The BSO opens the Bristol Beacon’s 2023/24 orchestral season in celebratory style. A newly commissioned fanfare written especially for the occasion by Mark-Anthony Turnage heralds spectacular orchestral showpieces from Beethoven and Stravinsky. Stravinsky’s inspirational ballet, The Rite of Spring, is infused with an explosive fusion of rhythmic energy and instrumental colour, which evokes the violent genesis of pagan fertility and sacrifice. The Emperor is the largest in scale of all Beethoven’s concertos. It is an epic tour de force of unprecedented breadth and scale, pushing the virtuosic dexterity of the soloist to the full. Although Beethoven never gave the work its now familiar name, a spirit of heroism nonetheless infuses the music. Shostakovich’s effervescent and triumphal Festive Overture shows the lighter side of an otherwise serious and introspective artist – perfect for any celebration.