Two compelling works from contrasting worlds: With lightness, elegance and wit, infused with Spanish rhythms, Manuel de Falla’s ballet The Three-Cornered Hat tells of a young wife who fends off the of a provincial governor. Leoš Janáček’s rhapsody Taras Bulba, by contrast, unfolds with elemental power, portraying the fate of a Ukrainian Cossack leader who loses first his two sons and then his own life in the struggle against Polish occupiers. Sir Simon Rattle, former Chief Conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker, also leads the world premiere of a concerto written by Cathy Milliken for our cor anglais player, Dominik Wollenweber.