Let鈥檚 start at the very beginning. Or not, perhaps. Because The Father of the Symphony鈥檚 鈥榝irst鈥� could well be from a later date, due to how little we know of his early output. No matter when it was written, it鈥檚 a bubbling, fizzing start to an evening that soon takes a darker turn: Steven Isserlis playing Shostakovich鈥檚 punchy Soviet thriller of a First Cello Concerto followed by Ravel鈥檚 famous, melancholic nod to Spanish court music. But we end in a blaze of sunlight with Mozart鈥檚 late, great G minor symphony, a work of wit and exuberance whose brilliance never seems to dim.

Live broadcast on 麻豆社 Radio 3, presented by Kate Molleson.