The torrent roars, and the full orchestra hurls down a furious challenge. The opening of Brahms’s youthful First Piano Concerto is a long way from the image of the gruff old genius in baggy tros and beard. For Edinburgh audiences, this is a first chance to hear pianist Denis Kozhukhin in this overwhelming music. BBC SSO chief conductor-designate Thomas Dausgaard conducts: The Scotsman found “something elemental” in his performance when he conducted the BBC SSO on Orkney last summer. His freshness and energy will make Beethoven’s headlong Seventh Symphony both a bracing contrast and a perfect counterpart to Brahms’s volcanic concerto.
Prelude: 2.00pm (free to ticket-holders)
Peter Nelson from the University of Edinburgh introduces the featured works.