Lightness, joie de vivre and plenty of ‘Italianità’ – Mendelssohn’s Fourth Symphony draws on the impressions and sounds of his travels in Italy, ranging from religious processions to exuberant dances.

The Kyiv Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Felix Krieger, pairs this work with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s elegant Concerto for Flute and Harp, featuring Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson, principal flutist of the Berlin Philharmonic, and harpist Kateryna Savinka as soloists.

The programme opens with a Ukrainian contemporary of Mozart’s: Dmitri Bortniansky served at the court of the Russian Tsar, but had learnt his craft in Italy, as demonstrated by the overture to his opera *The Falcon*.