Guest conductor: James Thomas
Overture to Hänsel & Gretel Englebert Humperdinck
Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor Sergei Rachmaninov
Soloist: Thomas Luke
Symphony No.2 in D Jean Sibelius

Humperdinck was asked by his sister, Adelheid, to write four songs for her children’s holiday puppet show, based on her own adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, Hänsel und Gretel. Humperdinck went on to create an entire opera, and the conductor at the premiere was none other than Richard Strauss. It quickly became a beloved Christmas family tradition in Europe, similar to Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker.

The young pianist Thomas Luke is no stranger to Isle of Wight concert-goers, and was the winner of the piano final of the 2020 BBC Young Musician competition. Widely praised for his exceptional musicality and depth of interpretation, Thomas will be performing the Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor.

With guest conductor, James Thomas, at the helm the concert will culminate in Sibelius’ Symphony No.2 in D. The work is sumptuous, lyrical and powerful in equal measure.

Adults £16 | Under 18's £7. Ticket price includes £1 Booking Fee

Images with kind permission of Allan Marsh.