FRSO & Nicholas Collon

György Ligeti’s Atmosphères strikes to the very pillars of Western classical music: melody, harmony, pulse and form. Olivier Messiaen often adopted a wondrous perspective on faith. His youthful L’ascension addresses its topic in four symphonic meditations.
Rachmaninov’s Choral Symphony The Bells was his favourite work. It parallels the sound of different church bells with the various stages in human life, from the joys of youth right up to horrifying visions of death.