Bath Festival Orchestra

Tonight’s concert has the refined grace of a Georgian spa town and more than a tune or two that you’ll be humming all the way home.

Not one to let the fact that she was a woman stop her, Louise Farrenc was a mover and shaker on the Paris music scene in the mid-1800s. This gorgeous, beautifully crafted symphony captures the spirit of Beethoven that was lingering in the Parisian air.

Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto saw the composer pushing the boundaries as an early adopter of a new type of keyed trumpet. While its predecessor was confined to militaristic pomp, this new instrument had a nimble agility and sweet-sounding lyricism that Haydn exploits to the full.

Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 sees the 19-year-old composer indulging in a moment of serious Mozart hero-worship. Elegant proportions and gorgeous melodies make this Symphony joyous listening from the opening chord to its closing cadence.