When Joseph Haydn came to Britain, he sparked a Georgian media-frenzy – and he knew that London audiences deserved only the very best. Two of his most exuberant symphonies are at the heart of this concert, including the brilliant No. 97: a sensation in London in 1792, and just as entertaining in 2018!

The award-winning Nicolas Altstaedt shares his passion tonight, and plays two delightful showpieces for his own instrument, the cello. Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations is a sparkling celebration of the 18th century by Russia’s supreme master of melody. And as for Saint-Saëns’ First Cello Concerto: well, romance just doesn’t get more elegant.