness is truly moving.