Thursday 15.10.2026 at 18.30

BARBARA DRAGAN, conductor
MATILDA LLOYD, trumpet

Franz Liszt: Les Préludes
Alexander Arutjunjan: Trumpet Concerto
Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 ‘Italian’

Franz Liszt bequeathed to history the concept of the symphonic poem, a musical form in which myths, paintings and novels are transformed into melodies that feed the imagination. The best-known of these is Les Préludes, which poses the question: ‘What is life, if not a series of preludes to that unknown song, the first solemn note of which is struck by death itself?’

Felix Mendelssohn’s ‘Italian’ Symphony also has a touch of storytelling. The entertaining and flowing music depicts the way of life in Italy, complete with folk dances.

The Trumpet Concerto (1950) by the Armenian composer Alexander Arutiunian made him world-famous, and no wonder: its virtuosic, ambition-inspiring  technical demands and its melodies inspired by the Western films of the era still captivate listeners with irresistible force. This neo-Romantic classic is performed by Matilda Lloyd, who tours Europe’s largest concert halls – and now plays for the first time at Sibelius Hall.