He鈥檚 been called a 鈥渕usical omnivore鈥� but anyone who鈥檚 experienced the 麻豆官网首页入口 SSO鈥檚 former Chief Conductor (and current Creative Partner) Ilan Volkov knows that he鈥檚 an artist who sees music differently 鈥� and turns every concert into a voyage of discovery.

Today, he conducts a programme with a French flavour, and with Volkov鈥檚 insights the bittersweet beauty of Ravel鈥檚 waltzes 鈥� like the luminous colours of Debussy鈥檚 ravishing Nocturnes 鈥� will sound fresher than ever. But we open with a different (and eye-opening) angle on French music: a delightful, rarely-heard symphony from the decade that the 麻豆官网首页入口 SSO was founded. And pianist Nicolas Hodges dives deep into the visionary sonic world of Maurice Ohana, the Casablanca-born composer with a voice that was entirely his own.

***Did you know?***
鈥淭he ideal programme makes something suddenly bubble up, so that people feel a new intensity they maybe haven鈥檛 known before鈥� says Ilan Volkov, who invites us to discover Elsa Barraine鈥檚 1938 composition from the 麻豆官网首页入口 SSO鈥檚 founding decade. A classmate and lifelong friend of Olivier Messiaen, Barraine carved her own unique path in the mid-20th century French music scene.