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Michael Finnissy’s Piano Concerto No. 2 begins in the lower depths and explodes into transcendentally demanding piano writing before the other players enter.

Sir Harrison Birtwistle’s Gigue Machine, which Nicolas Hodges unveiled in Stuttgart earlier this year, also receives its first UK outing and Brian Elias’s meticulously crafted Sophoclean scena, set in the original ancient Greek, gets its first performance anywhere. Its cor anglais soloist, closely identified with the Britten Sinfonia as oboist and conductor, is a recent recipient of The Queen’s Medal for Music.

There will be no interval