Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra

Piano Melvyn Tan

Conductor Barry Wordsworth

BERLIOZ / WEBER
Spectre de la Rose / Invitation to the Dance

MASCAGNI
Intermezzo

CHOPIN
Piano Concerto No.2

RIMSKY KORSAKOV
Scheherazade

Our Valentine’s Day concert begins with Berlioz’s orchestral arrangement of Carl Maria von Weber’s piano piece Invitation to the Dance. It was used in a ballet entitled Le Spectre de la Rose by Diaghilev for the famous Ballet Russes.

Mascagni’s Intermezzo from his one-act opera Cavalleria Rusticana contributed to the work’s sensational success from its first performance onwards.

Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.2 has been delighting audiences with its frothy virtuosity and elegance since its first performance in 1830. We are fortunate to welcome Melvyn Tan, one of the foremost pianists of his generation, to perform it for us.

Our romantic concert concludes with Rimsky-Korsakov’s beautiful Scheherazade, based on the story of the

Arabian Nights. It quickly became Rimsky-Korsakov’s most popular work with its wonderful orchestral colours, enchanting melodies and oriental magic. Its rhythmic vitality has marked it out as one of the great works of the

19th century and its romantic story has ensured its popularity right up to the present day.