London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Antonio Pappano

Polish folk music is at the heart of Lutoslawski’s Concerto for Orchestra, transformed by the composer and absorbed into his own experimental style. Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No 4 is tied inextricably to a personal breakdown, prompted by a hasty, ill-advised marriage. The opening fanfare announces the oppressive theme of fate, the ‘seed of the whole symphony’ and a force that Tchaikovsky felt ruled his life.