The ghosts of Mahler and, above all, Richard Strauss haunt Schoenberg’s gorgeous, expansive symphonic poem. This late-Romantic work conjures the dark forests and brooding castle of Maeterlinck’s fairytale, its thick orchestral textures shot through with gilded woodwind and brass.
Beethoven’s lively, brilliant D major Violin Concerto is the contrasting opener, with Canadian virtuoso James Ehnes making a rare appearance with the BBC Symphony Orchestra as soloist. Ryan Wigglesworth conducts.