Stoneleigh Youth Orchestra returns to Cadogan Hall to perform Shostakovich’s Twelfth Symphony and Dorothy Howell’s rarely heard Piano Concerto.

Shostakovich dedicated his Twelfth Symphony to Lenin’s memory. A powerful depiction of the 1917 revolution and Lenin’s hopes for the future, the Symphony is unashamedly uplifting and celebratory. However, Shostakovich’s ambivalence towards his subject is never far from the surface.

Ayako Fujiki joins the Orchestra to perform Dorothy Howell’s Piano Concerto. Despite critical acclaim, Howell’s orchestral music fell out of favour in the 1930s and is only now being rediscovered.

The concert opens with Gershwin’s exuberant Cuban Overture. Stoneleigh’s Training Orchestra will also be taking part in the concert, performing works by Chopin, Charpentier and Arnold.

Stoneleigh Youth Orchestra is one of the UK’s leading youth orchestras. Founded in 1944, it runs two full-sized symphony orchestras with over 170 members from southwest London and Surrey.

Recommended age: 7+